Pittsburg, PA
Steelers fall to Ravens, 34-17
The two miscues by Wilson spoiled an otherwise solid game for the Steelers quarterback. With the Steelers playing without top wide receiver George Pickens, Wilson threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
But it was the turnovers and Baltimore’s rushing attack that led to the Steelers (10-5) failing in their attempt to clinch the AFC North title.
Even with the loss, the Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North, tied with Baltimore (10-5) based on tiebreakers. The Steelers can still win the division title if they win their remaining final two games.
The Steelers host the Chiefs on Christmas Day, then finish the regular season at home against Cincinnati, while the Ravens travel to Houston on Christmas Day and host Cleveland.
Lamar Jackson, who entered this game having thrown five touchdown passes and eight interceptions in his career against the Steelers, leading to a 1-4 record, threw three touchdown passes and one interception.
This game was more about Baltimore’s running game, however, as Derrick Henry gained 162 yards on 24 carries as Baltimore, which entered having lost eight of the past nine games against the Steelers, rushed for over 200 yards in the game.
The Ravens drove across midfield on their opening possession, but Alex Highsmith had a strip sack of Jackson. And though the Ravens recovered the loose ball, they were out of field goal range and forced to punt.
The punt, however, was downed at 3 and the Steelers failed to record a first down, punting the ball back to Baltimore.
Return man Desmond King fumbled, but the Ravens recovered that loose ball, as well, and after Henry carried the Ravens inside the 10, Jackson tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely for a 7-0 lead.
The Steelers answered quickly, though, as Wilson completed all six of his passes on the ensuing possession to five different receivers, including a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Mycole Pruitt on the opening play of the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7.
The Steelers forced a punt on Baltimore’s ensuing possession, and it went just 14 yards, giving Pittsburgh the ball at its own 44.
Wilson again quickly moved the Steelers down the field. But at the end of a 20-yard scramble, he was hit by safety Ar’Darious Washington at the 4 and fumbled, with Baltimore recovering.
That would prove to be a big swing, as the Ravens drove the length of the field from there in eight plays, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman from Jackson on third-and-8 to take a 14-7 lead.
It was only the third touchdown this season allowed by the Steelers following a turnover.
The Steelers were forced to punt and Baltimore got into field goal range for a 51-yard Justin Tucker kick that increased its lead to 17-7 with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
But Wilson deftly maneuvered the Steelers into scoring range for Chris Boswell at the end of the half, a 51-yard field goal of his own, that cut the lead to 17-10.
The two teams traded punts to open the second half when the Steelers got the ball back at their own 12. Wilson connected with Calvin Austin III off of play-action down the sideline for a 44-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage and then finished off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson to tie the game at 17-17 with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter.
The completion to Patterson marked the ninth different Steelers player to make a catch at that point.
But working against a Pittsburgh pass defense that opened the game without safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Donte Jackson and then lost corner Joey Porter Jr. to a calf injury in the first half, Jackson threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this one to tight end Mark Andrews from 7 yards out to put the Ravens back on top, 24-17.
It was the first touchdown catch by Andrews – Baltimore’s all-time touchdowns leader – in 11 career games against the Steelers.
The Steelers drove across midfield on their next possession, and on fourth-and-6 from the 45, the Steelers kept the offense on the field. On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Wilson took the shotgun snap and scanned the field. Austin broke free over the middle and he attempted to hit him at the goal line. But safety Kyle Hamilton came in and broke up the pass and the Steelers turned the ball over on downs.
Henry broke free for a 44-yard run to the Pittsburgh 11. But on the next play, Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Jackson at the Pittsburgh 8 and returned it 24 yards to the 32 to turn the Ravens away.
But after a first-down run, Wilson threw a pass behind Pruitt that was intercepted by Marlon Humphrey and returned 37 yards for a touchdown that increased Baltimore’s lead to 31-17 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game.
The Ravens added a 23-yard Tucker field goal with 3:10 remaining in the game to push their lead to 34-17.
Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
Pittsburg, PA
Blanche says DOJ
Pittsburg, PA
Luke Bryan concert expected to bring thousands of fans to Pittsburgh-area farm
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
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