The Baltimore Ravens stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers to claim their place in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs with a 30-17 victory at Heinz Field.

The Steelers took the lead in the first quarter as Ben Roethlisberger edged his side into field-goal range under duress from the pass rush of the Ravens, and Shaun Suisham was on hand to fire a 45-yarder through the posts.

Baltimore hit back with an impressive drive as Joe Flacco moved the ball well in the air, while Justin Forsett churned up yards in the ground game before the quarterback handed off for Bernard Pierce to score a five-yard touchdown.

Pittsburgh drove into the red zone as Roethlisberger made another series of good throws under pressure, but he was sacked by Brandon Williams, which forced Suisham into action with a 22-yard field goal.

Flacco was able to get into rhythm again while the visitors were aided with penalties committed by Pittsburgh's defense, but William Gay made a huge play to deflect a pass away from Marlon Brown and save a touchdown.

Justin Tucker kicked his first field goal of the game from 28 yards to hand Baltimore a four-point lead, but the Steelers pulled it back to 10-9 when Suisham fired a 47-yarder at the end of the half.

In the second half, Tucker added another field goal to restore a one-score lead for his side, while the Ravens took control of the game later in the third quarter when Flacco rolled to his left and fired a strike to Torrey Smith in the endzone.

Pittsburgh battled back at the start of the fourth when Forsett fumbled the ball and Roethlisberger threw deep to Antonio Brown on the goalline. The quarterback found Martavis Bryant to bring his team within five, although the two-point conversion failed.

However, the Ravens edged ahead again when Tucker nailed a 52-yarder through the posts, while the crucial moment of the game occurred when Roethlisberger was intercepted by Terrell Suggs deep in his own territory.

Flacco took full advantage as he passed off play-action to Crockett Gilmore, who raced into the endzone for a 21-yard score.

There was still time for the Steelers to drive downfield one last time, but Roethlisberger was intercepted by Darian Stewart. Although a late safety extended the game, a Heath Miller fumble sealed the Baltimore's victory.

John Harbaugh's side will now face the New England Patriots, the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, at Foxborough next week.