Ravens vs. Steelers: Final Score, Highlights from 2015 AFC Wild Card Game

The bitter AFC North rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was in full effect, as Saturday marked the fourth time these two foes clashed in the playoffs. The Steelers emerged victorious in each of the first three meetings, but this time, Baltimore left with a convincing 30-17 win.

Early in the contest, all the makings of a typical Steelers-Ravens slugfest were prevalent. Pittsburgh looked for any possible way to circumvent Baltimore's stout defense, but a hard-fought 11-play drive stalled at Baltimore's 37-yard line, and the Steelers were forced to punt.

Following a Ravens punt, the Steelers found themselves with better field position. This time, a nine-play drive netted them just 33 yards; however, they did manage to get within kicker Shaun Suisham's range, and the veteran knocked through a 45-yard field goal to draw first blood.

Baltimore began the second quarter with an immediate answer. The team rode running back Justin Forsett down to the Pittsburgh 5-yard line, and backup Bernard Pierce punched it in the end zone from there. That was the first glimpse of the Ravens' playoff-ready offense, as the eight-play, 80-yard drive was impressive.

NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala summed up the success of Baltimore's ball-carriers:

The grind-it-out effort of the Steelers ensued on the next drive, as the lack of a running game put plenty of pressure on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He attempted eight passes on the 12-play drive, which, again, resulted in a Suisham field goal.

At this point, the absence of running back Le'Veon Bell was wildly apparent for the Steelers. Mike Chappell of RTV6 shared his thoughts on Pittsburgh's situation:

While that statement may be a little strong, it was clear the Steelers were hurting without him.

The remainder of the half featured the teams exchanging field goals, as neither offense was able to find a way around its competitor. Entering the break, the Ravens held a 10-9 lead, and it appeared we were in line for a battle down to the bitter end.

Baltimore opened the third quarter with the ball, and things began in the exact same fashion as the first half. The Ravens sustained a very long drive deep into Pittsburgh territory, but all it would muster was a field goal after gaining 57 yards on nine plays.

Although, following a Steelers punt, the Ravens were finally able to find the end zone again. The drive began with a 40-yard pass from Joe Flacco to Steve Smith, which instantly put Baltimore on Pittsburgh's side of the field. Flacco picked his way through the Steelers defense with short passes, finally finding Torrey Smith in the back of the end zone on an 11-yard touchdown strike to put the Ravens up by 11.

SportsCenter tweeted the update:

With the third quarter winding down, Roethlisberger and Co. needed an answer in the worst way. After a handful of short gains, the Steelers approached midfield, but they couldn't convert on third down, leading to a punt as the fourth quarter commenced.

Then Pittsburgh got a break, as Forsett fumbled and the loose ball was recovered by Stephon Tuitt at Baltimore's 45-yard line. Following the possession change, Roethlisberger aired one out to Antonio Brown, connecting with his wide receiver on what looked like a 45-yard touchdown strike. However, the play was reviewed, and Brown was ruled down at the 1-yard line.

After a false start, Pittsburgh was moved back to the 6-yard line, but the team's quarterback had no trouble finding Martavis Bryant for a big fourth-quarter score. Following a failed two-point conversion attempt, Baltimore's official Twitter account noted the much closer contest:

The Ravens did answer on the next drive, reaching the Steelers 34-yard line but stalling on a 4th-and-1 and settling for another Justin Tucker field goal. However, the team caught a break soon after, as Terrell Suggs came away with one of the most bizarre interceptions we'll see this postseason.

Under pressure, Roethlisberger's pass was slightly overthrown. Running back Ben Tate tipped the ball behind him to a waiting Suggs, who bobbled the ball and went to the ground while somehow catching it between his knees. Here's a look at the linebacker as he went down, via NFL on ESPN:

That play helped seal the deal for the Ravens. Flacco needed just one play to find backup tight end Crockett Gillmore open for a 21-yard touchdown, which put Baltimore up by 15 points with just eight minutes remaining.

On the ensuing drive, Pittsburgh appeared to inch closer, as Dri Archer took a 19-yard pass into the end zone; however, that was brought back on a holding penalty. Shortly after, Roethlisberger briefly exited the game with concussion-like symptoms, but he returned only to throw a pick to Darian Stewart.

The scoring concluded with a blocked punt by the Steelers with two minutes remaining, but the team couldn't manage any more points, as a fumble by tight end Heath Miller gave the ball back to the Ravens, who promptly ran out the clock.

The Ravens enthusiastically tweeted the game's final result:

Pittsburgh's loss leaves the team wondering what might have been if it had its best player in the fold; however, injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, and far more went wrong for the Steelers than simply missing their running back.

While the loss surely stings, the future looks bright in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger had a career year, Brown is among the NFL's elite at wide receiver, Bell has been a revelation and Bryant is coming along very nicely. With some experience and health added to the defensive side of the ball, there's no reason to think this team won't be back in the playoffs next year.

As for the Ravens, they move on to face the New England Patriots in the divisional round. The last time these teams met in the playoffs, Baltimore defeated New England in the AFC Championship Game en route to becoming Super Bowl champions. However, Las Vegas apparently thinks it will be different this time around, via Will Brinson of CBS Sports:

The Patriots have most definitely been one of the NFL's best teams this season. However, we've all seen what can happen when the Ravens get hot in the playoffs. Anything can happen in the NFL's postseason, and we're just getting started.