Steelers beat Ravens, 23-20, in overtime

Four players, including Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall, were injured and left the game.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jeff Reed kicked a 46-yard field goal with 8:55 remaining to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in overtime Monday night.

Le’Ron McClain’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:02 remaining in regulation allowed the Ravens to tie the score at 20.

McClain, in the game because of a chest injury to starting running back Willis McGahee, capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive that was a response to 17 consecutive Pittsburgh points in the second half after the Ravens had built a 13-3 lead.

Santonio Holmes had a 38-yard touchdown reception and LaMarr Woodley scored on a fumble recovery on the next play from scrimmage as Pittsburgh erased a 10-point deficit in a span of 15 seconds to take a 17-13 lead in the third quarter. Jeff Reed kicked his second field goal of the game, a 19-yarder, to extend the Steelers’ lead to 20-13 5:41 into the fourth quarter.

Joe Flacco threw his first career touchdown pass and Matt Stover kicked two field goals for the Ravens, who led 13-3 until Holmes caught Ben Roethlisberger’s pass on third-and-4 with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

After the ensuing kickoff, Flacco was sacked on the first play by James Harrison, who forced the fumble that was picked up by Woodley, who rolled before getting to his feet and running 7 yards for his first career touchdown.

The Steelers had gone eight quarters since their previous touchdown before the outburst.

With 17 seconds to play in the first half, Flacco threw a 4-yard scoring toss to Daniel Wilcox for his first catch of the season. Stover added field goals of 33 and 20 yards for the Ravens, who at 2-0 entered the game one of only four undefeated teams left in the NFL and they were looking to defeat each of their three division rivals to start the season.

The Steelers scored on Reed’s 49-yard field goal the first time they had the ball but then went seven possessions without even getting a first down.

Flacco, a first-round draft pick who attended the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Delaware, was 13-of-27 for 132 yards without an interception. McGahee led all players with 42 yards rushing despite missing part of the game due to the chest injury.

Steelers starting right guard Kendall Simmons left the game late in the second quarter with a right ankle injury. His return was doubtful.

Pittsburgh linebacker Andre Frazier was carted off on a stretcher after the opening kickoff when he sustained a blind-side hit from Haruki Nakarmura while on kick coverage. He was not to return to the game but no other word was immediately available on the severity of his spine injury.

Pittsburgh first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall had nine carries for 30 yards in making his first NFL start but left after the first play of the third quarter due to a left shoulder injury. His return was questionable. Starting running back Willie Parker was out with a knee injury.

Stover kicked a 33-yard field goal with 18 seconds to play in the first quarter. That drive was set up by Haloti Ngata’s interception of Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was 10-of-16 for 105 yards. He was sacked three times a week after Pittsburgh allowed nine sacks during a 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Stover’s 20-yard field goal was the culmination of an 11-play, 48-yard drive that featured five rushes by McGahee for 32 yards. To that point, the Ravens had totaled only 11 yards rushing.

McGahee carried 12 times for 41 yards before getting hurt on a 1-yard gain late in the second quarter. McGahee is recovering from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery that limited him to 15 carries in Baltimore’s first two games.

McGahee was twice forced to leave Baltimore’s previous game against Cleveland because of eye injuries.

Frazier was running down the field when he was blocked by Haruki Nakamura of the Ravens and went down to the turf.

Both Frazier and Nakamura are former University of Cincinnati players.

Frazier was moving his legs and his hands while trainers, as a precautionary move, removed his facemask before he was taken off the field.

This is Frazier’s second stay with the Steelers after originally signing with them as a free agent in 2005. That season, he injured his right leg during the AFC championship game in Denver and missed the Super Bowl two weeks later. He also played briefly for the Bengals in 2006, but returned to the Steelers last year.