Steelers vs. Ravens final score: Pittsburgh shows little in 26-6 loss to Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens were the team with a huge amount of distraction heading into Thursday's game with the Steelers.

Upon first viewing, it would appear the Steelers were back in their hotel watching the latest updates on the Ray Rice saga, and forgot to appear at M&T Bank Stadium.

A listless effort with scores of penalties and a focus that appeared to be on something other than the game itself, the Steelers racked up five personal-foul penalties and were run over by the Ravens' offense in the second half, leading to an embarrassing 26-6 loss.

The Steelers (1-1) appeared to fail again defensively, imposing little resistance to a Ravens' offense that threw tight end seam passes repeatedly with a high degree of success. The complete lack of a pass rush allowed Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco all the time he would need to complete underneath passes to uncovered receivers.

All four personal-foul penalties came after receptions by Ravens receivers (all by Steelers' defensive backs), tacking on needless yards that would eventually squeeze the Steelers back into a form that looked sullenly like last season's 0-4 start for the team.

Offensively, wide receiver Justin Brown fumbled deep in Baltimore territory on the game's opening possession, which the Ravens' used to march to their first touchdown of the game. Tight end Heath Miller would fumble in the fourth quarter, essentially ending the game. Outside of a few reasonably threatening drives, the Steelers offense fell even further behind the pace it set at the start of this season, now having been outscored 40-9 over their last six quarters of play.

Baltimore pressed the physical aspect of their game, appearing to be in better condition after a short week for both teams. The Steelers showed a spark after halftime, but it withered quickly, never to return.

The Steelers have 10 days until heading to Carolina for a Sunday night game against the Panthers. Sitting at 1-1, they'll enter their second consecutive primetime game on the road relatively healthy, although it's unclear whether the group of starting defenders are the best options this team has.