Pittsburgh Steelers. Game Story News Clippings

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1 Pittsburgh Steelers Game Story News Clippings

2 Defense reigns as Steelers crush Patriots, Page 1 of 3 12/1/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Defense reigns as Steelers crush Patriots, Cassel rocked as Harrison and company take out decade of frustration with wet victory Monday, December 01, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette James Harrison celebrates a sack on Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel yesterday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England's days of NFL domination ended a while back, either in the past Super Bowl or, for sure, when the Patriots lost Tom Brady in the season opener. Yesterday, their reign over the Steelers also came to a brutal, wet, cold and dank end. It's as if the Steelers took out a decade of frustration on the Patriots, crushing them in a steady, hard, wintry New England rain. For the first time in 11 years, the Steelers won here and for only the second time in their past eight games. "It's a big monkey off our backs," said Steelers receiver Hines Ward, in his 11th season. "It seems like the Patriots have just been whipping our tails since I've been here." They did until yesterday. The Steelers' vicious defense turned extra mean on a Pittsburgh kind of afternoon. New England quarterback Matt Cassel was sacked five times, linebacker James Harrison forcing fumbles on two of them (for his 13th and 14th sacks after he hyperextended his back in the first half), and intercepted him twice. And safety Ryan Clark hit Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker so hard that up in Boston they may have thought the British were coming again. "We haven't won here in years," said second-year linebacker LaMarr Woodley, a 13-year-old in Michigan the previous time the Steelers won at New England, "To come out here and get a win like this feels great." Not only did they beat New England, the Steelers welcomed back their running game, and Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes in a contest for the first time since he had two at Cincinnati Oct. 19. Willie Parker (16 attempts for 87 yards) started at halfback and combined with Mewelde Moore (12 attempts for 67) to help the Steelers to 161 yards rushing, their highest total since the second game of the season. The victory also boosted the Steelers to 9-3 and kept them a game ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North while the Patriots' playoff chances took a blow. They are now 7-5. "I don't know about psychological," Parker said. "It's just great to come out and beat them at their place and beat them the way we did."

3 Defense reigns as Steelers crush Patriots, Page 2 of 3 12/1/2008 Roethlisberger completed 17 of 33 passes in the rain for 179 yards with one interception. He was sacked just once on a corner blitz and threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Santonio Holmes and 11 to Hines Ward. Jeff Reed made four of his five field-goal attempts. Cassel was 19 of 39 passing for 169 yards and had no touchdown passes, although the Patriots rushed for 122 yards, the most this season against the Steelers. The only time it looked like a typical Steelers-Patriots game came early when linebacker Mike Vrabel intercepted Roethlisberger's second pass of the game at the Steelers' 14. Three plays later, Sammy Morris ran over the left side from 2 yards out and the Patriots had a 7-0 lead. "Vrabel, he's a heck of a player and he made a great play on it," Roethlisberger said. "Heath [Miller] was open behind him and he goes up and catches it and it was one of the frustrating things." Roethlisberger bounced back, though. He led the Steelers on a 62-yard drive after Holmes returned a punt 29 yards. They had to settle for a Reed 20-yard field goal. Stephen Gostkowski put the Patriots on top, 10-3, with a 29-yard field goal with 6:48 left in the second quarter. It was the Patriots' last hurrah. The Steelers tied it with 1:55 left in the half on Roethlisberger's 19-yard scoring pass to Holmes, who beat cornerback Deltha O'Neal. New England did stun the Steelers in the final minutes before the half and had a first down at the Steelers' 9. But Cassel threw behind Randy Moss in the end zone, a wide-open Moss then dropped a pass in the end zone and cornerback Ike Taylor allowed a potential interception to slip through his hands in the end zone and Moss nearly caught it. Gostkowski then came on and missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt wide to the right in the steady rain. The Patriots moved the ball well to open the second half too, reaching a second-and-1 at the Steelers' 31. However, Casey Hampton pushed up the middle to sack Cassel and New England came up empty on the drive. The Steelers responded with a drive that carried 79 yards on 14 plays but again did not finish in the end zone. They settled for a 25-yard field goal by Reed that put them ahead for good, Their next possession turned out more profitable. New England's Matthew Slater muffed the ensuing kickoff -- it hit his chest, right hand, left hand before he kicked it with his knee. Anthony Madison dived and prevented Slater from recovering the ball, and Keyaron Fox recovered for the Steelers at the New England 8. "There's no excuse," Slater said of the weather conditions. "You have to field the ball. Yeah, it's wet. Yeah, there's rain. But I have to do my job." Two plays later, Roethlisberger did his when he hit Ward at the 1 and he powered his way into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown reception and a Steelers lead. Lightning on this rainy day struck again for the Steelers five seconds later. New England set up shop at its 29 after the kickoff and on first down, Harrison beat tackle Matt Light around the corner and stripped Cassel of the football for a sack and a fumble that was recovered by Woodley at the 26. The Steelers again could not get into the end zone, but Reed made it with his third field goal, this one from 20 yards. Harrison had another strip-and-sack of Cassel late in the third quarter but Reed missed from 40 yards out, only his second missed field-goal attempt of the season. "That's what we've come to expect from him because that's what he's capable of," Tomlin said of Harrison, who pulled within one sack of tying the team single-season record of 15. "He's got tremendous talent. He's got tremendous work ethic and he's a heck of a football player." So is Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, who came up with his sixth interception of the season, which led to another field goal,

4 Defense reigns as Steelers crush Patriots, Page 3 of 3 12/1/2008 this one of 45 yards, and a lead with 5:43 left to play. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons then returned an interception 89 yards to the New England 1 and Gary Russell plunged in from there for the final score with 2:44 left. "It hasn't been much of a rivalry because they've gotten after us," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "For it to be a rivalry, we've got to win some and that's what we set out to do when we came up here today." Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on December 1, 2008 at 12:00 am Steelers Tickets Average Steelers' IQ=126 Buy Steelers Tickets at StubHub. Where Fans Are You Smarter Than a Steelers Player? Buy & Sell Tickets. Take a Real IQ Test Now!

