ok! plus motorcycle, boat and rv insurance! geico's got you covered! like a blanket! houston? you seeing this? geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. (train whistle blowing) i want a rabbit. what about you? well, i want an iphone. make sure you get that on verizon. it's the most awarded network ever. and if anyone asks, i want a bigger train next year. (vo) give the gift of any iphone and get up to $300 off. a rich amber lager...'s limited edition 1933 repeal reserve. based on a recipe halted by prohibition that we share with you this holiday season. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the all new 2018 camry. toyota. let's go places. to get together at olive there'garden. reason all-new flavorfilled pastas. indulge in brand new cheese-filled gnocchi topped with tender grilled chicken plus unlimited salad and breadsticks all-new flavorfilled pastas. for a limited time. only at olive garden. >> al: so mike tomlin down by nine.

his squad trailing tonight. and next sunday, patriots. last four games between the pats and the steelers. back at gillette in '13. pats beat them 28-21. at gillette in '15. in '16 here patriots won 27-16. in the afc championship game pats won that one 36-17. last season. so new england has had the steelers' number. as we pointed out earlier, in terms of the standings, if pittsburgh goes to 10-3, jacksonville is 9-4, so they are hot on their tails here as new england awaits tomorrow night's game, the monday nighter in miami. flag is thrown. toussaint runs the kick back to the 27 yard line. and walt coleman's crew has had

a busy second half. >> referee: offside. number 51 of the kicking team. the five-yard penalty will be added on to the end of the play. first down. >> al: we go to michele. >> michele: busy fourth quarter for the athletic training staffs. vance mcdonald out with a shoulder injury and ravens' wide receiver chris moore questionable with a hip he suffered on the kickoff return. he has not been back in the game, al. >> al: moore had the first touchdown of the night for the ravens, and mcdonald has been a key part of the roethlisberger attack. catching four for 52 yards. so a couple of significant guys are out as this drive begins from the 32. dump pass. bell. he'll get wrapped up at the 37

yard line. >> cris: suggs good outside. maybe even better inside move. right around hubbard. roethlisberger going to get that ball out even quicker. i'll tell you, le'veon bell took a pretty good shot at the end of that play too. >> al: took a shot in the first half, had to come out for a few plays. second down and five. roethlisberger. deep down the middle. brown. to the 40 yard line. just amazing how he just -- he finds the open space, in amongst a quartet of white jerseys. picks up another big first down. that's 23 yards. >> cris: safety over the top and the other safety to the middle of the field. everybody knows where it's going to go. but al, zone defenses cannot handle a quarterback sitting in the pocket for four seconds. i don't care what kind of zone you are playing, it will break down. that's what ben has taken advantage of. >> al: throwing to number 84. nine catches tonight for 168 receiving yards. an

brown again. covered by carr. tacks on 11 more. >> cris: well, they have thrown a.b. a ton of passes this year. and he has i think two drops on the season. out of 115 targets. something like that. just a remarkable, remarkable season. >> al: leads the league in receptions and in receiving yards. putting up big numbers again tonight. roethlisberger. has that deflected. at the line of scrimmage. second down with 4:48 remaining in the fourth. bell and brown from scrim scrimmage. tune in and look at that graphic.

if you are a ravens fan you think you're getting killed. >> cris: especially if you've watched your offense all year. but this is back-to-back games now. tonight, 38, 44 last week. >> al: mm-hmm. dump pass again to bell. bell, tried to get to the 20 yard line, which would be a first down. and it is. meanwhile, roethlisberger tonight has thrown for 435 yards. 39 of 57. first down at the 20. clock ticking down to 4:15. roethlisberger. over the middle. this time it's eli rogers. and he is close to a first down. they'll spot the ball at the 10

yard line. or just shy of it. so they don't pick up the first down. it will be second down and inches. >> cris: well, they want to leave those two deep safeties in there, but the automatic throw in those cases is just the check-down. they've gone screaming down the field with check-downs now. >> al: second down and one. roethlisberger, throws his 59th pass of the game. and that's incomplete. that's the most he has ever thrown in a single game. intended for jesse james. it's third down and inches. >> cris: just off. that's really a free play. at this point in the ball game, conceivably you could kick a field goal if you didn't get it here. i am sure ben was thinking, we don't get it on second down, we'll come back here and get it on third down. >> al: third down at the 11. bell. he'll find it. and more.

