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There's going to be a lot of talk in the Baltimore area this week about the play of Joe Flacco, and rightfully so.
The third-year signal caller had a very impressive game this afternoon, and his performance in the final minute and change of the fourth quarter could be a sign of great things to come for this Ravens team.
But one thing that might be lost in the excitement surrounding the game-winning touchdown drive that Flacco executed against the Steelers' vaunted defense is the play of the Ravens' defense when they twice had their backs against the wall in the third quarter.
With the Ravens leading 10-7 coming out of the halftime break, they immediately turned the ball over on their opening possession of the second half.
Willis McGahee was hit by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, forcing a fumble which Pittsburgh recovered deep in Ravens territory at the Baltimore 27-yard-line.
Instead of allowing the Steelers to put up a go-ahead touchdown or move into range for a chip-shot field goal, the Ravens buckled down and knocked Pittsburgh backwards - literally and figuratively.
A third down Terrell Suggs sack of quarterback Charlie Batch pushed the Steelers back to the 31-yard-line, setting up a 49-yard field goal attempt by Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed.
Battling the swirling winds that make the open end of Heinz Field so tough to kick towards, Reed sent his kick off the right upright, and the Ravens held onto their three-point lead.
Just two Ravens possessions later, Flacco made his one big mistake of the ballgame, getting picked off by cornerback Ike Taylor at the Baltimore 33.
Yet again, the Steelers had a chance to take the lead, or seemingly at the very least, tie things up with the fourth quarter approaching.
Nope. Not gonna happen.
The Baltimore defense held tough again, and despite an encroachment penalty on defensive end Paul Kruger which moved the Steelers to the 27-yard-line, Pittsburgh again came up empty when Reed overcompensated for the wind and sent his 45-yard attempt sailed wide left.
Two times in three Ravens' possessions, they turned the ball over inside their own 35. Both times, the Baltimore defense held Pittsburgh without points.
Flacco's dramatics will get all the headlines over the next couple days, but the Ravens' quarterback was only in a position to lead that game-winning scoring drive because of those two huge stands by the D.
