PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Kris Brown missed four of five field goal attempts Sunday, including a potential game-tying 35-yarder with eight seconds left, allowing the Baltimore Ravens to hold off the Pittsburgh Steelers, 13-10.
The Ravens moved within a half game of the lead in the AFC Central.
"Kris Brown is a good kicker. He just missed them," said Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who stayed in a crouch and stared in disbelief after Brown's last miss. "I have not lost any confidence in him. He had one of those days. If anyone is strong-minded enough to come out of this it's Kris Brown."
Last season, Baltimore (5-3) benefited from the struggles of Tennessee kicker Del Greco in a crucial regular-season game and in a playoff victory over the Titans.
On Sunday, the Ravens were fortunate that Brown, who converted 11 of 13 field goals in Pittsburgh's first six games, was wide right on attempts from 41, 48 and 35 yards. Chris McAlister tipped a 33-yard attempt by Brown in the third quarter.
"I feel like I let everyone on this team down," said Brown, who kicked a 38-yarder in the first quarter. "I just didn't go out and do my job today."
Meanwhile, Baltimore's reliable Matt Stover kicked field goals of 25 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter to give Baltimore a 13-10 lead. The 12th-year veteran has converted 13 of 14 field goals this season.
"Stover did a good job," said Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa. "On the last one, the snap was high, but he got it in and that was the difference in the game."
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Steelers (5-2), who remained in first place in the AFC Central but squandered a chance to move 2 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore.
"A tough game but you move on," Steelers safety Lee Flowers said. "You can't get on Kris Brown. He has won us a couple of games."
A third-year kicker out of Nebraska, Brown missed five field goals all of last season in 30 attempts.
The Ravens set an NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season in 2000, but the Steelers showed they have a defense to be reckoned with.
After allowing just 65 points in their first six games, the Steelers held Baltimore to 10 first downs and 183 total yards on Sunday. The Ravens rushed for just 41 yards and were one of 11 converting third downs.
Baltimore's lone touchdown was a 13-yard pass from Randall Cunningham to Shannon Sharpe four seconds into the second quarter.
Starting again for the injured Elvis Grbac, Cunningham completed 14 of 22 passes for 158 yards with an interception.
"This was a huge win," Cunningham said. "You know when you're going into someone else's stadium, you know which games are going to be tough. We knew this definitely was going to be a difficult day."
Stover's go-ahead field goal capped a seven-play, 40-yard drive which featured a 26-yard pass from Cunningham to Sharpe.
"Shannon made the big play for us again and I thought Randall moved the team well," Ravens coach Brian Billick said.
Sharpe finished with three catches for 56 yards, leaving him two shy of tying Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome -- the Ravens' vice president of football operations -- for most receptions by a tight end. In his 12th NFL season, Sharpe has 660 career receptions. Afterwards, he lavished praise on Pittsburgh's defense.
"Pittsburgh's defense is as a good as I've played against in 12 years of football," Sharpe said. But we also know what our defense can do."
Baltimore's defense was not as dominant, yielding 21 first downs and 348 total yards.
Jerome Bettis also nearly reached the 100-yard mark against the Ravens, rushing for 91 yards on 23 carries. Baltimore has not allowed 100 yards to a running back in 44 consecutive games, including playoffs.
Pittsburgh, however, managed to reach the end zone just once on a 21-yard pass from Kordell Stewart to Plaxico Burress with 15 seconds left in the first half.
Stewart was 22 of 37 for 236 yards and ran for 31 yards on eight carries.
Hines Ward caught nine passes for 97 yards and Burress finished with four catches for 56 yards.
With pass-rushing threats Jason Gildon and Joey Porter on the outside and Earl Holmes and rookie Kendrell Bell patrolling the inside, the Steelers have a linebacker corps that rivals Baltimore's trio of Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper.
Porter had two of Pittsburgh's three sacks and Holmes had a team-leading 10 tackles.
Lewis engaged Bettis with a handful of hard hits and finished with nine tackles.