touchdown! third touchdown of the night for le'veon bell. two on the ground, one through the air. so 38-35. they'll settle for the single point here. to make it a two-point game. >> cris: what a game! what a game. >> al: crazy! boswell's extra point is good. 74 total points in the game. >> cris: i am going to use "great" twice. one for chris hubbard, the right tackle, and one for the patience of le'veon bell. watch hubbard stay after it, stay after it, drive him all the

and le'veon bell taking full advantage of it. look at that. staying on it! pretty amazing. a backup tackle can fill in the way that chris hubbard has this season. boy, it's been one of those, hasn't it? it is just one of those. and now you get two exhausted defenses. >> al: well, the four bs right there. ben at 444. bell, great night. three touchdowns. brown, 10 catches, 179. boswell, perfect again. campanaro is back to receive th3 mira lo de antonio brown and the ravens will get the ball

at the 25 yard line. so you have 3:30. if you are mike tomlin, you have to think about, where do i want to use the time-outs. he has all of them. you want to use them on the front side. you would think baltimore will run the ball. but who knows these days. see what harbaugh and mornhinweg have dialed up. if they're going to keep it on the ground, you think tomlin would think about using them on this side of the two-minute warning. they have four stoppages able. >> cris: if i am keith butler, i am not letting alex collins beat me. joe flacco can beat me throwing the ball, so be it. no way collins is beating me. >> al: starting with flocko. going to the sideline. pittsburgh says we'll take it. maclin is covered by cameron sutton.

second down and ten. >> cris: they're lurking, sean davis, seven or eight yards off the ball. on run plays he will step down into the box and make the plays. the first down incompletion makes it a whole lot easier now. >> al: changes your time-out strategy if you are pittsburgh. second and ten. collins. gets thrown down. at the 31 yard line by mike mitchell. so it will be third down, third and four. >> cris: they just keep pounding that same play. they pulled james hurst around from the back side. i might be tempted to give it to him again. >> al: yep. >> cris: he has been the difference maker in the game tonight, whether you throw it, whether you hand it to him.

the edges, and right now they've got alex collins flanked out in the slot. >> al: big, big play. you pick up a first down, you change the whole time-out dynamic for pittsburgh here. third and three. fake there. the ball is tipped. and the pass is incomplete. intended for maclin. ball tipped at the line of scrimmage. and it will be fourth down. >> cris: yeah. i think that's one of the rpo plays, run/pass option. bring them back into the backfield. offensive line looks like they're blocking for a run. if flacco likes it, he can pull the ball down and make the throw to the slant. but tuitt almost intercepted it. and now you have an exhausted defense that will have to hang on for their life. >> al: send eli rogers back to run the kick back. koch is a magician.

he knows what to do with it to get it to the sideline. great kick. crowd wants a flag. they're not going to get one. 2:25. >> cris: we would call in a yank hook. it's part of the repertoire of sam koch. he lines it to the right and swings the leg around. he has about 13, 14 different kicks, knuckleballs, all kinds of things. he just pinned the steelers right into the corner. now, here comes ben roethlisberger, a field goal away. >> al: fabulous kick. not only does he not allow a run back because he puts it right on the sideline. 49 yards. 2:25 remaining. >> cris: that was a painful offensive series, though. >> al: it was. >> cris: two incomplete passes. didn't make them burn any time-outs.

you can't blame them for being aggressive, you just can't. except for the way they were running the football. that's all i was thinking. >> al: ben from the 17. two-point game. here comes the blitz. roethlisberger. he is going to go down. you've got suggs is the first guy who comes in. meanwhile, secondary did its work as well because they brought the house that time. nine-yard sack. >> cris: somehow it's only appropriate. we haven't talked about suggs very much at all tonight. then, when the game is on the line, as it often is between these two teams, you see number 55. >> al: they get the play off before the two-minute warning. to the 13-yard line that pass goes. and it will be third down and 14. the ageless one, suggs, with the big sack. in a two-point game in pittsburgh.

♪ it's too quiet in this room, i need noise ♪ ♪ ♪ >> al: right after the game. volkswagen postgame report. michele on the field with the got a few guys to choose from. mike tirico breaking down the playoff picture. cris and i look ahead to next sunday's matchup out in oakland

volkswagen postgame report coming right up. >> cris: star of the game depending on who wins. this is tough. now you have the two big guns. dean pees i know is going to try and take away antonio brown. what do you do, then, with le'veon bell. >> al: what do you do if you don't gain a yard here. i think you have to punt, too deep in your own territory. first things first. third and 13 from the 14. safeties drop back deep. roethlisberger throws. caught for a first down by jesse james. up at the 31 yard line. huge play! clutch. 17 yards. go figure this one. plenty of time. roethlisberger. and that's juggled. caught. james.

up to the 36 yard line. james tonight has now caught ten for 97 yards. >> cris: they are showing the double linebacker blitz in there. they call it a double-a blitz. the linebackers are turning and flying out of there, and the tight ends are running right behind them. >> al: roethlisberger to the near sideline. incomplete. intended for bryant. covered there by brandon carr. third and five. 3 c3 porque solto la pelota.

