Josh Scobee missed two field goals in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter as the Baltimore Ravens fought back to earn their first victory of the season with a 23-20 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After losing second-half leads in their three previous games this season, the Ravens were under pressure to produce a comeback of their own at Heinz Field, and they delivered as Justin Tucker held his nerve while Scobee struggled to clinch the win with a 52-yard field goal in the extra period.
All eyes were on Michael Vick prior to the game as the 14-year veteran stepped up to replace Ben Roethlisberger, who is expected to miss up to six weeks with a knee injury, and the Steelers were the first on the board with a 42-yard field goal from Scobee after a solid opening drive.
Joe Flacco encountered problems with the ball in his hand and was sacked three times in the first half, but delivered early on to lead the Ravens to the first touchdown with a patient move.
A 75-yard drive, which would take 12 plays and over seven minutes, ended with Michael Campanaro evading a couple of tackles before taking the aerial route to enter the endzone mid-somersault.
Both offenses struggled early in the second quarter, before Le'Veon Bell edged the Steelers ahead by sprinting one way and darting to the opposite end of the endzone to score with help from Vick, who stayed alert in the play to make a vital block for his teammate.
Scobee would add another field goal before the half-time interval, and the momentum certainly appeared to be with the Steelers when Flacco fumbled the ball soon after the restart.
The Ravens quarterback was punished as Vick delivered an eight-yard pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey, who did well to hold on under pressure after looking set to spill the ball.
A response arrived swiftly from the Ravens as Flacco led his side back into the game with an 80-yard drive which ended with Kamar Aiken drifting away from his opponent to take a simple catch in the corner of the endzone.
Neither side looked capable of pulling clear as rookie Darrius Smith recorded his first two NFL sacks on back-to-back plays to unsettle Vick and the Steelers offense, and with Pittsburgh starting the final quarter with a six-point lead, that advantage was cut to 20-17 when the Ravens were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Tucker.
Improving defense on both sides put the pressure on, and a pivotal moment appeared to arrive with just over four minutes remaining when the Steelers halted Flacco on fourth down with the visiting side 43 yards away.
The Ravens refused to be beaten and were back in with a chance when the Steelers were forced to turn to Scobee, who missed with a 49-yard field goal to hand Baltimore the ball with over two minutes still on the clock, and after James Harrison sacked Flacco on fourth down on the next drive, Baltimore were given another lifeline when Scobee once again failed with a field goal attempt.
Flacco managed to find Aiken with a fine pass to get the Ravens within field goal range with seven seconds remaining, and Tucker split the posts from 42 yards to send the game into overtime.
After letting the game slip in the closing stages of the fourth quarter, the Ravens won the toss to start the extra period with the ball but it was a disappointing drive as a decision to run the ball with Vick on fourth down ended with the quarterback being halted by the Baltimore defence.
However, the Ravens were unsuccessful, too, as Aiken dropped the pass from Flacco and the Steelers hit back with Antonio Brown, whose quiet night came to an end as he delivered with a 29-yard punt return before moving his side further ahead with a catch moments later.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin decided against taking the field goal on 4 &1 from 50 yards and the decision would not come back to haunt the hosts as Vick missed with the pass.
A dramatic evening would finally come to an end as the Ravens turned to Tucker, who ended their poor run by converting from 52 yards as the Steelers slipped to 2-2 for the season.
Callum Mulvihill
