Steelers Improbably Claim 1st Place In AFC North: Reaction

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Steelers were home underdogs on Sunday and their offense was largely ineffective for most of the game. Yet they somehow rallied to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 and now occupy first place in the AFC North.

Here's what sports writers across the country thought about the game:

• Brooke Pryor, ESPN: "Is Kenny Pickett back on track? After struggling for three quarters, Kenny Pickett found George Pickens with a 41-yard touchdown pass to slip past the Ravens for a massive AFC North win. Pickett has been shaky through the first month of the season,but entering the bye week, this gives the Steelers and their quarterback a significant boost."

• John Breech, CBS Sports: "After a slow start, the Steelers defense took over the game in the second half. Along with T.J. Watt's two sacks and Alex Highsmith's strip-sack, Pittsburgh's defense received a big game from inside linebacker Kwon Alexander, who had a sack, six tackles and three stops for loss."

• Jason Owens, Yahoo Sports: "The Baltimore Ravens faced multiple chances to put the Pittsburgh Steelers away on Sunday. But they left the door open too long and made too many mistakes as the Steelers rallied to stun their AFC North rivals in a 17-10 win. After sputtering on offense all afternoon, the Steelers capitalized on their chances by making multiple big plays in the game's final minutes to secure the win."

• Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated: "Pittsburgh needs its defense to continue playing lights out. Pittsburgh has a popgun offense, not likely to score more than 20 points or so. The defense must be almost perfect to win."