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A16 SPORTS
Friday 4 december 2020
Steelers overcome rust, short-handed Ravens to move to 11-0

the Steelers an early lead,
Griffin ran for a game-high
68 yards before leaving in
the fourth quarter with a
left hamstring injury. Trace
McSorley, one of 11 players
promoted from the prac-
tice squad, came on and
connected with Marquise
Brown for a 70-yard touch-
down with 2:58 to go. But
the Steelers were able to
drain the clock behind a
third-down grab by James
Washington, eliminating
the Ravens from repeating
as AFC North champions.
"The way the game went,
obviously we wanted to
win," Griffin said. "We felt like
we had a chance to come
in here and win, shock the
world and do something
special. I put it on myself.
I feel like if I didn't pull my
hamstring in the second
quarter we would have
won. It was really emotional
trying to fight through that. I
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden (23) dives into the end zone with a touchdown in front of Baltimore Ravens wide receiver feel like I let my guys down."
Marquise Brown (15) after making an interception in the first halfduring an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Pittsburgh. A COVID-19 outbreak in
Associated Press
Baltimore forced the NFL to
By WILL GRAVES formance tonight," he said down heave into the end with squandering. "Just not push the game back three
AP Sports Writer after Pittsburgh improved zone by Ben Roethlisberg- good football. It starts with times: first from Thanksgiv-
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike to 11-0. "We did enough to er, the other a fumbled me. It's a mental game, it's ing to Sunday, then from
Tomlin isn't one for excuses. win tonight, that's all." punt by Ray-Ray McLoud been a challenging and Sunday to Tuesday, and
Even as COVID-19 wreaked Calling it "junior varsity"- that set up a 1-yard touch- draining week but at the eventually from Tuesday
havoc with his team's level play, Tomlin seethed down plunge by Gus Ed- end of the day we need to to Wednesday. The teams
schedule, pushing their in the aftermath, a testa- wards. They let Baltimore step on the field and play kicked off in the afternoon
matchup with Baltimore ment to both how high backup quarterback Rob- good football when it's to not interfere with NBC's
from Thanksgiving night to the bar is set and just how ert Griffin III briefly turn time." annual Christmas special at
middle of the afternoon in far the Steelers came from back the clock to his 2012 Pittsburgh didn't for long Rockefeller Center.
the middle of the week in clearing it. Asked about an Rookie of the Year season stretches, though some of Good idea. The fewer eye-
the middle of a pandem- offense that managed just and looked at times like a the credit goes to a spirited balls on this one the better.
ic, the longtime Pittsburgh one touchdown in four trips team in the middle of ho- effort from the Ravens. Run- While NFL Commissioner
Steelers coach refused to to the red zone — missed hum midweek practice — ning onto Heinz Field missing Roger Goodell called it "a
reach for one. opportunities that allowed which, to be fair, Wednes- more than a dozen players great game," the product
So while the Steelers stayed the Ravens (6-5) to hang days typically are — rather on the reserve/COVID-19 on the field suggested oth-
perfect with a disjointed around until the final min- than a showdown with its list, including reigning NFL erwise. The Ravens couldn't
19-14 win over the under- utes — Tomlin didn't offer longtime rivals. MVP Lamar Jackson and pass. Pittsburgh's receivers
manned Ravens in the first analysis as much as rage. "Obviously we won, but running backs Mark Ingram couldn't catch. And a con-
NFL game on a Wednes- "Us sucking," he said, de- it sure doesn't feel like it," and J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore test that looked like a mis-
day in eight years, their clining to get into specifics. said Roethlisberger, whose didn't exactly roll over. match — the Steelers went
play was anything but. And There really was no need 1-yard strike to JuJu Smith- While Griffin completed just off as 10 1/2-point favorites,
Tomlin knows it. to. Schuster early in the fourth 7 of 12 passes for 33 yards a rarity in a rivalry that is
"To be bluntly honest, I'm re- The Steelers turned it over quarter gave the Steelers and a first-quarter Pick-6 one of the NFL's best — was
ally disappointed in our per- twice, once on a fourth- a 12-point lead they flirted by Joe Haden that gave instead a festival of blah.q

Cleveland corrects location of John Heisman landmark

CLEVELAND (AP) — After more away from the site granted land- sity of Akron — Auburn, Clemson, ordinances that changed how
than 40 years, the city of Cleve- mark status as Heisman's birth site, Georgia Tech, Penn, Washington streets were numbered in the late
land has granted landmark status Cleveland.com reported. & Jefferson and Rice. 19th and early 20th century.
to the correct birthplace of John Heisman, a College Football Hall Karl Brunjes, an official with Cleve- The historic marker, which has
Heisman, the namesake of col- of Fame inductee, is regarded as land's Landmarks Commission, yet to be made, also will correct
lege football's most prestigious the father of the forward pass and said that questions surround- Heisman's birthdate. The original
player award. considered one of the greatest in- ing Heisman's birthplace started marker listed it as Oct. 3, 1869, but
The city council and Mayor novators of football. soon after the original marker was a family Bible listed it as Oct. 23 of
Frank Jackson have corrected a Over four decades, Heisman erected in 1978. that same year, Brunjes said.
42-year-old error that erroneously coached at Oberlin College, Bu- Brunjes told the city council that Heisman died in 1936 in New
marked a residence three blocks chtel College — now the Univer- the confusion was caused by York.q