5 Cassel gets bumped in loss - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 12/1/2008 Turnovers, sacks cool off Cassel By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 1, 2008 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Only five players in NFL history have ever passed for 400 or more yards in back-to-back games. They include Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Phil Simms. The other two quarterbacks aren't nearly as well known: Billy Volek and Matt Cassel. The Steelers brought Cassel back down to earth on Sunday in a rout at Gillette Stadium. The hottest quarterback in the NFL met his match against the league's top-ranked defense, completing only 19 of 39 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Cassel was sacked five times and fumbled twice following sacks by outside linebacker James Harrison. "For the game plan that we had and the structure that we had, we had a good idea of what they were going to do and how they were going to attack us,'' said Cassel, who took over when Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener. "For the most part, it played out how we thought it would. "We didn't turn the ball over in the first half, and then you have five turnovers in the second half. That is a big difference-maker. We need to go back to the drawing board and do whatever we need to do to take care of the football.'' New England's dynamic offense struggled against the Steelers. Not only did the Patriots commit all five of their turnovers in the second half, they were just 1 of 13 on third-down conversions. "They are a good third-down defense - they lead the league in it,'' New England coach Bill Belichick said. "We just have to do a better job of taking care of the ball and taking advantage of opportunities.'' Star receiver Randy Moss had a couple of big drops, including muffing a potential touchdown late in the second quarter. "I am very disappointed in my play,'' said Moss, who had only four receptions for 45 yards. "I didn't really have a good game. The balls were there, they just weren't caught.'' Both of Cassel's fumbles on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter resulted from Harrison beating left tackle Matt Light around the edge and stripping the ball away from Cassel from behind.

6 Cassel gets bumped in loss - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 12/1/2008 "As a quarterback, you have to take care of the ball,'' said Cassel, who had a 39.4 passer rating against the Steelers. "That is your No. 1 priority. You get stripped-sacked twice and then those two turnovers on the interceptions. That is really what makes the difference.'' John Harris can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

7 Roethlisberger, Steelers overcome wintry conditions to solidify AFC North lead Page 1 of 2 11/21/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Roethlisberger, Steelers overcome wintry conditions to solidify AFC North lead Friday, November 21, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Heath Miller scores the first touchdown of the game for the Steelers in the second quarter last night against the Bengals. The Steelers and Cincinnati played last night as if they had little rest between games, and then the Bengals did what the Bengals do, they went to sleep. It was cold, windy and snowy at Heinz Field, where the sloppy play of both teams added to the mix before the Steelers prevailed, The victory nevertheless boosted the Steelers' record to 8-3 in first place in the AFC North Division while the Bengals stumbled to 1-9-1, the worst record in the conference. "Being 8-3 in the next few days is nice," said defensive end Aaron Smith, who came through with three batted passes and another dominating performance. "Coming off a short week is hard." The Steelers, who trailed, 7-0, after one period of lackluster play, scored 20 consecutive points on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Heath Miller, two Jeff Reed field goals of 37 and 38 yards and a 2-yard run by Gary Russell. Roethlisberger added another touchdown on an 8-yard scramble late in the game. "I think we stumbled out of the gate a little bit, both offensively and defensively," coach Mike Tomlin said. The Bengals scored first on Ryan Fitzpatrick's 10-yard pass to Glenn Holt and late in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Shayne Graham. Tomlin calls it a game of attrition, and it certainly was that last night. Not only did the Steelers wear down the Bengals, but some players on both sides also wore out. The most serious might be defensive end Brett Keisel, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right knee. The Steelers also lost receiver Santonio Holmes and halfback Willie Parker to injuries in the second half. Holmes has a concussion but should be fine, according to Tomlin. Parker "tweaked" his previously injured knee, the coach said, and left the game for good after a 15-yard run in the third quarter. The Bengals lost two defensive linemen with one starter on their line already out before the game. Roethlisberger had an efficient game, completing 17 of 30 for 243 yards, no interceptions and no sacks for only the second time this season, the other against the Bengals as well. He also ran three times for 13 yards, picking up a first down on one