deep down the right sideline! antonio brown! he is amazing. beats carr on the play. brown, 213 receiving yards tonight. >> cris: watch the physical play by brown about seven yards off the ball. right there they try to get a jam. he releases from it. and what do you do? there has never been a wide receiver named mvp of the league. but he has to be in that conversation. he has to be. >> al: year after year. roethlisberger has now thrown for 506 yards. the ball is at the 30. >> referee: time-out. >> al: pittsburgh takes a time-out. >> referee: 30-second time-out. >> al: so you have the raven defense, so good, they've given up 543 yards tonight, but they

and roethlisberger, as you see, first player in the history of the league, three games of 500 or more passing yards. three of the last four games have been won by the steelers on a walk-off field goal by that man, including two weeks ago, we saw him do it in indianapolis. big comeback against the colts. he did it here. 53-yarder on a sunday night two weeks ago against green bay. and did it monday in cincinnati. and right now, he is in range. from the 30. bell. hopping, skipping. picking up three to the 27. >> cris: now the ravens have to start taking the time-outs. >> al: they have two. they had to spend one early in the third quarter. and they will ke

here. boswell last year, you might recall, won a playoff game in kansas city by kicking six field goals. for 18 points. >> cris: so strange, though, wasn't it? last week in cincinnati, he kicks the game-winning field goal. remarkable comeback from 17 points down. there was zero celebration going off the field. everybody's thoughts were with ryan shazier. and he was so clutch. >> al: they sure were. it was an incredible comeback, all things considered with what went on that night, down 17-0. tonight, this game has gone back and forth. 56 seconds, second down and eight at the 28 yard line. ben. throwing off-balance off his back leg. and incomplete. intended for grimble.

third and eight. that's beneficial to the ravens here because, if you bring in boswell, baltimore has that one time-out. and their kicker is pretty good too on the other side. >> cris: i'll tell you what, brandon carr on that one almost found a way to go get that football. that was one of those you throw it up. but brandon carr turned the dash. i was like, uh oh. now the extra time-out looks a heck of a lot better. doesn't it? >> al: no question. third and eight. right now a 46-yard field goal. roethlisberger. puts it down. he is almost sacked. the pass is off the fingertips of rogers. so 46 seconds. baltimore still has its time-out. if boswell is able to kick it through, the ravens still have a decent amount of time and one time-out. >> cris: oh, my goodness.

roger was wide open coming across the field. the pressure from bowser got there before ben could get the ball to him. look at that. he has all the space in the world. just could not get it off. >> al: this a 46-yard attempt. to give pittsburgh the lead. >> cris: clutch! >> al: again. 39-38. some drive by the steelers. they converted third and 13 from their own 14 on the 17-yarder to jesse james. that was huge. brown makes the catch deep downfield. and it's a one-point game with pittsburgh in front and 42 seconds. >> cris: if they had chosen to, they could have been the field goal, time-outs gone and clock gone at that point. >> al: no question. >>

and we know what the ravens have on the other side in justin tucker. we saw him kicking it from 60 yards plus in pregame warmups. so it takes one good pass, one good time-out and a long field goal. >> al: flacco tonight has thrown for 255. collins has had a big night. they're going to the air, no question, with 42 seconds. and boswell to send it down. to campanaro. no return. have it at the 25 yard line. sha >> cris: absolutely plenty of time with that time-out. >> al: tucker. hopeful of getting that chance. to win the game. >> cris: this guy has a career

long of 61 yards. 5 of 7 from 50 plus. >> al: flacco no stranger to game-winning drives at heinz field. he has done it three times. from the 25 yard line. >> cris: they jumped. >> al: there was a flag because they jump the. maclin, who can't make the catch at the 42 yard line. but there was action in the ravens' backfield. >> cris: yeah. the tight end playing fullback jumped up. >> al: maclin pays the price. he is on the ground hit by fort. >> referee: illegal motion. 46, offense. penalty is declined. second down. >> al: that was boyle in motion. more from walt. >> referee: time-out. baltimore.

injury inside two minutes. >> cris: made him go in motion. and that's the foul. >> al: so good to see maclin get up and walk off under his own power. >> al: that's the last baltimore time-out. moore is hurt. maclin comes off. they still have wallace. campanaro is their other wideout. so they are playing with a short deck right now. >> cris: look at the pittsburgh bench. that's insane here. >> al: second down and ten. they had to take that time-out because they had to get maclin attended to on the field. now flacco throws. and that's caught by wallace. and wallace gets up to the 38. now they've got to get up there and spike it as fast as they n.

