5 things we learned from the Steelers’ 39-38 win over the Ravens

The latest installment of this classic rivalry lived up to its history. The Steelers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter of Sunday Night Football. The Ravens got on a roll, but the Steelers fought back in the fourth quarter to get the 39-38 win.

It’s unusual for the Steelers to lose a game after setting up an early 14-0 lead. The Steelers were 214-0-2 all-time when leading by two scores at any point during a game, according to the broadcast. Now they’re 215-0-2, thanks to a Chris Boswell field goal with less than a minute left to play that gave the Steelers a 39-38 lead.

The Ravens had a shot to keep the Steelers from clinching the AFC North. They got the ball back with 42 seconds to play, but Joe Flacco fumbled the ball out of bounds and Baltimore didn’t have time to get in position for a field goal attempt. So the Steelers sealed the AFC North anyway with the victory on Sunday night.

Here are five things we learned from the Steelers’ win over the Ravens.

Linebacker Ryan Shazier remains hospitalized as he recovers from spinal stabilzation surgery for a serious injury he suffered in the Steelers’ Week 13 win over the Bengals.

Antonio Brown and other Steelers players took the field for warmups with custom cleats to honor their injured teammate. And Cameron Heyward and Bud Dupree had Shazier’s jersey on the field with them during pregame.

Roosevelt Nix had a monster special teams tackle on the opening kickoff. He lifted his shirt to show the No. 50 he was wearing underneath his jersey for Shazier.

Shazier will be out for the rest of the season. But he is clearly missed.

If you look at their individual stat lines, it’s hard to believe the Steelers trailed by two scores at a couple of points in the second half.

Bell left the game briefly after taking a helmet to the knee, but he returned. He looked perfectly healthy on his third touchdown of the day.

And Roethlisberger set a new career high.

Shazier’s absence was felt in the defense’s inability to slow down Ravens running back Alex Collins. Collins gashed the Steelers for big play after big play, like this 18-yard rushing touchdown.

He was dangerous through the air, too.

Collins finished with 120 yards and a rushing touchdown. He added two catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.

There were five pass interference calls in this game, and some were questionable. This one on Artie Burns in the fourth quarter should not have been flagged.

The two teams had 11 penalties between them.

Flacco hasn’t been elite this year. He ranks 25th in the league for passing yards per game, and the Ravens are 31st in the league for yards per game. But you wouldn’t have known it from Flacco’s performance against the Steelers.

Aside from an early interception, which the Steelers turned into a Le’Veon Bell rushing touchdown, Flacco looked sharp.

He had a nice touch on his deep ball, like this shot to wide receiver Chris Moore.

He threw for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. That’s an improvement over his average of 178.7 yards per game this year. It just wasn’t enough to get the Ravens a win.