Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: RECAP, final score and stats (12/25/16) - NJ.com

With AFC playoff spots on the line, the Baltimore Ravens, led by Joe Flacco and Steve Smith, took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North battle on Sunday, December 25, 2016, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers are led by Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'veon Bell.

Check the scoreboard above for the final score and click on the stats link for game stats.

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Here's the AP recap:

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers rode Ben Roethlisberger's right arm and Antonio Brown's left arm to the AFC North title.

Roethlisberger shook off a pair of interceptions to throw two late touchdowns, including a 4-yard strike to Brown with 9 seconds remaining to lift the Steelers to a 31-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

Brown caught Roethlisberger's pass just short of the goal line and stretched the ball into the end zone with his left hand to cap a wild fourth quarter and give Pittsburgh (10-5) its second division title in three years.

The Ravens took the lead on Kyle Juszczyk's 10-yard burst up the middle with 1:18 remaining. But Roethlisberger calmly led the Steelers 75 yards in 10 plays, the last 4 coming as Brown fought through a pair of tacklers to assure the Steelers of a third straight playoff berth.

"Right before we went out," Brown said, "we said, 'Let's get the game-winning touchdown and get out of here.' "

The Ravens (8-7) were officially eliminated when Joe Flacco's pass near midfield was intercepted on the final play.

Kansas City secured a playoff berth with the Baltimore loss.

The Steelers have won six straight and ended a four-game losing streak to Baltimore.

Roethlisberger finished with 279 yards passing and three touchdowns to overcome two third-quarter interceptions. Those picks allowed the Ravens to take a 20-10 lead on Justin Tucker's fourth field goal with 14:21 to play.

Brown caught 10 passes for 96 yards to join Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison as the only players with four straight seasons with at least 100 receptions.

Le'Veon Bell ran for 122 yards and a 7-yard touchdown that kick-started Pittsburgh's rally during a fourth quarter that featured 31 combined points and three lead changes in the final 7:16.

Flacco passed for 262 yards, including a pretty 18-yard dart to Steve Smith that put Baltimore up 14-10 early in the third quarter. Smith ended up with seven receptions for 79 yards, but the Ravens crumbled late. Their defense put up little resistance as Roethlisberger clinically got his team in position to get back to the playoffs.

It's a destination that seemed to be disappearing right in front of Pittsburgh's eyes in the third quarter. Roethlisberger threw a pair of interceptions deep in Pittsburgh territory -- both poorly thrown balls to heavily covered targets -- that helped the Ravens take control.

"I kind of dug ourselves a hole," Roethlisberger said. "I take all that blame. We never quit and never gave up. Guys fought back."

Indeed, with a season once filled with such promise slipping away, the Steelers turned to their three big stars.

BIG ROLE FOR AYERS

Obscure rookie wide receiver Demarcus Ayers drew a pass interference play that set up Bell's score.

UP NEXT

Ravens: Baltimore is just 2-6 in Cincinnati under John Harbaugh.

Steelers: Pittsburgh hasn't lost at home to Cleveland since 2003.

Here's the game's preview capsule: 

Who: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

When: Sunday, December 25, 2016

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.

Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. Eastern

TV: NFL Network

Livestream: NFL GamePass (subscription required)

Additional information: RAVENS: QB JOE FLACCO has 8 pass TDs vs. 3 INTs in past 6 vs. Pit. In past 3, has 89 completions (29.7 per game) for 911 yards (303.7 per game) with 8 TDs for 100.0 rating...RB TERRANCE WEST had 122 scrimmage yards (77 rush, 45 rec.) last week. Rookie RB KENNETH DIXON has 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in past 2...WR STEVE SMITH SR. ranks 7th in NFL history with 14,618 rec. yards. Had TD catch last week. TE DENNIS PITTA is 3rd among NFL TEs with 67 catches. WR MIKE WALLACE had 124 rec. yards, incl. 95-yard TD catch in last meeting...S ERIC WEDDLE has 20 tackles, sack & INT in past 2. LB ZACHARY ORR ranks 3rd in AFC with 122 tackles. Is 1 of 2 in NFL with 120+ tackles (122) & 2+ INTs (2). LB C.J. MOSLEY ties for lead among NFL LBs with 3 INTs...K JUSTIN TUCKER has made 10 FGs of 50+ yards, tied for most in season in NFL history...STEELERS: QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER passed for 340 yards & 6 TDs for 136.3 rating in last home meeting. Has 10 pass TDs vs. 4 INTs in past 6 vs. Bal. Has most career TD passes (28) by any player vs. Bal...RB LE'VEON BELL has 620 scrimmage yards (103.3 per game) & 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 rec.) in past 6 meetings. Has 713 rush yards (142.6 per game) & 5 TDs in past 5. Leads NFL with 158.8 scrimmage yards per game avg...WR ANTONIO BROWN had rec. TD in last meeting. Since 2013, has most catches (471) in NFL history over any 4-year span. Ranks 2nd in NFL in catches (96) & rec. TDs (11). LB JAMES HARRISON had 2 sacks in last meeting. Has 5 sacks in past 4 vs. Bal. LB LAWRENCE TIMMONS has 10+ tackles in 5 of past 7 meetings.

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.