>> cris: save the time-out. >> al: 39. they don't have a time-out. they had to use it because of the maclin injury. >> cris: right. >> al: that forced them to use the time-out. didn't want to but they had to. now you've got 29 seconds. now maclin comes back into the game, but no time-outs. you have to get it into field goal range and either get out of bounds or leave yourself enough time to spike it and give tucker a chance to maybe win it. second down and ten. >> cris: probably at least 17 yards from here to have a legitimate shot. >> al: flacco. and that one -- does he catch it inbounds? it is maclin. no! just out of bounds. he wants them to make them review it.

anyway because it's inside two minutes. it's third down. >> cris: he is going to step out, i am pretty sure. >> al: yep, yep. >> cris: oh, boy! >> referee: the previous play will be reviewed. >> al: pretty obvious on that shot right there. so that took about six seconds. you are down to 15. >> cris: ooh. now it gets really dicey, if you are not working the sideline, as to whether or not you can get up and clock it. >> al: you got a third and ten, you can't throw anything short really. not enough time. crowd sees what you just saw, so they know that this is going to be upheld, the ruling on the field. 3 c3 el esfuerzo fue tremendo

incomplete pass. please reset the clock to 16 seconds. 16, 1-6. >> cris: one play they hit last week was the deep over with mike wallace, which might give you an opportunity for a catch and run out of bounds. not likely from where you're sitting here. >> al: almost have to get out of bounds. flacco. dancing away. chased. down he goes. and the ball is -- pops out of bounds. t.j. watt gets him from behind. you can't fumble forward, so the ravens will keep it. with eight seconds. and they have one play.

so you have one chance, and you have to, obviously, get a touchdown because there is not enough time to set up for a field goal. >> cris: one time. a strip sack is not what you're looking for. a regular sack and this game is over. >> al: pittsburgh's first sack of the game. >> referee: that is the end of the game. >> al: they spotted the ball and then they wound the clock. so there is nothing left, even though the ball went out of bounds. play was dead before it did. winding the clock. that's that. >> cris: they are not going to give you the benefit of the foul out of bounds. they started the clock, and the ravens weren't ready for it. >> al: they had to take a time-out which they might have been able to use because maclin was shaken up. crazy stuff in pittsburgh. with the steelers clinching the afc north. baltimore still in position to get a wild card because they have an easy schedule down the

stretch. coach will tell you there is nothing easy. go to the last play again. clock is in here. 14. >> cris: so the fumble ultimately goes out of bounds. >> al: when they re-spot it, they wind it. that's what they did at that point. not even sure that the ravens knew they had another play at that point. doubt it would have mattered with six seconds or whatever. fumble forward, out of bounds. bring the ball back. they spot it and wind the clock. that is the rule on that particular play. so coming up next it will be the volkswagen postgame report, right after these messages from your nbc station.

well it's a perfect nespresso hold on a second.orge. mmm. ♪ [mel torme sings "comin' home baby"] hey there. want a lift? ♪ where are we going? no don't tell me. let me guess. ♪ have a nice ride. ♪

for coffee that's a cup above? i brought you nespresso. nespresso. what else?

in a day that was as good as we have had all year, in a game as exciting as we've had all year, pittsburgh wins the afc north 39-38 over baltimore. high drama, excitement and emotion start to finish with

lots of ryan shazier. his helmet left on the field by the steeler players after the game. thinking about their teammate in a hospital not far from here and has watched the drama unfold one more time with this team for the fourth game in the last five. chris boswell field goal wins it. delivers with a high-scoring intense affair. the game balls go to who else. killer b's for pittsburgh. here is ben to talk about the big win and the big evening with michele tafoya. >> mike, thank you. ben, this rivalry never disappoints. facing a defense tonight that hasn't given up a 300-yard passer all season and you throw for over 500 yards against them. how do you explain that accomplishment? >> the line played unbelievable. receivers caught the ball and ryan shazier was here with us tonight. >> your two bs. bell and brown.

play after play. how do you describe that? put it into context. >> they're really, really good. it's fun. i am the luckiest quarterback in the league to have the linemen i have and to have all the weapons that i have. >> i know you just said shazier was with you. you had to play without him. he is your friend. he is your teammate. what do you want to tell him right now? >> we didn't play without him. he was out here with us. we know it. we love you, ryan. we know you're watching and rooting for us. buddy, we love you so much. this one was for you, bud. >> the very beginning, first play of the game. tackle by nix. he had the number 50 t-shirt on. they all did. you hear it at the end of the game too. images from ben roethlisberger. a night that ryan shazier was on everyone's mind here in pittsburgh. steelers are the north champs. patriots here next week. they play at miami on the monday nighter. from the pittsburgh perspective. if they neat new england and