Who says a game without high-flying offenses can’t be exciting?

It took more than four quarters Monday night to settle a defensive brawl between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, one that ended on the leg of Jeff Reed to give the Steelers a 23-20 overtime win.

After a brutal offensive showing in the first half, the Steelers turned the tables on the Ravens with two touchdowns in 15 seconds during the third quarter. With a rejuvenated Heinz Field crowd, Pittsburgh played efficiently for the remainder of the half, and played Baltimore into overtime before sending the fans home happy.

Fantasy owners may not be as cheerful after a slew of injuries nearly turned this one into a statistical nightmare. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall fractured his shoulder at the beginning of the second half, and will reportedly miss the remainder of the season.

Former Pro Bowler Willis McGahee also struggled to stay in the game while battling cramps and injuries, and the game was stopped seven different times for players down on the field, including the opening kickoff.

The extremely physical tone sets the stage for our always gritty, weekly segment: The U’s Primetime Players

Quarterbacks:

Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben had everyone scared in the first half with a truly embarrassing performance. The Steelers found some rhythm late in the game, namely due to a long 38-yard TD pass to Santonio Holmes in the third quarter. Roethlisberger didn’t do it pretty in the latter half, but did enough to hold off the nasty Ravens D and guide his team to a win in OT. MNF Grade: B

Joe Flacco
It should be clear that the kid can play. Without a healthy McGahee to complement him, Flacco didn’t have enough to give the Ravens the edge in the game, but didn’t cost them the contest, either. He wasn’t impressive with 192 yards passing and a touchdown, but he sure wasn’t disappointing. Don’t sleep on him. MNF Grade: C+

Running backs:

Le’Ron McClain
The Ravens’ second option filled some big shoes as the Ravens feature back. He managed 63 yards on 16 carries, but found the end zone in the final minutes to send the game into overtime. Like Flacco, McClain should be credited with a gutsy effort against a vicious Pittsburgh defense. Without McGahee, expect McClain to take on the bulk of the carries in the Ravens offense. MNF Grade: B+

Rashard Mendenhall/Willis McGahee
The two starters were bruised and battered by stout defenses all night, sending both to their respective locker rooms with unfortunate injuries. Mendenhall will hardly remember his starting NFL debut after only 30 yards on nine rushes before fracturing his shoulder. McGahee had a slightly better night, 13 rushes and 42 yards, but couldn’t overcome the Steelers run D or his early season injury problems. MNF Grade: D+

Wide receivers:

Derrick Mason
A brand new QB-WR tandem may be in the works with Flacco and Mason. The veteran receiver had a fantastic game in what appeared to be a sluggish offensive night by the Ravens, hauling in eight passes for 137 yards. Fantasy owners may want to look at Baltimore’s top receiving option; we’re sure Flacco will. MNF Grade: A-

Santonio Holmes
The speedster turned the game around for Pittsburgh after his spectacular 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The score brought the Steelers to a four-point deficit, which they would erase on the next defensive drive. Holmes had three catches and 61 yards, including the touchdown. MNF Grade: B+

Tight Ends:

Heath Miller
The Steelers tight end was very quiet in this one, possibly due to Pittsburgh’s lethargic offense in the first half. Even with Pittsburgh’s second half revival, Miller only caught two passes for eight yards. Although his season numbers are fair, fantasy owners beware: he has zero touchdowns on the year. MNF Grade: D

Todd Heap
Where in the world is Heap? His name was not called once during the Monday-nighter in Pittsburgh; zero catches, zero receiving yards, and a fantasy value worth, you guessed it, zero. Heap’s only posted three catches for 37 yards in THREE games! Don’t blame owners for throwing in the towel on this guy. MNF Grade: F

Defense/Special Teams:

Pittsburgh
No surprise here, the Steelers defense was tenacious again. With a raucous crowd behind them, the “Steel” D completely changed the game by stripping Flacco and returning his fumble seven yards to give Pittsburgh its first lead. Not only did the unit score, it recorded five sacks; James Harrison was at his best with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks and the forced fumble. MNF Grade: A-

Baltimore
Would we ever doubt the Ravens defense and its ability to keep the team in close games? Ray Lewis was absolutely everywhere on the field with his 13 tackles, including two during a huge goal-line stand to hold Pittsburgh to three points. A forced fumble, an interception, and three sacks on Roethlisberger virtually kept the Steelers offense in check for most of the game. Hard-nosed D is still the obvious strength of this franchise. MNF Grade: B+

Kickers:

Jeff Reed
Reed nailed a clutch 46-yard field goal on the Steelers first possession in overtime for the victory. Two extra points and two more field goals from 49 and 19 yards out bailed out the struggling offense. Even though there’s never been a field goal made over 50 yards at Heinz Field, don’t be surprised if Reed hits the first one later this season. MNF Grade: A

Matt Stover
Almost had a mirror image of Reed’s game, minus the huge game-winning field goal in OT. Two field goals (33, 20) in the first half and two extra points really helped underdog Baltimore hang with Pittsburgh for most of the game. Fantasy note: this was the first game of the season in which Stover made all his field goal attempts. MNF Grade: A-

Check back with us next Monday night when fantasy stud Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) head to the “Big Easy” to face Drew Brees and the high-flying New Orleans Saints (2-2).