Sunday, December 24, 2006
Pittsburgh converted on only 2-of-14 third-down plays in losing to the Ravens, 31-7.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- After clinging to faint postseason hopes for six weeks following a surprisingly awful 2-6 start, the curtain finally fell on the Super Bowl champions' dream of defending their NFL crown.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' dashed hopes landed with a resounding thud Sunday afternoon at far-from-festive Heinz Field as the Baltimore Ravens romped to their 12th victory, 31-7, and a season sweep.
"It's frustrating because we still had a chance," said wide receiver Hines Ward, referring to their second-half collapse as well as the playoff chase ending. "Everything was [supposed] to fall into place, but we didn't take care of our end against Baltimore."
Ravens formidable
Since early November, the Steelers' only other loss came Thanksgiving weekend in Baltimore when Ravens quarterback Steve McNair led his team to a 27-0 triumph.
On Christmas Eve, McNair triggered a similar lack of holiday cheer for Pittsburgh. The former Titans quarterback was in fine form again, completing 21-of-31 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
"He is their secret weapon this year," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "He's the reason they are where they are."
The win combined with the Indianapolis Colts' loss to the Houston Texans put the Ravens ahead of the Colts and Patriots for a first-round bye in the playoffs, and in the hunt for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Ravens coach Brian Billick, whose team won the Super Bowl in January 2001, called Sunday's victory "a great moment for us. [It] puts us in position to get things we covet.
"Coming on the road anytime you play a like that against an outstanding team, a very hot team for the last half of the season, it was very good," Billick said.
Steelers (7-8) coach Bill Cowher, whose team will miss the playoffs for only the fifth time in his 15 seasons in Pittsburgh, said McNair "plays smart and he made big throws. He beat [strong safety] Troy [Polamalu] twice, to their credit. They executed."
Going nowhere
Against the AFC North Division champions, the Steelers were equally inept on both sides of the ball.
"We were not on top of our game," Cowher said. "And against a team like that you're not going to win. We got beat by a better football team today.
"We couldn't get anything going on offense and we gave up too many big pass plays on defense," Cowher said.
The Steelers defense struggled to produce key stops, especially in the third quarter when the game was still in doubt.
After the Ravens had jumped ahead 14-0 late in the second quarter, the Steelers scored their only points after a McNair pass deflected off of wide receiver Mark Clayton's hands to cornerback Deshea Townsend.
Sparked by an unnecessary roughness penalty assessed against Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, Cowher gambled on fourth-and-goal from the 1. With the clock ticking and the Steelers with no timeouts, the Ravens called time when placekicker Jeff Reed remained on the sideline.
Within seven
After the break, Roethlisberger found tight end Heath Miller for a 1-yard score and a seven-point deficit at halftime.
The joy that touchdown produced was short-lived as McNair engineered a 69-yard scoring drive to open the second half. The big play came on third-and 13 when McNair calmly waited then found tight end Todd Heap for an 18-yard gain.
On the next play, wide receiver Demetrius Williams raced down the sideline past Polamalu and pulled in a 25-yard touchdown for a 21-7 lead.
Still, the Steelers weren't done and were threatening early in the fourth quarter.
But on a first down play from the Baltimore 11, Steelers tailback Willie Parker gained 8 yards then lost the ball when cornerback Corey Ivy jarred it from the falling Parker's grasp and free safety Ed Reed recovered and returned the ball 32 yards.
"The fumble changed everything," Parker said. "I take the good with the good and it was my fault on the fumble so I've got to take the bad with the bad. I kind of let my teammates down.
"I thought I was down at first but after I looked at it, I knew I wasn't down," Parker said of the fumble.
Pitiful yardage
"You have to give credit to their defense and their gameplan," said Parker who finished behind Roethlisberger in rushing yardage (29 yards on 13 carries compared to the quarterback's 33 yards on four scrambles).
The Ravens piled on 10 points in the fourth quarter with Matt Stover's 26-yard field goal and running back Jamal Lewis' 1-yard touchdown run late.
Roethlisberger completed 15 of 31 passes for 156 yards. More importantly, the Steelers converted on only 2-of-14 third-down plays.
williams@vindy.com