PITTSBURGH — It may not appear as such after the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed the Baltimore Ravens to rush for over 200 yards for the third consecutive meeting.

Or when, beginning with the 10-play drive that produced a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter, the Ravens outgained the Steelers, 209 yards to eight, the rest of the way.

But a couple things happened with the Steelers’ defense that allowed them to take another halftime lead — their 10th in 13 games — and protect it for one of the few times this season. And they allowed them to walk out of Baltimore with another significant victory, their seventh in the past 10 meetings at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I thought our third-down play, particularly at the early stages of the game, sent a message and quelled the environment and allowed us to find our footing,” coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

In particular, Tomlin was referencing a pair of plays by slot cornerback Brandin Echols, who broke up a deep pass from receiver Zay Flowers in the end zone and forced the Ravens to settle for a field goal on the opening drive.

On the next series, after the Steelers answered with a touchdown on their first possession, Echols registered one of the two sacks on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, dropping him for an 8-yard loss on third-and-5 and forcing a punt.

“I thought it really set the stage for game-on,” Tomlin said.

But the defense — after blowing four halftime leads in significant games against Seattle, Green Bay, Chicago and Buffalo — did not cave this time.

That unit surrendered just two field goals even though the Ravens were at the Steelers’ 10-yard line on three separate occasions in the fourth quarter. And Alex Highsmith’s sack to end the game stopped a drive that reached the Steelers’ 30.

“Certainly in the second half, man, standing up on the short field was big — make them settle for three or getting off (the field),” Tomlin said. “This time of year, that’s where the game is played.”

None of that, though, should serve to mask their issues with stopping the run.

The Steelers have allowed 249 yards (to the Bills) and 217 yards (Ravens) rushing in each of their past two games. And they could be in for more of the same Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, who ran for 239 yards in Sunday’s victory against the New York Jets.

During their four-game winning streak that has put them back in the playoff picture, the Dolphins have averaged 192.3 yards rushing with a per-carry average of 5.7 yards.

“It wasn’t perfect,” said outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. “We gave up a lot of rushing yards. There’s a lot of things we can get better at.”

That’s why the Steelers could benefit from the possible return of defensive end Derrick Harmon, their No. 1 pick who has missed the past two games with a knee injury.

Harmon also missed the first two games of the season, and in his absence the Steelers have allowed an average of 191.3 yards rushing in those four games.

In the nine games with Harmon in the lineup, the Steelers are allowing an average of 96 yards rushing per game — nearly a 100-yard difference.

With Harmon out of the lineup, rookie Yahya Black’s playing time has drastically increased. After playing 46 snaps against the Bills, he played 64 of the 77 plays against the Ravens, more than any other defensive lineman.

“Y.A. is a guy that’s just gotten better throughout the process,” Tomlin said. “Y.A. has been a guy that’s really taken advantage of the opportunities, not only in terms of his play, but just the general growth associated with gaining experience.”

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