Aaron Rodgers passed for 284 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score as the Pittsburgh Steelers took sole possession of the AFC North lead with 27-22 victory over the host Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon.
DK Metcalf caught seven passes for 148 yards as Pittsburgh (7-6) defeated Baltimore (6-7) for the ninth time in the past 11 regular-season meetings. Kenneth Gainwell rushed for a touchdown and Jaylen Warren had a scoring reception for the Steelers.
Rodgers completed 23 of 34 passes while wearing a soft cast to protect his broken left wrist.
Lamar Jackson completed 19 of 35 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jackson also rushed for a score for the Ravens (6-7), who lost their second straight contest following a five-game winning streak.
Derrick Henry rushed for 94 yards on 25 carries and Zay Flowers had eight receptions for 124 yards for Baltimore. Isaiah Likely caught a touchdown pass but also was ruled to have dropped what would have been a go-ahead scoring catch with 2:43 remaining.
The Ravens reached the Pittsburgh 30-yard line in the final seconds before Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith sacked Jackson to end the game.
That was part of a frantic Baltimore late-game push. On the previous drive, Jackson connected with Flowers for 33 yards to the Pittsburgh 13. On the next play, Jackson hit Lively in the end zone for an apparent touchdown.
But the tight end held the ball out in front him with both hands as trailing Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. poked into his body. Lively took a couple steps in the end zone before the ball fell to the ground. A review determined the pass was incomplete and not a touchdown.
The Ravens had fourth-and-5 from the Steelers’ 8 later in the drive but Jackson’s throw for Mark Andrews was high and incomplete with 2:22 remaining.
Pittsburgh led 17-9 at halftime before Chris Boswell booted a 28-yard field goal early in the third quarter.
Keaton Mitchell exploded for a 55-yard run on Baltimore’s next possession and that set up Jackson’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Lively to pull the Ravens within 20-16 with 7:35 remaining.
The Steelers responded when Warren caught a short pass from Rodgers and turned it into a 38-yard score to make it an 11-point margin with 3:30 left in the period.
Tyler Loop kicked field goals of 28 and 36 yards in the fourth quarter to pull the Ravens within 27-22 with 7:10 remaining.
Earlier, Rodgers threw 52 yards to Metcalf to the Ravens’ 13 on the Steelers’ first offensive play. Rodgers capped the drive with a 1-yard run with 7:13 left in the first quarter to give Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead.
Boswell’s 23-yard field goal and Gainwell’s 6-yard TD run gave Pittsburgh a 17-3 advantage with 6:05 left in the half. Jackson scored on a 6-yard keeper with 16 seconds.
