Reason 3: The Ravens Built A Big Enough Lead
21 was the magic number for the Ravens in this game. The Ravens defense held the Steelers down for almost three entire quarters. The Steelers got put into a position where they had to chuck it down field on almost every play. The Ravens weren’t going to stop the Steelers forever. When the dam started to break, the Ravens lead was enough to last.
The Ravens did a great job of getting off the field on defense. The Steelers were 4 for 16 on third down conversions. Roethlisberger was frustrated and nerve got to get into his groove. The Ravens kept the Steelers in check by keeping them off the field. Every time the Steelers had a chance to get a drive going, the Ravens stopped them.
A rattled Steelers team never found the answers. When the Steelers appeared to be coming back, the Ravens were letting them chew up clock. We live in a results based world. The Ravens strategy ultimately worked.