PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Ben Roethlisberger had one of the finest games for a quarterback in NFL history last week against Indianapolis. And while he didn’t quite reach the prolific yardage numbers again this Sunday, Roethlisberger equaled his touchdown mark and helped the Steelers extend a winning streak.
Roethlisberger threw for 340 yards and had six touchdown passes for the second consecutive week as the Steelers won their third consecutive game, 43-23 over Baltimore at Heinz Field.
The 12 touchdowns in two games - the 32-year old threw for 522 yards in a 51-34 win over the Colts on October 26 - broke the record of 11 set by Tom Flores for Oakland of the AFL in 1963 and matched by New England’s Tom Brady in 2007.
It was just a 14-10 lead for Pittsburgh (6-3) after Baltimore’s Justin Tucker nailed a 46-yard field goal with 1:44 to play in the first half. Roethlisberger found Markus Wheaton for a 47-yard touchdown and when holder Brand Wing couldn’t get the snap down on the extra point, he broke free and hit Matt Spaeth for a two-point conversion and a 22-10 lead.
Antonio Brown had a beautiful catch-and-run for a 54-yard touchdown just one minute into the second half that gave the hosts a 29-10 cushion.
On the ensuing kickoff, Jacoby Jones was un-touched and scampered 108 yards for a touchdown to get the Ravens (5-4) to within 29-17. Roethlisberger then hit rookie Martavis Bryant for an 18-yard scoring pass and the Steelers had a 36-17 advantage with nine and a half minutes to play in the game.
It was the second scoring catch of the night for Bryant and his fifth in just three games. The rookie from Clemson became the second player in NFL history to have five touchdown catches in the first three games of a career.
Bryant was just one of the many beneficiaries of Roethlisberger's red-hot stretch.
Spaeth, who didn’t have a catch coming into the night, caught the final Pittsburgh touchdown, a 33-yard grab on fourth-and-two with 1:51 to go.
Baltimore had taken what turned out to be its only lead of the night when Jones had a 25-yard punt return and on the first play from scrimmage, Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a 35-yard touchdown.
Flacco threw for 303 yards, his fourth 300-yard game of the season and first since October 12 against Tampa Bay.
It was 7-7 when Pittsburgh’s Arthur Moats recovered a Lorenzo Taliaferro fumble and the Steelers turned it into a five-yard Roethlisberger-to-Le’Veon Bell score.
Roethlisberger and Bryant reached the end zone from 19 yards out, which made it a 14-7 game with 5:24 to play in the opening quarter.
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