Dixon’s Dreary Defense Defeated

“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.”
Dennis Dixon tried to be the difference-maker he once was for the Oregon Ducks. The third-string quarterback filled in for injured Ben Roethlisberger in Sunday night’s Steelers game in Baltimore. Pittsburgh also played without star safety, Troy Polamalu in the game at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens needed an overtime 29 yard field goal by Billy Cundiff to outlast and defeat the Steelers 20-17.
Second round pick, Paul Kruger, changed the game for Baltimore by intercepting a Dixon pass in the extra session. Kruger’s first career pick with under seven minutes left set up the game-winning kick. The Ravens ended a three game losing streak in topping their AFC North rivals. The teams entertain matching records as they head into December football. Baltimore kept their playoffs hopes alive thanks to the overtime rally and a flurry of unseasoned stars stepping up.
The Ravens scored their first first-half touchdown since October 4th last night. Baltimore signal caller, Joe Flacco, completed 23 of 35 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. Flacco drove the Ravens 73 yards in nine plays on their first possession by completing all five of his tosses. The promising passer smartly spread the ball around. He hit Mark Clayton twice and hooked up with Kelley Washington during the opening drive. Willis McGahee lead a successful Ravens ground game. He provided the 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a two yard run after Ray Rice broke a 19 yard run. McGahee, the former Miami and Fiesta Bowl running back, had 88 of the team’s 132 rushing yards.
The Steelers opened up their offense in the second quarter. Santonio Holmes put Pittsburgh on the board with a 33 yard touchdown pass from Dixon. Holmes finished with 74 yards on six receptions and scored for the first time since week one. Sunday’s touchdown reception also marked the six straight time Holmes has scored against the Ravens. Baltimore answered with seven of their own on their final possession of the first half. Flacco found wideout, Derrrick Mason, in the end zone following a 54 yard toss to Clayton. Mason beat Ike Taylor in the left side of the end zone to lift the Ravens to a 14-7 halftime advantage.
Steelers kicker, Jeff Reed, trimmed the Baltimore lead to 14-10 with a third quarter boot from 44 yards. Rashard Mendenhall turned a short Dixon pass into a 20 yard gain before Reed’s field goal. The Steelers back was five shot of a 100 yard rushing night. Mendenhall carried the ball 24 times for Pittsburgh, as the Steelers tried to drive the ball home on the ground. Quarterback accuracy wasn’t a problem for Dixon. It was the receiving that became a problem late. Rookie receiver, Mike Wallace, missed tying the game when he dropped a pass in the end zone. The Steelers settled for three. Dixon finished with 145 yards and went 12 for 26.
Flacco was stripped of the ball for Baltimore’s second turnover of the half and the number one defense in the AFC sacked him on three plays. It was the third sack that sent the Ravens back eight yards as Flacco fumbled. Lawrence Timmons knocked the ball out of Flacco’s hands and Brett Keisel recovered for the visitors. Following a pair of penalties by each team, Mendenhall scrambled up the middle for 24 yards. Dixon put the Steelers ahead for the first time with a bootleg touchdown run on the next play. The novice quarterback went untouched into the end zone for the fourth-longest run allowed by the stingy Ravens this season.
Baltimore converted a fourth-and-five from their own 46 yard line and settled for a tying field goal from Cundiff to send the game into overtime. Dixon’s pass intended for Holmes resulted in his lone interception. Kruger snagged Dixon’s pass and returned it for 26 yards the other way. Cundiff hammered home the winning three points to hand the defending Superbowl champs their fifth loss of 2009. The game was an important rebound one for Flacco and the Ravens. The intense rivalry game was a step in the right direction for Baltimore. Flacco hasn’t played well against the Steelers in his last three starts. The Pittsburgh defense hounded the passer with ferocity. The current Steelers defense has allowed a fourth quarter lead to slip away in four of their five losses. Dixon gave his team a chance to win, but the defense did not hold the lead. Willie Parker and Mendenhall helped Dixon heat up and the quarterback appeared authoritative through the air. The Steelers secondary was whipped by Flacco’s receivers. Dick LeBeau’s defense should have been able to capitalize on Dixon attacking the Ravens for 17 points. Ray Rice ran through the big defenders with ease. Rice beat tackle after tackle to set up the field goal in the final quarter and erase the only Pittsburgh lead of the game. The Steelers picked off Flacco five times in their previous two meetings. They were a more unified defense then. Last night, the same club looked troubled from the ends to the insides to the corners. They allowed the Ravens receivers to pull down passes for huge gains. In doing so, the Steelers gained didn’t gain anything of their own, except another loss.

Parting Points: Poem for the day- Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”.

Did anyone not deem Charlie Weis was accountable for Notre Dame’s dismal 2009? He didn’t come close to a championship level in South Bend.
Happy Cyber Monday!