8 Roethlisberger, Steelers overcome wintry conditions to solidify AFC North lead Page 2 of 2 11/21/2008 and a touchdown on the other. Holmes caught five passes for 84 yards. "It was a blizzard out there," Roethlisberger said of the weather. "I was throwing a lot of sliders out there." The Steelers scored on three short touchdowns, an area where they've had difficult this season. "It just felt good to score," said Roethlisberger, who threw his only touchdown pass in the past four games. The Steelers now have some extra time before they play at New England a week from Sunday. "We went through that midseason struggle offensively," Roethlisberger said. "I feel like we're going in the right direction." They were going in no direction early, especially on the ground. Parker's last run of 15 yards gave him 37 total on 14 carries. Mewelde Moore picked things up with 56 yards on 15 carries, and he also caught four passes for 41 including a 22-yard pickup on the rare screen pass. "Mo has been doing it week in and week out," Roethlisberger said. Holt replaced Chad Johnson, deactivated and sent home by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis yesterday morning, and he staked his team to a 7-0 lead by catching the 10-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick. The Steelers tied it, 7-7, with 10:16 left in the second quarter on Roethlisberger's 3-yard pass to Miller, only his second touchdown pass in the past five games. A pass to Hines Ward that covered 37 yards to the 13 made that drive come alive. Two long passes to Holmes set up the Steelers' second score, Reed's 37-yard field goal, and a 10-7 lead late in the first half. Holmes caught passes of 27 and 22 yards on that 72-yard drive, the second on third-and-9. The Bengals opened the game without starting defensive end Antwan Odom, who is injured. They lost his replacement, Frostee Rucker, in the first quarter and their other end and leading sacker, Robert Geathers, in the second quarter. It should have been like shooting ducks in a pond for the Steelers, but they struggled mightily on offense in the first half. Still, they led, 10-7, and were driving toward another score in the third quarter. Holmes caught a 19-yard pass on third down to keep the series alive, but his next catch was his last. He caught a 6-yarder over the middle, where he was hit quickly and hard to the head by safety Chris Crocker. Holmes wobbled as he stood up and was removed from the game with an obvious concussion. Ward proceeded to drop the next pass, and the Steelers had to settle for Reed's second field goal, from 38 yards, for a 13-7 lead midway through the third quarter. They made it 20 consecutive points when Russell ended a drive with his first NFL touchdown, a 2-yard run around right end near the end of the third quarter. Lewis made a strange decision when, trailing by 13 points, he opted for a 26-yard Graham field goal on fourth down at the Steelers' 8. That brought Cincinnati within 10 points with 6:47 to go. The Steelers then drove 73 yards on 11 plays, a drive that ended when Roethlisberger scrambled up the middle on third down for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:15 left. Troy Polamalu intercepted his fifth pass of the season at the 2 to put an end to it. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on November 21, 2008 at 12:05 am Buy Steelers Jersey Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey On Sale. Home & Away. Only $ Average Steelers' IQ=126 Are You Smarter Than a Steelers Player? Take a Real IQ Test Now!

9 Steelers' fourth-quarter drive sets up winning FG by Jeff Reed Page 1 of 2 11/17/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers' fourth-quarter drive sets up winning FG by Jeff Reed Monday, November 17, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Jeff Reed celebrates his winning field goal in the game's closing seconds yesterday with Jared Retkofsky at Heinz Field. It was Reed's third field goal of the game. Mike Tomlin vowed he did not have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a pitch count, and there was no movement in the bullpen as the bend-but-don't-score Steelers offense lined up for one final time at its 13, trailing San Diego by two points. Defensive end Aaron Smith said he had "all the confidence in the world" that the offense could pull it out, even though it had given him no reason to believe that it would. But pull it out the Steelers did. On a cold, snowy day in which they moved up and down the field almost like no other this season, but never officially reached the end zone, the Steelers' offense mounted a 13-play, 73-yard drive that covered 6 minutes, 30 seconds. Jeff Reed ended it by kicking his third field goal, from 32 yards with 11 seconds left and the Steelers managed an victory against the San Diego Chargers. It was the first time an NFL game was decided by that score. "I think that was important for us to do that," Smith said of the final drive. "We've been in close games that we haven't won." They also had not won at home in their previous two at Heinz Field, they did not score a touchdown, and they barely beat a team with a losing record. But that final drive could mean everything to the Steelers by the end of the regular season. The victory boosted them into a one-game lead in the AFC North Division at 7-3 over Baltimore, which lost to the New York Giants yesterday. "It was a great team victory for us," said Tomlin, who challenged what he called his 'A' players in their hotel Saturday night to pick everyone up. "All parties involved had an opportunity to ante up and kick in." While he did not throw a touchdown pass and was sacked four times, Roethlisberger stemmed his flow of interceptions by throwing none. He completed 31 of 41 passes for 308 yards, his sixth 300-yard game without completing a deep pass all day. "We were taking what they were giving us and playing pitch-and-catch," Tomlin said. Roethlisberger certainly outplayed his draft-class rival, San Diego's Philip Rivers, who came into the game with the second-highest passer rating in the NFL at Rivers left Heinz Field with a 43.6 rating and completed just 15 of 26 passes for 159 yards and interceptions by Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. The quarterback's performance, Willie Parker's notable return to the field of play with 115 yards rushing, and Hines Ward's 124 yards on 11 receptions yards of total offense -- are statistics that would normally equate to more than 11 points. But the Steelers lost 115 yards on 13 penalties to just 5 yards on two penalties for the Chargers, who fell to 4-6. Low, lower, lowest... The Steelers' bizarre, victory against the Chargers ties for the second-lowest scoring game in the NFL this year. Want the kicker? Steelers fans have seen the top three: Pts. Game Wk. 16 Steelers d. Browns, Eagles d. Steelers, Steelers d. Chargers, Vikings d. Lions,

