Entering the fourth quarter, the Baltimore Ravens were in familiar position.

They were leading the Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field, on the brink of falling victim to another comeback from the yellow and gold.

But on Sunday night, it was Baltimore who had the last laugh, as the Ravens rallied to defeat their nemesis, 23-20, sweeping the season series with the Steelers.

After convincing the world that they were finally ready to emerge as a legit Super Bowl contender following their Week 1 blowout of Pittsburgh, the Ravens countered with some performances which questioned their status as one of the NFL’s elite teams. Specifically, Baltimore struggled in road losses to Tennessee and Jacksonville, as well as producing a horrendous half of football at home against Arizona just last week. But after the lopsided outcome from the first battle between these two arch rivals, everyone – certainly Pittsburgh – was waiting for this rematch.

The Ravens held a 16-6 edge in the thirs quarter, when the roof began to cave in. The Steelers drove 80 yards to cut the lead down to three. Baltimore promptly began to move the ball into Pitt territory, when Joe Flacco was drilled James Harrison, forcing fumble which was recovered by William Gay.

Predictably, the home team parlayed this turnover into a 25-yard touchdown connection between Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace, giving the Steelers a 4-point advantage. The Ravens received the ball, and were quickly dismissed by the Steeler defense with a three-and-out possession.

Torrey Smith and the Raves overcame some struggles to sweep the Steelers.

But what happened next was far from what we are accustomer to seeing.

The Ravens marched 92 yards down the gridiron to win the game. And the final touchdown landed into the hands of a player who was about to be labeled as a goat just a few minutes earlier.

Torrey Smith’s perseverance was symbolic of Baltimore’s fighting spirit tonight. Smith was flagged for a holding penalty early in the contest, and it cost his team a score. And on the final, decisive – and eventual game-winning – drive Smith dropped a ball that was clearly catchable in the end zone…one that would have saved Ravens fans lots of indigestion.

But four plays later, the Maryland product fought through a pass interference from Gay, and secured a 25-yard pass that stunned the Pittsburgh faithful and provided John Harbaugh with an unusually favorable script ending.

While there remains a ton of football to be played, this win means a lot for the victors. Tied atop the AFC North with Cincinnati, the Ravens are in full control of the playoff fate. They’ve already cleared the hurdle of the Steelers, and they have two contests to come against the Bengals.

And now, with the weaker half of its schedule left, a more dangerous challenge will surface for Baltimore – - playing with the consistency and sense of urgency that one would expect from one of the league’s best teams.

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