BALTIMORE (AP) -Joe Flacco’s 10-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Derrick Mason gave the Baltimore Ravens a 14-7 halftime lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
Mason outjumped Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor on the left side of the end zone with 1:45 left in the first half, hauling in a floater to complete an 89-yard drive. It was Mason’s first career touchdown in 21 games against Pittsburgh.
ouchdown strike to Santonio Holmes, tying the game.
Dixon, who was 2 for 3 for 14 yards in the opening period, was 3 for 3 for 60 yards on the 74-yard game-tying drive. His longest completion was the TD to Holmes, who dived to make contact with the pylon at the left side of the goal line.
The Steelers were expected to focus mostly on running plays to compensate for the inexperience of Dixon, the former Oregon star who had thrown only one pass in two NFL seasons. But Dixon mixed it up, employing an effective short-range passing game to complement the ground attack.
Dixon started in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger, who was listed as the team’s third quarterback and was to be used only in an emergency. Dixon was 8 for 10 for 87 yards in the first half.
Roethlisberger was sidelined with a concussion sustained late in last Sunday’s loss to Kansas City when he collided with the knee of Chiefs linebacker Derrick Jackson.
Pittsburgh was also without backup quarterback Charlie Batch, who broke his wrist after taking over for Roethlisberger last week, and signed Tyler Palko to back up Dixon.
After the Steelers went three-and-out on the game’s initial possession, Flacco drove the Ravens 73 yards in nine plays, with Willis McGahee’s 2-yard touchdown run producing a 7-0 lead.
alf since Oct. 4.
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