COMON Network

By COMON Network Team

Final Score – Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0) 28 def. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) 24

The Steelers are 7-0, joining the 1978 team as teams in franchise history to do that, thanks to their 28-24 win in Baltimore over the Ravens, in comeback fashion.

It was the Steelers getting on the board first on the first of four Baltimore turnovers, a pick six thrown by Lamar Jackson to Pittsburgh’s Robert Spillane. The score was on a 33-yard return and put the Steelers, after Chris Boswell’s point after, 7-0.

Miles Boykin caught a six-yard touchdown from Lamar Jackson with 8:44 left in the first as Baltimore responded. Gus Edwards scored from a yard out to make it 14-7 before Baltimore’s Justin Tucker hit from 51 to put the Ravens up 17-7 at the halftime break.

The Steelers scored 14 points in the third quarter, starting with an Eric Ebron 18-yard reception and score from Ben Roethlisberger before James Conner punched it in from a yard out. The Ravens took the lead back on a three-yard score to Marquise Brown from Jackson with 12 minutes left. The Steelers scored with 7:32 left on a pass of eight yards to Chase Claypool from Roethlisberger.

The Ravens had a shot later, and Cam Heyward went down with an injury and was helped off the field late, but the Steelers held on to take a two-game lead in the AFC North through eight weeks.

COMON Network Team Commentary

DONNY CHEDRICK

• Spillane Train. Get on board. Seats are going fast. Robert Spillane doesn’t have a high ceiling — certainly not the ceiling Devin Bush has. But he can play. He’s playing out of his mind. He has obvious limitations, but a true chip-on-the-shoulder mentality. A pick six and a fumble recovery at huge times in the game. Keep it up.
• Another rookie impact. Alex Highsmith was thought of as an eventual replacement for Bud Dupree. Maybe he is. But in the snaps he gets, he makes things happen. A huge interception that may have been the biggest turning point in the game. The rookie class continues to impress as 2020 moves forward.
• Dog Fight. It was a war. Not quite the old school 13-10 type game, but about as hard hitting and gritty you can get in 2020. It was awesome. And the Steelers are back on the right side of the rivalry after being swept in 2019

Player of the Game – Bob Spillane (PIT)

KYLE DAWSON

• Why wasn’t time added back on after the Heyward injury late? I know they charged the Steelers with a timeout but I am not sure why they didn’t add any time back on, nonetheless, I don’t think either team deserved to win this game. Pittsburgh looked horrible in the first half, while Baltimore didn’t look great, outside of torching the Steelers’ second-rated rush defense pretty much the whole game. Not good. But a win is a win is a win in the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves 7-0. That’s a big plus.
• An obvious concern in Cam Heyward. He had initially gotten hurt and then didn’t finish the game and was walking off the field with a lot of help from two teammates. The Steelers absolutely have to have Cam Heyward moving forward if they’re going to have a shot at a deep run. Hopefully his injury isn’t too serious.
• The offense looked like crap the first half. The unit responded in the second half and was much better but took advantage of a few short fields thanks to the Steelers’ defense turning the Ravens over four times, including the hugely important pick six by Robert Spillane. Huge play. Even rookie Alex Highsmith made a huge play on his interception. Lamar Jackson didn’t look very good today throwing the ball either. A very satisfactory day from the offense but Ben didn’t turn it over, which is important. Juju and Ebron had big days in the receiving game in terms of fighting for extra yards.
• 7-0… let that sink in. I don’t think any of us expected that.

Player of the Game – Stephen Tuitt (PIT) – 9 tackles including 3 TFL and two sacks, with no Alualu and at the end Heyward? Give me Tuitt with huge ups to Spillane.

JOE SMELTZER

• I don’t know if Robert Spillane is legit yet, and I don’t know what his future is with this team whenever Devin Bush is healthy again. He’s only had two NFL starts. I do know that he played his ass off today, and the Steelers aren’t 7-0 without him 
• Spillane’s role with the team will likely diminish at least somewhat when Bush returns, but assuming Bud Dupree gets paid by somebody else, Alex Highsmith will probably have a much bigger role in 2021. His interception today completely changed the game. It’s  nice to see some of the Steelers less heralded defensive players making an impact 
• There is no doubt as to what the best rivalry in the NFL is. Every time these two teams meet, it’s a show.

Player of the Game – Robert Spillane (PIT)