National Football League

Flacco earns first win over Big Ben

Published Sep. 11, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

No, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger didn’t switch teams and uniforms.

It only looked that way in Baltimore’s 35-7 trouncing of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Roethlisberger is usually the one grounding the Ravens with school-yard style scrambles, unscripted passing plays and – most importantly – victories over Pittsburgh’s AFC North archrival. Flacco is the one who had never beaten the Steelers when Roethlisberger was under center and – pardon the pun – spent an entire offseason catching flack because of it.

Talk about your role reversals.

Roethlisberger was mercilessly pummeled and tormented in Sunday’s season-opener by a Ravens defense that produced a franchise-record seven turnovers. As for Flacco, he put the past to rest with a three-touchdown, zero-interception effort.

And he did it in Roethlisberger-esque fashion as the home crowd at M&T Bank Stadium cheered along.

There was more to this performance than the pinpoint passing on scoring throws of 27 and 18 yards to wide receiver Anquan Boldin and tight end Ed Dickson respectively. Only sacked once in a 17-of-29 outing behind a surprisingly effective offensive line, Flacco avoided pressure with adroit pocket movement and improvisation that drew raves from Ravens running back Ray Rice.

“Look at the play me and Joe had,” Rice said, referring to an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. “That wasn’t a designated route. It was scramble rules. That’s just you to me and me to you. That’s what’s going to win us games.

“The Steelers get a whole lot of plays like that. I like to say they have a play called ‘Scramble Rules’ on their offense. Big Ben is great at it. Much respect to them. But Joe did a great job not taking sacks, not throwing the ball (errantly because of) pressure.”

Rice provided plenty of support with 107 rushing yards and another touchdown against Pittsburgh’s traditionally stout run defense. But as he dressed in the locker room, Rice was gushing with praise for his quarterback.

“It was the Joe Flacco show,” Rice said. “I was just a co-star in it.”

If this game was the NFL version of the Academy Awards, a host of Ravens would be nominated for best supporting actor. But no player faced more outside pressure to carry the production than Flacco.

Although he had defeated Pittsburgh twice in his first three NFL seasons, Flacco was 0-6 against the Roethlisberger-led Steelers. The topic had taken on a life of its own, especially among critical Ravens fans who clearly had forgotten what the team’s quarterback play was like prior to Flacco’s arrival.

Kyle Boller, anyone?

But despite his 36-19 starting record in 55 NFL games, those defeats against Pittsburgh are often remembered more than his individual performance in any previous career victories. A 31-24 second-round playoff loss to the Steelers last season enhanced the scrutiny. Flacco only passed for 125 yards and shouldered much of the blame even though two of his receivers (Boldin and the now-departed T.J. Houshmandzadeh) had drops that played a huge part in the game’s outcome.

Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley went so far as to declare on NFL Network this offseason that Flacco leading the Ravens past Pittsburgh into the Super Bowl was “not going to happen in this lifetime.”

Much like when Aaron Rodgers finally defeated Brett Favre, Flacco needed a watershed victory like this to prove he can truly be mentioned in the same breath as a difference-making quarterback like Roethlisberger.

“It means he doesn’t have to hear a bunch of stuff on TV that he’s been hearing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

Not that it matters to Flacco. He didn’t leave the field Sunday carrying a football for a memento or openly display any extra joy in his postgame news conference.

Harbaugh was far more emotional at putting the wood to Mike Tomlin’s crew. He led the crowd in chants to Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes at the end of the third quarter shortly after calling a successful trick play for a two-point conversion even though the Ravens had just pulled ahead, 27-7.

“If Ben happens to be playing quarterback on the other side of the field, he happens to be playing quarterback,” a nonplussed Flacco said. “We’ve beaten these guys before and we’ll beat them again. It’s just another win.”

Asked about getting the Roethlisberger monkey off his back, Flacco said, “I don’t feel one. You guys may have taken it off for me so you don’t have to continue to bother me.”

