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Y! MyWebAFC NORTH NOTEBOOK
Penalty halted Ravens' momentum
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Momentum can shift quickly in a football game, and it sure swung fast in favor of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
The visiting Baltimore Ravens had Pittsburgh by the throat, but forgot to squeeze, and the Steelers pulled off a 23-20 overtime victory at Heinz Field.
The Ravens were ahead 13-3 and in total control late in the third quarter, when linebacker Jarret Johnson got flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty when he shoved Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward when Nate Washington was already out of bounds after an 8-yard gain to Pittsburgh's 41-yard line.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger then hooked up with Santonio Holmes for a 38-yard touchdown at the 4:09 mark. Fifteen seconds later, Steelers linebacker James Harrison sacked Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, and stripped the ball away. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley scooped it up and danced 7 yards into the end zone, giving Pittsburgh a 20-13 lead at 3:54.
Two TDs in 15 seconds helped send the Ravens (2-1) reeling to their first loss of the season after two home victories. Welcome back to reality, Baltimore.
Steelers Dealing with injuries
After losing right guard Kendall Simmons (torn right Achilles) and tailback Rashard Mendenhall (fractured left shoulder) for the season, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said the club is prepared to deal with the injuries.
"Our standard of expectation will not change," Tomlin told the Associated Press. "We have to go to Jacksonville on a short week. Such is life in the National Football League."
Ravens Haruki the hammer
In a collision of two former University of Cincinnati Bearcats, Ravens rookie safety Haruki Nakamura knocked out Steelers linebacker Andre Frazier with a block on the opening kickoff.
Frazier, who played for the Bengals in 2006-07 and is the son of former Bengal Guy Frazier, was immobilized on a backboard and carted off the field. He was walking around the locker room and talking to players after the game.
Browns Lewis vs. Lewis
Browns tailback Jamal Lewis ran for 79 yards and a TD, pushing his rushing yardage to 1,630 in 14 games against the Bengals.
"It feels good to get a 'W' going into this bye," Lewis said. "It's big just to break that streak. We hadn't won a game since December. Hopefully, we can just keep it going and build on it."
Why all the success against Cincinnati?
"(Bengals head coach) Marvin Lewis," Jamal said. "That's what gets me pumped up because that's my old defensive coordinator from the Super Bowl days in Baltimore. That's my guy. I respect him a lot, and I know he's going to bring his hard hat and have his defense pretty much ready."
Bengals What's wrong?
Cincinnati has scored only 52 points, a 13.0 average.
"The problem is that we can't get any momentum going," left guard Andrew Whitworth said. "We're not executing drives. Getting drives started is the key, and we're just not doing a good job of getting them started.
"It's the same thing (in the running game). We'll have a good run, and then follow that up with a bad run — either a no-gainer or a negative play. There's just no momentum."
Sunday's lineup
Cincinnati (0-4) at Dallas (3-1), 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh (3-1) at Jacksonville (2-2), 8:15 p.m.
Tennessee (4-0) at Baltimore (2-1), 1 p.m.
Cleveland (1-3) has a bye
Week 3 Star — Steelers LB James Harrison sacked Baltimore QB Joe Flacco, who fumbled, triggering LB LaMarr Woodley's 7-yard return for a TD.
Week 3 Goat — Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in Cincinnati's 20-12 loss to the visiting Browns.
Quote of the Week
"Their receivers are good blockers. They're known for their crack-backs, and a blocker kind of cracked-back on me. I hit him and lost vision of (Nate Washington). I didn't know he was out of bounds, and then I lost my cool. It's stuff you can't do. You can't give them an opportunity." — Ravens LB Jarret Johnson