10 Steelers' fourth-quarter drive sets up winning FG by Jeff Reed Page 2 of 2 11/17/2008 They even had two touchdowns called back by penalties -- one of their own, and another on an admitted mistake by the officials. Parker had a 4-yard touchdown run cancelled by a holding penalty and that led to Reed's winning kick on the next play. 22 Cowboys d. Buccaneers, And Polamalu's 12-yard return with a fumble on the last play of the game was overruled -- wrongly, referee Scott Green admitted afterward -- because of an illegal forward pass by San Diego as it tried desperately to keep a play going with laterals. "The rule was misinterpreted," Green said. Nevertheless, the Steelers had won and their defense again was the impetus. "They have been really good for us all year," Roethlisberger said. Reed, who had his first miss of the season early, kicked his eighth winning field goal and second this season. Linebacker James Harrison was the only other Steelers player to score when he stripped the ball from Rivers in the end zone for a safety that ultimately proved to be the difference. LaDainian Tomlinson did score the game's only touchdown from 3 yards out in the first quarter, but he was held to 57 yards and the Chargers to just 66 yards rushing. San Diego's opening score came after the Steelers failed to take advantage of an acrobatic, one-handed interception by Polamalu. Ike Taylor hit Chargers receiver Vince Jackson as he was bobbling a potential reception and the ball popped up. Polamalu raced over, dived and got his right hand under the ball before it could hit the ground and made the interception. But Reed was wide left from 51 yards and the Steelers blew another scoring opportunity later in the first quarter. They had a first down at the Chargers' 4 before Roethlisberger was sacked. The Steelers then had a fourth down half a foot from the end zone and sent Mewelde Moore into a wall of defenders for no gain. The Steelers cracked the scoreboard twice in the second quarter and Harrison was in the middle of both of them. He striped Rivers of the ball in the end zone, the Chargers recovered and the Steelers had a safety. The Steelers trailed, 7-2, but they were on the board. "That was huge, a big momentum swing," Smith said. Then, with San Diego driving toward a possible bigger lead at the Steelers' 17 just before the half, Harrison intercepted Rivers and returned it 33 yards to the Steelers' 43. That led to Reed's 21-yard field goal with no time left and a 7-5 San Diego halftime lead. "James Harrison continues to make splash play after splash play for us," Tomlin said of his Pro Bowl linebacker who recorded his 12th sack of the season on the safety. "He is one of the main reasons that we were successful today." The Steelers took their first lead with 8:41 left in the third quarter when Reed kicked a 41-yard field goal. They maintained their 8-7 lead when San Diego's Nate Kaeding missed a 42-yard field goal later in the quarter. But for how well they played all day, the Steelers' defense allowed a 17-play, 78-yard drive by San Diego that ended with Kaeding kicking a 22-yard field goal with 6:41 to go. Still, they did not let the Chargers into the end zone and that proved important at the end. "The last two games we lost at home in close games," safety Ryan Clark said. "A lot of talk has been about finishing. For our offense to go down, drive the ball, score a touchdown, have that called back, come in and kick a field goal is a huge play for us and a huge drive." Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on November 17, 2008 at 12:00 am Buy Steelers Jersey Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey On Sale. Home & Away. Only $ Retro Steelers t-shirts 80sTees has retro Steeler t-shirts. Soft, comfortable, and vintage!

11 Steelers' division lead melts away after loss to Colts Page 1 of 3 11/10/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers' division lead melts away after loss to Colts Big Ben throws 3 interceptions, Steelers muff 2 potential INTs Monday, November 10, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers receiver Dallas Baker misses making the catch in the end zone on the last play of the game as the Colts' Melvin Bulitt breaks up the pass yesterday at Heinz Field. Everything, it seemed, slipped through the Steelers' hands yesterday at Heinz Field. There were two interceptions dropped by Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu, a 10-point lead they held on the Indianapolis Colts, and their first-place cushion in the AFC North. What once looked to be a commanding lead in their division slipped away to nothing when the Steelers lost their second consecutive game at Heinz Field, 24-20, to the Colts in a fashion new to them. It had been 40 years since the Colts last won in Pittsburgh, and it may be another 40 before the Steelers forget how that drought ended. Ben Roethlisberger (30 of 42, 284 yards) threw three interceptions and for no touchdowns, and Taylor and Polamalu dropped potential interceptions that made a 14-point difference, and the Steelers could not run on the 25th-ranked run defense in the NFL. "We didn't do the things that we normally do to win games," linebacker James Harrison said. "We have to finish it out at the end. We had the lead at the end and let it slip away." So, too, the division lead. The Steelers at 6-3 suddenly find themselves tied with the revived Baltimore Ravens. They also suddenly cannot run the ball. They managed only 55 net yards yesterday, 57 of them from starter Mewelde Moore on 24 carries. While Moore scored on two short touchdown runs, he and his teammates could not punch it in from the 2 in a crucial fourth-quarter attempt. Moore was stopped twice by defensive tackle Eric Foster, and Jeff Reed kicked a short field goal to put the Steelers in front, 20-17, yet knowing they had blown a chance to go up by a touchdown. "We have to get the ball in the end zone," Hines Ward said. "The ball on the 2-yard line, we pride ourselves getting the ball in the end zone. That's a big turnaround, three points instead of a touchdown." Peyton Manning and the Colts (5-4) made them pay five minutes later. After cornerback Tim Jennings pilfered a Roethlisberger pass at the Steelers' 32, it took Indianapolis only four plays to take its only lead. Gerry Dulac's Two- Minute Drill: Game Nine vs. Colts Steelers Report Card: Loss to Colts pulls some bad grades Steelers Notebook: Parker's bad shoulder adds to Steelers' injury woes Commentary PG's Bob Smizik: Tomlin must stick with Big Ben PG's Ron Cook: Steelers laugh, cry after loss to Colts PG's Gene Collier: Support roles key for Colts Video, Photos & Audio PG video: Steelers Report Game 9 -- Loss to the Colts, PG video: Steelers fan -- Is the NFL going crazy with fines and penalties?

