Baltimore Ravens Steamroll Pittsburgh Steelers 26-6

Sep 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end

(93) reacts after recovering a fumble in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Two stats pretty well summarize the game for the Baltimore Ravens: +3 in the turnover column, and 34:37 to 24:52 advantage in time of possession. The Ravens controlled the ball, and thus, they controlled the game, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-6.

This was a total team effort for the Ravens, as they ran and passed the ball with conservative efficiency.

The Ravens racked up 157 yards on the ground on a solid 4.4 average, led by Bernard Pierce‘s 96. Gary Kubiak made up for last week’s passing overload by calling 36 runs against the Steelers.

In the passing games, the Ravens did not take many shots down field, but the short passing game kept the chains moving. Joe Flacco had an efficient 166 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 109.3. No highlights from the controversial quarterback, but Flacco and the passing attack had a game to be proud of.

Defensively, the swagger may just be back. The Ravens were flying around the football, blasting anybody in a white jersey. Elvis Dumervil had perhaps the standout performance with two sacks. His bull rush on right tackle Marcus Gilbert was a thing of beauty from the far smaller Dumervil.

Another standout performance came from Matt Elam, who was forced to play some slot cornerback in the wake of an injury to Asa Jackson. Elam made plays at both his natural safety position and in the slot, looking very effective in man coverage. He tied for the team lead with eight tackles. He looked fast, instinctive and aggressive.

The story for the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, was turnovers and penalties. Two fumbles, one from Justin Brown to start the game and one from Heath Miller near the end, and a Big Ben interception to seal the Ravens win bookended a mediocre performance from the Pittsburgh offense.

Le’Veon Bell was efficient, however, racking up 59 rushing yards on just 11 carries. Not making him a bigger part of the game plan was a mistake by the Steelers.

The Steelers nine penalties which produced five Ravens’ first downs were also a major factor. The Steelers seemed to have trouble tackling legally, often getting flagged for face masking.

If there was a negative about the Ravens’ performance, it would have to be the redzone offense, which produced just two touchdowns compared with four field goals. That will have to be a point of emphasis going forward.

The Ravens next travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns.

Enjoy the win Ravens fans. After perhaps the toughest week in franchise history, it is well deserved.