PITTSBURGH — Inside Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36, an older man wearing a Terry Bradshaw jersey bubbled to disgust before Saturday’s wild-card playoff game. Surveying the crowded restaurant, he noticed purple and black.
“What the (heck) are they doing here? Don’t they know they are going to lose?” he yelled to no one in particular. His confidence became mocked eight hours later.
While The Bus’ establishment served hungry patrons, Steelers fans groaned as their team’s bus dropped a transmission, stopped from taking Pittsburgh down the postseason road to Denver.
The Baltimore Ravens knocked out the Steelers 30-17 in a brass-knuckle brawl before 62,780 at soggy Heinz Field, leaving the Ravens heading to New England.
“There won’t be any traffic getting out of here tonight,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said.
The Broncos will face the winner of the Indianapolis Colts-Cincinnati Bengals game Sunday, a preferred scenario given that they played both during the regular season.
The Patriots welcome the last-seeded Ravens, who rode a brilliant second-half performance from quarterback Joe Flacco and received a gravity-defying interception from Suggs to advance. Flacco remains an oddity, the $1.2 million regular-season man and a $120 million beast in the playoffs. He received a breathtaking contract for his 2012 Super Bowl run, which included an unforgettable heave in Denver.
Denver opened up a big lead and gripped a late lead in the season-opening victory over the Colts. The Bengals thumped Denver on Dec. 22, but it came in Cincinnati. The Broncos are a different team at home, where they went undefeated for the first time since 2005.
PHOTOS: Steelers vs. Ravens in AFC Wild Card game
The Colts might not recognize the Broncos on tape. They had an epiphany in November, leaving them trusting their running game as much as Peyton Manning. The Bengals saw that version of Denver but benefited from countering a defense that lacked weakside linebacker and leading tackler Brandon Marshall.
The idea of the Broncos facing a familiar opponent seemed little more than quaint Saturday morning. Even before the sleet and rain soaked the North Shore, geography and history tilted in the Steelers’ favor. They entered the game 9-0 when facing an opponent a third time. They owned a 3-0 mark against the Ravens in the playoffs. They earned their favored status, winning four straight to claim a division title. They routed the Ravens by 20 in their last matchup. The Ravens had wet beaks, clear underdogs.
The truth, more accurately, lay somewhere in between. These teams don’t get along, making predictions difficult, definitive assertions foolish.
“We have understanding,” Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said last week. “We understand we don’t like each other.”
Hate creates drama. Flacco spoiled it with a brilliant second half. Leading 10-9, the Ravens scored on their first two possessions. Flacco rifled an 11-yard scoring strike to Torrey Smith.
The fourth quarter proved deflating for the Steelers. Just as the pendulum swung in Pittsburgh’s direction, Justin Tucker delivered a 52-yard field goal, making it 23-15.
The most memorable play also stood as the most unfathomable. As Ben Roethlisberger eluded defenders, he tried a flip pass to Ben Tate, who started at running back for sorely missed Le’Veon Bell. It landed in Terrell Suggs’ belly, and he pinched it between his knees, somehow preventing the ball from hitting the ground.
Baltimore stepped on Pittsburgh’s throat moments later. Flacco faked a zone-read run to Justin Forsett and tossed to wide-open tight end Crockett Gillmore. The former Colorado State star cruised 21 yards for the touchdown, leaving Pittsburgh fans drooping toward the parking lot.
“It was a little shell route. They kind of lost me in coverage, and I had a nice little scamper into the end zone,” Gillmore said. “We felt confident once the game plan went in that we could win.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or twitter.com/troyrenck
