BALTIMORE – On a sunny Sunday morning at M & T Bank Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens remained cold, losing their fourth game in five weeks, this time against arch-rivals Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not seem to be wearing out badly despite having a broken finger on the unjected hand, a 270-yard pass and a pair of touchdowns. His efforts allowed Pittsburgh (5-2-1) to take a half-lead in North AFC against Cincinnati, who was inactive. Meanwhile, the Ravens, now entering their own start before facing the Bengals in the 11th week, have fallen to 4-5 and have seen their series hopes decline again.

Three other things we learned:

1. The offensive player of the month for October of the AFC, Pittsburgh player James Conner, got off to a good start for the month of November. He made his fourth consecutive 100-yard (107) run – the fifth of the season – and recorded his first career touchdown. The man he replaces, Veon Bell, who will remain on behalf of all professionals, is expected to arrive no later than November 13 to accumulate a free season. But with the Steelers returning to the field Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers, Conner will not be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon … and maybe not for many, many years. Baltimore's defense coordinator, Don "Wink" Martindale, said that last week Pittsburgh was better off than Bell, a prophecy that seemed to come true at his own expense.

2 The new month announces many fewer promises in Charm City. Before Sunday's setback, John Harbaugh, the Ravens' 11th-year coach, had been 30-12 in November and 7-0 at home against division opponents this month. But Baltimore was not comfortable on the attack, especially with rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was coming in and out of the formation with little effect, while starter Joe Flacco was unable to connect with the hosts. main throws. The Ravens are now at risk of missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and the fifth since the team won the Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 campaign.

3 Something you do not see every day: Roethlisberger has become the first quarterback since 2013 (Tom Brady was the previous one). Big Ben had a quick kick in the first quarter rather than playing the fourth and sixth goals on Baltimore's 38-yard line. His 27-yard dog would have proved effective … If Baltimore's Eric Weddle had not ripped it clean before managing an 18-yard return. Although the game was a rarity among his peers, the kickoff was the sixth of his 15-year career (averaging 31.3 yards), not to mention the one that had been stuck in 2014.

***

Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis