Joe Flacco was efficient, finishing with 166 yards through the air and two touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens put together a complete game under adverse circumstances and dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-6, in front of a national audience on Thursday Night Football.
Steelers vs. Ravens 2014 final score: 3 things we learned in Baltimore’s 26-6 win
The Ravens had every reason in the world to be distracted and let the Steelers steal a game on the road. Instead, Baltimore put its resolve on display in front of a national audience with an impressive win in front of its home fans.
Patrick Smith
The Ravens were eager to get back to the business of football after a week-long distraction involving the Ray Rice saga. While the drama surrounding one of the worst scandals in NFL history was thankfully put aside for 60 minutes against the rival Steelers, there's more to come.
The trying circumstances encompassing the entire organization make the Ravens’ display of laser-like focus impressive. They won every facet of the game and dominated both sides of the ball against a strong division opponent. With that in mind, it’ll segue nicely into three lessons we learned on Thursday night.
1. The Steelers run defense has potential, but still needs work. Going into the matchup on Thursday, the Steelers' rush defense had some questions after giving up 183 net rushing yards to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. In the loss against the Ravens, the front seven appeared to be a bright spot until it wore down late.
With Baltimore in control, Pittsburgh put together two three-and-outs deep in its own territory and held the Ravens to field goals on its last two possessions. After that, it struggled to get the stops needed to have a chance at a comeback by allowing Bernard Pierce and Justin Forsett to rattle off big plays down the stretch.
2. Owen Daniels is still a red zone threat. After finishing with four catches for 34 yards and zero touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, Daniels finished with the Ravens' only two touchdowns and totaled five catches for 28 yards. Last week, Dennis Pitta had the big line among the Baltimore tight ends with 10 receptions for 83 yards.
Daniels looked like a backup in Week 1, but it’s clear he’s a big part of the game plan moving forward based on his efficiency inside the 20 on Thursday.
3. Steve Smith can still do Steve Smith things. The veteran was all over the field on Thursday, finishing with six catches for 71 yards. The numbers stand out to be sure, but what made this a signature game for the 35-year-old was the intensity with which he played.
As far as No. 89 was concerned, this was a playoff tilt. The way he torched the defense was something to behold:
If there was any doubt before Thursday, Week 2 established Smith is the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore and a more-than-capable replacement for Anquan Boldin in Gary Kubiak's offense.
Injuries
Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons exited the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury and re-entered the game after one play.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown took a major hit while going across the middle in the first quarter, but was able to return after passing the league's concussion protocol.
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