12 Steelers' division lead melts away after loss to Colts Page 2 of 3 11/10/2008 Manning found running back Dominic Rhodes behind a scrambling Polamalu and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to him for the winner with 3:04 left. It was Manning's third touchdown pass of the game, and it stood as the winner when Roethlisberger's Hail Mary pass from the 27 into the Colts' end zone was intercepted on the last play. "That was my man," inside linebacker James Farrior admitted of the Colts' winning touchdown. "I had him man-to-man, they ran a fake toss to him. I thought it was a running play. He slipped out of the backfield, and I kind of sorta lost track of him. That wasn't Troy's fault." Slideshow: Steelers vs. Colts PG audio: Ben Roethlisberger PG audio: Ben Roethlisberger PG audio: Hines Ward PG audio: Hines Ward PG audio: Nate Washington Polamalu's error occurred earlier, near the end of the first half with the Steelers ahead, Manning, who was not having a particularly good day (21 of 40, 240 yards), threw a pass right to Polamalu near the Steelers' 30. With 70 yards of green Heinz Field grass and nothing else in front of him, he dropped it. Three plays later, cornerback Keiwan Ratliff, taken off the scrap heap earlier this year by the Colts, intercepted Roethlisberger with 1:24 left. Manning turned that one into gold, too, by throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark with six seconds left. It was game on at halftime, "If this were an individual sport and I lost the game, I wouldn't feel so bad," Roethlisberger said. "It's letting the guys down, letting your teammates down. "It hurts. You never hear me say 'I' anything, but I lost this game." There was some question whether Roethlisberger would play after his shoulder was reinjured in Washington last week. But he practiced Friday for the first time and played the entire way. He rarely threw deep, although that was due more to the cover-2 umbrella defense the Colts played than a sore shoulder. If Roethlisberger's arm was sore, he did nothing to let on while completing all four of his passes for 48 yards on the opening drive. He threw a 23-yarder to Santonio Holmes and a 16-yarder to Nate Washington before Moore scored from 1 yard. The Colts struck quickly to tie it, 7-7. Manning threw a deep pass down the left side to Reggie Wayne. Taylor moved into perfect position behind Wayne and leaped to make the interception. The ball popped off both of his hands and into Wayne's at the 30. Wayne easily covered the final 30 yards for a 65-yard touchdown reception, 30 yards longer than any previous reception against the Steelers this season. "Once I saw the ball, I thought I tipped it my way, but he was right in position to catch the ball," Taylor said. "The game of football is about inches. At the same time, that's just the way the ball bounces sometimes." The Steelers used an old-fashioned flea-flicker to reclaim the lead, 14-7, early in the second quarter. From the Colts' 42, Roethlisberger handed off to Moore, who took a step forward, stopped and flipped the ball back to his quarterback. The pitch was a little high, but Roethlisberger pulled it down and threw a pass to Ward deep on the right. Ward eluded safety Bob Sanders to catch it at the 10, circled around and ran it to the 1. Moore scored standing up on the next play. Jeff Reed put the Steelers ahead, 17-7, when he kicked a 42-yard field goal with 4:18 left in the half, and that's when things started breaking the other way. First came Polamalu's drop, then Ratliff's interception and Clark's touchdown before the half. Indianapolis tied it, 17-17, on the first drive of the second half, moving 56 yards in a dozen plays and ending it with Adam Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal. Reed put the Steelers back on top with his 24-yard field goal, but they weren't celebrating. "That's typical Steelers, and we didn't come through," Ward said. "It was a huge turnaround. You put up seven points, and it puts more pressure on them. They shut us down, and we end up kicking a field goal." And, later, kicking themselves. "We felt like we had this game and we lost it," Ward said. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on November 10, 2008 at 12:00 am

13 Defense lifts Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 11/4/2008 Steelers defense keys win over Redskins By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, November 4, 2008 LANDOVER, Md. -- The Steelers took a big step toward solving the NFC East thanks in large part to a unit that continues to look like a championship-caliber one. Unrelenting defense and a key special-teams play allowed the Steelers to overcome the loss of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and their early offensive struggles Monday night at FedEx Field. As a result of their 23-6 win over the Washington Redskins, the Steelers (6-2) stayed a game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) in the AFC North. More importantly, they may have proved something to themselves by winning on the road against a quality opponent for the first time this season -- and overcoming some adversity to do it. "Guys showed some resiliency and played 60 minutes of football," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. In what has become a recurring theme, the Steelers got valuable contributions from unsung players. With Roethlisberger sidelined by a bad right shoulder -- Tomlin said he might have been able to go back into the game had the Steelers really needed him -- Byron Leftwich calmly led the offense on a pair of long touchdown drives in the second half. The Washington D.C. native made his homecoming a happy one as he completed 7 of 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. His 50-yard pass to Nate Washington set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Willie Parker early in the third quarter. Parker's first scoring run since the initial game of the season gave the Steelers a double-digit lead. The lead may have seemed like a triple-digit one to the Redskins given how suffocating the Steelers' defense proved to be in the nationally televised game. While Roethlisberger got knocked out of the Steelers' first win in three attempts against an NFC East team, it came as a mild surprise that Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell made it to the finish. The Steelers sacked him seven times, and their pressure forced Campbell to

