PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes for the second consecutive game, setting an NFL record, to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 43-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night in a key AFC North game.

Roethlisberger set a team record the previous Sunday when he passed for six scores in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The 12 touchdowns in a two-game span are an NFL record.

Roethlisberger completed 25 of 37 passes for 340 yards Sunday night. It was the fourth time in the 11-year veteran quarterback’s career that he threw for at least five touchdowns in a game.

The Steelers (6-3) earned their third consecutive win and took over sole possession of second place in the division behind the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1). The Ravens (5-4) absorbed their second loss in a row and fell into the AFC North basement behind the Cleveland Browns (5-3).

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, becoming the second player in NFL history to start a season with nine straight games of at least five receptions and 80 yards. Hall of Famer Michael Irvin had a similar streak in 1995 with the Dallas Cowboys.

Brown caught a 54-yard touchdown pass in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to give the Steelers a 29-10 lead.

Roethlisberger’s last touchdown pass came with a 1:51 left, a 33-yarder to tight end Matt Speath that closed the scoring.

Two of Roethlisberger’s scoring passes went to rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant, including an 18-yarder with 9:31 remaining that put the Steelers ahead 36-17. Bryant has five touchdowns receptions through the first three games of his career after being a healthy inactive for the season’s first six games.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco finished 30 of 45 for 303 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones scored on a 108-yard kickoff return with 13:47 left to draw the Ravens within 29-17. Flacco threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Crockett Gillmore with 2:58 to go, but Spaeth’s TD put the game away.

The Steelers turned Baltimore turnovers on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter into a pair of Roethlisberger touchdown passes with a span of 1:54 to take a 14-7 lead.

The turnaround started when linebacker Arthur Moats forced a fumble by Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro and Steelers cornerback Brice McCain returned it 27 yards to the Baltimore 26.

Five plays later, Roethlisberger threw a 5-yard scoring pass to running back Le’Veon Bell to tie the score 7-7 with 7:18 remaining.

Linebacker Jason Worilds then intercepted Flacco and had a 30-yard return to the Ravens 30. Bryant hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass three plays later to put the Steelers ahead 14-7 with 5:24 left.

The Ravens cut their deficit to 14-10 on kicker Justin Tucker’s 46-yard field goal with 1:44 remaining in the half.

The Steelers answered 51 seconds later when Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Markus Wheaton with a 47-yard touchdown pass to make it 22-10 going into halftime. A botched extra-point attempt turned into a two-point conversion when rookie punter/holder Brad Wing threw to Spaeth.

Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Flacco with 9:47 remaining in the first quarter to open the scoring.

NOTES: Ravens TE Owen Daniels returned to the lineup after missing the previous game, a loss at Cincinnati, while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. … Baltimore CB Jimmy Smith and WR Michael Campanaro were inactive along with S Terrence Brooks, LB Zachary Orr, OL Gino Gradkowski, DE Lawrence Guy and OL Jah Reid. …. Steelers DL Daniel McCullers, who had played in the previous two games, was inactive as well as CB Ike Taylor (foreman), S Ross Ventrone (hamstring), QB Landry Jones, WR Justin Brown, CB B.W. Webb and OL Chris Hubbard. … The Steelers retired Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene’s No. 75 during a halftime ceremony. That became just the second retired number in franchise history. Ernie Stautner, another Hall of Fame defensively lineman, had his No. 70 retired in 1964. … The Ravens host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday while the Steelers visit the New York Jets.