Despite three playoff appearances over his first three seasons in the NFL, there was always a chip on the should of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco for one thing he had yet to accomplish–beating the Pittsburgh Steelers with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the starting lineup.
Flacco picked up his first win against Roethlisberger on Sunday as the Ravens crushed the Steelers 35-7 during their first game of the regular season. Despite Baltimore’s win over Pittsburgh in Week 4 last season, Roethlisberger was out of action while serving a four-game suspension and had beaten Baltimore his six previous starts–so this win was extra special for Flacco and company.
Before Sunday’s game, Roethlisberger was 6-0 against the Ravens dating back to the 2008 season and had even defeated them twice during the postseason. After completing 17 of 29 passes for 224 yards with three touchdowns, Flacco finally got that chip off his shoulder and helped the Ravens start the 2011 season off the right way with a big win over their division rivals.
Of course, not all of the credit should go to Flacco considering how well Baltimore’s defense played. Not only did the Ravens’ defense hold the Steelers to just seven points, but linebacker Terrelle Suggs had a big game as well–finishing the afternoon with three sacks and two forced fumbles.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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