14 Defense lifts Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 11/4/2008 throw his first interceptions of the season. The first came with four minutes left in the third quarter after Campbell had moved the Redskins into Steelers territory. Cornerback Deshea Townsend's first interception of the season halted the drive. The second interception, by Tyrone Carter, came in the waning seconds of the game. "We rushed the quarterback well, tackled well and did not give up the big play," Townsend said. "When we do that we'll often come out on the good end." The Steelers don't get much time to savor the victory as the Indianapolis Colts visit them at Heinz Field Sunday for a 4:15 p.m. game. Coach Mike Tomlin had to be happy his team only trailed 6-0 at the end of the first quarter considering that the almost all of the first 15 minutes of the game were spent in Steelers' territory. A defense that is arguably the best in the NFL limited the Redskins to a pair of field goals after Washington started its first two possessions at the Steelers' 36- and 30-yard line, respectively following a failed onside kick attempt and an interception. The Steelers got off to such an uninspiring start offensively that it looked like the early Shaun Suisham scores might be enough for the Redskins to win. The Steelers managed just one first down in the opening quarter and Roethlisberger completed just three of his first 15 passes. Special teams provided a badly needed spark for the Steelers late in the second quarter. With the Redskins leading 6-3, Andre Frazier blocked a punt that William Gay scooped up and returned to Washington's 13. The Steelers' first blocked punt since 2006 set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Roethlisberger with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. The only touchdown in the first half allowed the Steelers to take a lead into intermission even though they could have easily been trailing the Redskins by double digits at halftime. The Steelers added to their lead early in the third quarter, and the job Leftwich did in relief of Roethlisberger plus the fact that their defense offered no such relief to Campbell carried the Steelers to a much-needed victory. "They were physical and got to our quarterback," Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We didn't do a good job of protecting him." Notes: Tomlin will give an update on Roethlisberger today at his weekly news conference. Heath Miller also left Monday night's game with an injury, but

15 Defense lifts Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 3 of 3 11/4/2008 Tomlin said X-rays confirmed that the fourth-year tight end does not have a broken ankle.... Inside linebacker James Farrior, on the personal foul penalty he got for making helmet-to-helmet contact with Campbell, "It was a football play and I hit the guy in the face. I didn't mean to do it. It was an unfortunate call and I'm glad we got out of that situation without giving up the touchdown."... Tomlin said he made the decision to try an onside kick at the beginning of the game. He said his trust in the Steelers' defense was a big reason why he took a risk. "I wanted to have an opportunity to let these guys know that we were coming and coming to win," Tomlin said. Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

16 Miscue haunts Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 10/27/2008 Miscue on punt proves costly to Steelers By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, October 27, 2008 The Steelers had weathered injuries all season. Against the defending Super Bowl champion and in front of the largest crowd to see a regular-season game at Heinz Field, the Steelers couldn't overcome the loss of the player at perhaps the most overlooked and least appreciated position in football. Veteran long snapper Greg Warren went down in the third quarter Sunday, and his season-ending knee injury loomed large in the Steelers' loss to the New York Giants. The Steelers were clinging to a lead midway through the fourth quarter when emergency long snapper James Harrison sailed a snap over the head of punter Mitch Berger. The ball rolled out of the end zone, giving the Giants the game-tying safety. Following Berger's free kick, quarterback Eli Manning marched the Giants 53 yards and capped the seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss. Unlike a couple of weeks ago in Jacksonville, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger couldn't summon any late-game heroics. And with a minute-anda-half left in the game, he threw his fourth interception of the game, ending any chance of the Steelers remaining undefeated at home. Roethlisberger (13 of 29 for 189 yards) had tossed just three interceptions through the first six games. The Giants also sacked him five times. The Steelers, who fell to 5-2, visit the Washington Redskins next Monday night. "That's a championship-caliber football team," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the Giants. "The bottom line is they made more plays than we did, and I don't want to sugarcoat it." The Steelers' defense turned in a valiant effort and kept the Giants out of the end zone for most of the game. The Steelers made a goal-line stand in the second quarter as they stopped 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs three times from the 1-yard line, including on fourth down. The Steelers were not nearly as inspiring on offense.

17 Miscue haunts Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 10/27/2008 They hit the Giants (6-1) with a couple of big plays -- Mewelde Moore had a 32- yard touchdown run and Nate Washington caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger -- but they could not put together any sustained drives. The Steelers were not able to consistently move the ball in large part because they converted just 1 of 10 third-down attempts. "Disappointing offensively from top to bottom," Roethlisberger said. "It starts with me." It also includes players who committed costly penalties, such as right tackle Willie Colon, whose hold negated a 53-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Washington with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Steelers were leading, 14-9, at the time. Had the play counted, they would have had what amounted to a commanding lead, given the way the teams' defenses slugged it out in front of an announced crowd of 64,991. "They didn't beat us," Washington said. "We beat ourselves." Warren's loss contributed to the defeat as well, even if Tomlin tried to downplay it. The Steelers had a chance to take a 17-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, but with Warren out Tomlin opted to go for it from the Giants' 34 instead of attempt a long field goal by Jeff Reed. The Steelers did not convert on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs. Tomlin said he had no choice but to use Harrison later in the quarter, and the result was disastrous. The starting outside linebacker made a snap that Berger might have had a better chance of catching had he been sitting in the front row behind the south end zone at Heinz Field. Harrison said the snap sailed because of adrenaline. His plan was to snap it long rather than short since a safety only tied the score at that point. Oh, and there is the small matter that Harrison had never long-snapped in a game before yesterday. "I take my hat off to James Harrison for stepping up and volunteering," Tomlin said. "We just weren't able to get it done." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