Flacco wasn’t the only one who entered the game enshrouded in public doubts. The Steelers return almost their entire starting lineup from last season’s Super Bowl runner-up squad while the Ravens spent the preseason trying to jell after a slew of significant roster changes.

Even when taking a 21-7 lead into halftime, the score alone was enough to conjure memories of last season’s Steelers playoff comeback victory after trailing the Ravens by the same score.

Baltimore’s defense, though, insured there wouldn’t be a repeat.

First, Haloti Ngata forced turnovers on back-to-back snaps that Baltimore’s offense converted into touchdowns. On the first play of the third quarter, the monstrous defensive tackle burst into the Steelers backfield at almost the same time Roethlisberger was handing off to Rashard Mendenhall. Ngata caused a fumble – a scene all too familiar to Steelers fans after last year’s game-changing Mendenhall turnover in Super Bowl XLV – and notched his second recovery of the game at the Steelers 18-yard line.

The Steelers were still reeling from Flacco’s subsequent 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ed Dickson when Ngata struck again. He tipped a Roethlisberger pass that was intercepted by linebacker Ray Lewis. While the Ravens failed to convert on a fourth down, free safety Ed Reed victimized Roethlisberger again with an interception just outside the Baltimore end-zone. The Ravens drove for a Billy Cundiff field goal to take a 32-7 lead that essentially sealed the victory with more than a quarter left to play.

“That was a physical, (well-) executed beat down,” Rice said.

The Steelers didn’t deny it.

Nose tackle Casey Hampton – who told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette earlier this week that Pittsburgh’s superior passing game was the difference in recent matchups with Baltimore – described Sunday’s loss as “embarrassing.” Invisible on the field Sunday except for his trademark long black hair, free safety Troy Polamalu admitted his team “got beat up all over the field” and the Steelers had taken a “big step toward humility.”

“That’s not the Pittsburgh Steelers,” wide receiver Hines Ward said.

Ward has a point. For example, Ngata and Lewis shared a laugh afterward about one negative play that the former produced when the Steelers inexplicably chose not to block him with any of their three interior linemen.

“Who does that?!?” a flabbergasted Lewis asked while smiling from ear to ear.

Big games from Ravens stalwarts like Reed, Lewis, Ngata and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs – who set the franchise sack record at 71.5 after taking down Roethlisberger three times -- are nothing new. But it was the immediate impact of some newcomers that was especially encouraging for Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Like center Matt Birk, left tackle Bryant McKinnie hadn’t appeared in a preseason game. But the former Minnesota Vikings starter did an outstanding job neutralizing the pass rush of ace Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison, including a block that gave Flacco time to hit Rice for his second touchdown pass. Dickson and fellow 2010 draft pick Dennis Pitta excelled in their first game with 104 combined receiving yards after assuming the tight end mantle from Todd Heap, who was released last spring after 10 seasons in Baltimore. Ex-Miami running back Ricky Williams also added 63 rushing yards in a backup role.

Harbaugh wasn’t just excited about the present during a postgame chat with FOXSports.com. He believes Baltimore’s offseason moves have put the club in prime position to capture its first division title since 2006.

“I told the team, ‘I expect we’re going to win this game. We might win it big. But I know this – we’re only going to get better no matter what happens on Sunday,’” Harbaugh revealed about his pregame speech. “That’s what we have to do now.”

The Steelers are the ones who will be hearing from the naysayers – Are they too old? Is there a Super Bowl hangover? – now that Flacco has answered questions about whether he’s good enough to best Big Ben.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of pressure before, but I don’t know if I’m one who can stand in Joe’s shoes for the kind of pressure he gets on a daily basis,” Rice said. “Quarterback is the hardest position to play, by far. And he’s so young (26).

“But he’s Joe Flacco. Everyone says he’s Joe Cool. Joe Cool performed out there today.”

And the Steelers are feeling the chill.