PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a 35-yard touchdown pass, and the Baltimore Ravens took a 7-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers into the second quarter on Sunday night.
Jacoby Jones got the Ravens started with a 25-yard punt return and Flacco wasted little time going to work. He found a streaking Smith down the right sideline as the speedy wide receiver beat newly minted starting cornerback Brice McCain.
McCain was a replacement for the struggling Cortez Allen. The Steelers awarded Allen with a $25-million contract extension on the eve of the season opener but his play has tailed off in recent weeks. McCain didn’t fare much better early on as Flacco looked right at home in a hostile environment he thrives in.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t produce the kind of early fireworks that came so easy in a dismantling of Indianapolis last week, when he passed for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns.
Pittsburgh failed to record a first down on each of its first three possessions and didn’t take a snap past its own 25 until the final minute of the opening quarter.