18 Running back Mewelde Moore's 3 touchdowns pace Steelers' easy victory Page 1 of 3 10/20/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Running back Mewelde Moore's 3 touchdowns pace Steelers' easy victory "Even as we were shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit in the first half. I thought we were controlling the line of scrimmage." -- Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach Monday, October 20, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers running back Mewelde Moore scores on a two-yard touchdown pass against the Bengals in the first half yesterday in Cincinnati. CINCINNATI -- October games, December games, playoff games and meaningless games. Close games, wipeouts, overtimes. There are many ways to skin a cat, and the Steelers have used them all when they've played the Bengals in Paul Brown Stadium. The Steelers won their eighth in a row in PBS (PittsBurgh Stadium?), something the Bengals have never done. Yesterday's rout came late, but it seemed only a matter of time before the Steelers exerted themselves in this town again. "Here in a hostile environment against a division opponent on the road -- we don't take those for granted," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after a late, three-touchdown explosion by his team. "We're glad to get a win. We'll put it with the rest of them." They are 5-1 with the next four of five at home, starting with the Super Bowl champions Sunday. If the Steelers were looking past the winless Bengals (0-7) to the New York Giants, it was only apparent in the second quarter when they hit a lull after a fast start. The rest of the game, they were dominant. "For whatever reason, we just seemed to dissolve in every area," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of the Steelers' 21-point outburst in the final quarter. Halfback Mewelde Moore pulled off the second-best imitation of the weekend after Tina Fey when he filled in for injured Willie Parker and ran like Willie Parker. As Parker did in the season opener, Moore scored three touchdowns -- two rushing and one receiving -- and topped 100 yards for the first time in a Steelers uniform. He ran 20 times for 120 yards, one game after he got 99 yards in Jacksonville. "It's awesome to come here, be the new guy, step in, study hard, work hard and see your hard work paying off," said Moore, a free-agent signing from the Vikings this year. Ben Roethlisberger, who loves playing the Bengals, completed 17 of 28 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, the first

19 Running back Mewelde Moore's 3 touchdowns pace Steelers' easy victory Page 2 of 3 10/20/2008 one of the game to Moore for 2 yards and his last to Nate Washington of 50 yards. Hines Ward even caught Byron Leftwich's first touchdown pass with the Steelers of 16 yards in the fourth quarter, and Jeff Reed remained perfect on the season when he kicked a 21-yard field goal. Even better for Roethlisberger, he was not sacked, only the second time that has happened the past two seasons, both against the Bengals. On the other end, the Steelers sacked Cincinnati quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, playing for injured Carson Palmer, seven times with linebackers James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons picking up two apiece. "Even as we were shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit in the first half," Tomlin said, "I thought we were controlling the line of scrimmage." They led by just 10-7 at halftime, a surprising score seeing how they dominated play. They moved 75 yards in nine plays to open the game, two of them long passes on third down from Roethlisberger to Ward for 29 yards and to Santonio Holmes for 32 yards. The latter put the ball on the 2 and Roethlisberger deftly faked a handoff to Najeh Davenport, rolled quickly right and hit Moore wide open in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Things looked so easy in the first quarter that the Steelers may have gotten a little greedy. Harrison and Aaron Smith blew up an end-around for a 15-yard loss and then a 15-yard punt gave the Steelers a first down at the Bengals' 30. They moved to a first down at the 3, but then three consecutive passes fell incomplete and Reed came on to make it 10-0 with a 21-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter. Cincinnati did not get a first down in its first five series, then strung together seven of them on their sixth possession. The drive carried 92 yards on 14 plays and ended with Johnson's 5-yard catch for a touchdown. So, while the Steelers dominated the Bengals early, they did not take sufficient advantage to lead by more than three points at halftime. "There was disappointment in the way we played, disappointment the game was that close," safety Ryan Clark said. "Not because of Cincinnati's record or who they were, but because of the opportunities we were giving them in first half." The Steelers' first drive of the second half produced their second touchdown and a 17-7 lead. Moore scored again, taking a hand-off on third down and, behind an outstanding trap block from guard Darnell Stapleton, ran untouched around left end for 13 yards and the score. The Bengals responded with a 26-yard field goal by Dave Rayner to make it a one-touchdown game again at late in the third quarter. Midway through the final period, though, all doubt ended. From the 50, Roethlisberger faked a hand-off and lofted a pass at least 60 yards in the air. Washington had cornerback Geoff Pope, signed Friday from Cincinnati's practice squad, beaten by a step. "We saw something on the sideline that we thought we could take advantage of," Roethlisberger said. "I used play-action, got the safety to kind of sit there, looked him down and the next thing I know Nate's just taking off. He's so fast the only thing I could think of was to throw it out there and let him run under it." Washington caught the ball over his shoulders in the middle of the end zone. It was with 8:17 left and there was little chance the Bengals would score twice, not the way the Steelers' defense was playing. Timmons sacked Fitzpatrick to end the next Cincinnati series. A 38-yard pass interference penalty and three plays later, Moore ran 2 yards to make it Leftwich replaced Roethlisberger on the next series and completed the rout with his touchdown toss to Ward. "There is room for us to improve," Ward said. "We've got a lot of guys banged up, and we have a tough stretch of games ahead of us." There is relief at the end of that stretch, though, because the Steelers' fourth home game in the next five is against the Bengals.

