PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger made history Sunday night, and it left Terrell Suggs shaking his head.

Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes for a second consecutive game, leading the Steelers to a 43-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a key AFC North game.

The 32-year-old Pittsburgh quarterback 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.

“It means guys are catching touchdowns and it’s fun, especially to get so many different guys involved in the offense,” Roethlisberger said.

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

“You could have never sold me that during the week,” said Suggs, a standout Baltimore linebacker. “He did it last week. He had a hell of a day today. That’s a reflection on us all. You have to go out there and stop him.”

While Roethlisberger’s touchdown feats are becoming the talk of the league, they haven’t caught Steelers coach Mike Tomlin off guard.

“He is doing the things that we need him to do, obviously, but I don’t think any of us are surprised by anything that he does,” Tomlin said. “We have been looking at it for some time.”

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 1:51 left, a 33-yarder to tight end Matt Spaeth 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.

“Everybody has to wait for their opportunity,” Bryant said. “It’s just when the opportunity presents itself whether you take advantage of it or not.”

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 defense came up with the splash that created the tide that turned our way for the rest of the game,” Tomlin said.

What the Steelers said:

“It depends on what we do going forward, whether or not it is a defining game. Hindsight is always 20/20. It’s a defining game if we make it one moving forward.” — Coach Mike Tomlin.

What the Ravens said:

“We just move forward and go ahead, start winning football games again. We just have to get back in there and get ready to go.” — Quarterback Joe Flacco, after Baltimore lost consecutive games to fall into last place in the AFC North.

What we learned about the Steelers:

1. Ben Roethlisberger is one the best quarterbacks in the game when offensive coordinator Todd Haley takes the wraps off. Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns, a team record, for the second consecutive week, and the 12 TD passes in a two-week span set an NFL record. The Steelers’ offense has always been run-first, but the organization is finally giving in to the fact that the NFL is now a pass-first league.

2. James Harrison still has something in the tank. The veteran linebacker, who held a retirement press conference just two months ago, was all over the field as he had seven tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits. Pretty impressive for a 36-year-old who walked away from the Arizona Cardinals late in training camp before deciding to play another season when the Steelers called a few weeks later.

–QB Ben Roethlisberger set an NFL record with 12 touchdowns in a two-game span, throwing six Sunday night in Pittsburgh’s 43-23 victory over Baltimore a week after a six-TD performance in a win over Indianapolis that set the franchise’s single-game record. Against the Ravens, Roethlisberger was 25 of 37 for 340 yards and a passer rating of 136.3. He threw for at least five touchdowns for the fourth time in his career. The only other Steelers to do that are Terry Bradshaw (1981) and Mark Malone (1985). Roethlisberger broke the two-game record of 11 set by Tom Flores in 1963 for Oakland and equaled by Tom Brady in 2007 for New England. Roethlisberger also became just the second quarterback to throw six touchdown passes twice in the same season, joining Y.A. Tittle, who did so with the 1962 New York Giants.

–SS Troy Polamalu sprained his right knee in the first half and did not return. He had one solo tackle and one assist. Coach Mike Tomlin said it is was too early to know what Polamalu’s status might be for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets.

–LB Ryan Shazier injured his right ankle in the first half and missed the remainder of the game. He had two assisted tackles. The Steelers’ first-round draft pick this year missed four games earlier in the season due to a shoulder injury.

–WE Antonio Brown had 11 receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown on 16 targets. He became just the second player in NFL history to begin a season with nine straight games with at least five receptions and 80 yards. Michael Irvin did it for the 1995 Dallas Cowboys. Brown can break the record Sunday when the Steelers visit the New York Jets. Brown also extended his NFL record of having at least five receptions and 50 yards to 25 games, which dates to the opening game of last season.

–WR Martavis Bryant had three receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns on five targets. The rookie now has five touchdowns in the first three games of his career after being a healthy inactive for the season’s first six games.

–WR Markus Wheaton is re-establishing himself in the passing game, as he had two catches for 62 yards and one touchdown in four targets. He has a touchdown and at least 50 yards receiving in each of the past two games after having neither for three consecutive games.

–RB Le’Veon Bell was held to a season-low 20 yards on 10 carries. He rushed for at least 57 yards in each of the first eight games. However, he did contribute five catches for 38 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

–DT Steve McLendon returned after missing two games with a shoulder injury. He had one solo tackle and one assist.

What we learned about the Ravens:

1. Linebacker C.J. Mosley continues to be an emerging star. The AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month had a fine game in a losing effort with nine tackles, six of them solos. He played a big role in holding Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who entered the game leading the AFC in yards from scrimmage, to 20 yards rushing on 10 carries and 38 yards receiving on five catches.

2. The secondary feels the loss of top cornerback Jimmy Smith, who missed his second consecutive game due to a foot injury. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger picked the Ravens apart, throwing for 340 yards and six touchdowns. That came a week after Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 266 yards against Baltimore. The Ravens lost both AFC North games to fall to 5-4 and into last place in the division.

–DE Chris Canty returned to action Sunday night in Baltimore’s 43-23 loss at Pittsburgh after missing four games because of a staph infection in his wrist. He had four tackles and was credited with a half-sack and one quarterback hurry.

–TE Owen Daniels played after missing the previous week’s loss at Cincinnati while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. He had a team-high six receptions on nine targets for 53 yards.

–RB Bernard Pierce was active after being a healthy inactive at Cincinnati. He carried only once for 2 yards as the Ravens had just 18 rushing attempts among their 67 offensive plays.

–RB Justin Forsett had a team-leading 38 rushing yards on nine carries and also caught five passes for 67 yards on eight targets. He missed practice time during the week because of an ankle injury.