Ravens vs. Steelers: Baltimore Blows Multiple Chances To KO Rival Pittsburgh

Ray Lewis described the Ravens-Steelers games as a "heavyweight fight" and for the second season in three years the Pittsburgh Steelers have sent the Baltimore Ravens home to lick their wounds. The Ravens consider the Steelers their fiercest rival. But after having their season come to an end at the hands of their AFC North adversaries, one might wonder if they now consider them a mental road block. Often regarded as the best rivalry by many NFL pundits, there is always an extra element of physicality, intensity and competitiveness whenever these two teams play each other.

In the first half, it appeared that the Ravens were finally going to get on the board in the postseason series against the Steelers. They weathered the storm after an early Rashard Mendenhall touchdown by countering with a Ray Rice 14-yard touchdown. Terrell Suggs forced a Roethlisberger fumble, which led to a bizarre touchdown by Corey Redding. Mendenhall followed up by fumbling the ball on his own 16-yard line, which led to a four-yard touchdown by Todd Heap and a 21-7 Baltimore lead.Celebration commenced among the Ravens players while a smattering of boos rained down from Steeler fans in the stands.

Then, the Ravens meltdown began, starting with the Rice fumble on the Baltimore 23-yard line, which led to a nine-yard touchdown by Heath Miller. Joe Flacco followed by throwing an interception and fumbled the ball on his own 23-yard line. A one-time lead of 14 by the Ravens disappeared by the end of the third quarter.

While Flacco may have the tools to be a star in the NFL, the Steelers showed today he still has plenty of growing up to do. Time and time again the Ravens looked to Flacco to make a play in the second half and he came up short every time.

On the flip side, Ben Roethlisberger played a brilliant game as he threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns. It appeared as if the Ravens defense had him right where they wanted him a couple of times on 3rd-and-long, but Big Ben made a key conversion each time. Roethlisberger delivered the dagger to the Ravens' hearts with a 58-yard pass to Antonio Brown. Then, Mendenhall capped the 11-play drive with a two-yard touchdown that sent Heinz Field into a pandemonium as they sensed a huge comeback.

After a successful 12-4 regular season, this veteran Ravens team will have plenty to think about this coming offseason. Primarily, the opportunities they let get away to advance to the AFC Championship Game.