20 Roethlisberger throws for 309 yards in win Page 1 of 3 10/6/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Roethlisberger throws for 309 yards in win Roethlisberger has his best game of the season, throws for three TDs in road victory Monday, October 06, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette Ben Roethlisberger is all smiles after converting a under pressure against the Jaguars last night in Jacksonville. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Ben Roethlisberger and a patched-up Steelers offense lit up Jacksonville last night and the fire should glow back in Pittsburgh for a while. Roethlisberger had his best game of the season with 309 yards passing, Mewelde Moore looked like Fast Willie Parker and the Steelers surprised the Jaguars, 26-21, but not themselves. "I don't want to use the excuse of people being hurt," linebacker James Harrison said. "We came out here and did what we had to do." Not everything was new on offense because old-hand Hines Ward caught the winning touchdown pass from Roethlisberger with 1:53 left. Ward, who dropped three earlier passes, including one in the end zone, beat safety Brian Williams to haul in Roethlisberger's 8-yard fade pass in the right corner of the end zone. "This team showed a lot of character off some adversity," Ward said. Ward also caught an 18-yard pass four plays earlier on third down with a defender hanging all over Roethlisberger to keep the winning drive going. "Ben held on until the last moment on that in-route," Ward said. Moore, making his first start for the Steelers because of injuries to Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, ran for 99 yards on 17 carries. The Steelers mixed the run and the pass in a game in which they lost another offensive lineman, tackle Marvel Smith to cramps in the fourth quarter. They also were playing without right guard Kendall Simmons and fullback Carey Davis. But the line performed well and Moore, with some help from Gary Russell, made the ground game go. They rushed for 129 yards and Roethlisberger completed 26 of 41 passes, three for touchdowns. The victory lifted the Steelers to 4-1 and a big lead in the AFC North Division as they take next weekend off. Jacksonville slipped to 2-3. Ben's big night Roethlisberger threw for season highs last night in passing yards and touchdowns: Wk Opp C/A TD/Int Yds 1 HOU 13/14 2/0 137

21 Roethlisberger throws for 309 yards in win Page 2 of 3 10/6/2008 "Great night for the Steelers," an excited coach Mike Tomlin said. "Guys stepped outside their lanes and delivered." It was not easy, despite the Steelers late scoring drive and early domination. 2 CLE 13/20 1/ PHI 13/25 0/ BAL 14/24 1/1 191 The Jaguars came alive in the second half after managing little on offense and scored a goahead touchdown on David Garrard's 24-yard pass to tight end Marcedes Lewis early in the fourth quarter. That made it and, as the clock wore down in the fourth quarter, it appeared that score might stand and ruin the command the Steelers had shown most of the game. Using short drops by Roethlisberger, quick passes, deep passes, maximum protection and an occasional run, the Steelers offense was aggressive early and dominated Jacksonville in the first half. Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes in the first half -- a 1-yarder to Heath Miller, 48 yards to Nate Washington, and the other 72 yards to Jacksonville cornerback Rashean Mathis on an interception. It was Mathis' third interception return for a touchdown against the Steelers. The Jaguars also scored on Maurice Jones- Drew's 1-yard run in the first quarter. That gave them a 14-7 advantage. The Steelers came back from that deficit to take a halftime lead, but they had to think they wasted chances to go up by much more. They held a whopping advantage in yards gained and a 21-4 edge in first downs. (The final tally was in yards and in first downs). "I didn't feel we were stopped at all in the first half," Roethlisberger said. The Jaguars, 10th in the NFL with yards rushing per game, managed only 15 yards in the first half on the ground and finished with just 38. The Steelers did not open the game with a pass. Instead they started in a big way on the ground when Moore ran 19 yards on the game's first play. A roughing penalty against Jacksonville tacked on another 15 and the Steelers had a first down at the Jacksonville 49. Their next four plays were all passes -- one incomplete, one a sack for minus-8 yards and the next a touchdown... for Jacksonville. Santonio Holmes, the intended receiver, fell down as Roethlisberger cut loose and Mathis easily intercepted the pass. He returned it 72 yards for a touchdown, his third interception return for a score against the Steelers and two in his past five games against them. When the Steelers got the ball after the kickoff, they mixed things up a little more between the run and the pass and gave the ball to three different running backs. Moore carried three times and caught a pass, Gary Russell carried three times and Najeh Davenport picked up a third-and-one with a 3-yard run. Holmes caught a 16-yard pass on third-and-10 and Miller grabbed a 9-yard pass on third down to the 3. Two plays later, the Steelers lined up with four tight ends, including tackle Max Starks, packed into the offense and an I-formation. Roethlisberger faked a hand-off, rolled right and hit Miller on the 1-yard touchdown pass that tied it, 7-7. Jacksonville's offense took the field for the first time with 5:12 to go in the first quarter and used two key third-down plays and a penalty to go back on top, Receiver Matt Jones was involved in all three. He caught a 15-yard pass on third-and-9, an 18-yard pass on third-and-10 and then was the victim of a 39-yard Ike Taylor pass interference penalty in the end zone that put the ball at the 1. Maurice Jones-Drew drove up the middle for the 1-yard touchdown run for the Jaguars. 5 JAC 26/42 3/1 309 The Steelers scored again on the next drive that ended with Reed's 38-yard field goal early in the second quarter, cutting the Jaguars' lead to About now, the predictions of a low-scoring game were being trashed. Jacksonville became the first team to punt, in the second quarter, and the Steelers responded with another touchdown. This one came quickly, too, after they started at their 18. Holmes caught the first pass for 19 yards and Washington the second for 14 yards.

22 Roethlisberger throws for 309 yards in win Page 3 of 3 10/6/2008 The fourth play of the drive began from Jacksonville's 48. With an empty set, Roethlisberger took the snap in the shotgun, pump-faked and Washington sped past flat-footed cornerback Will James. Wide open, Washington caught the ball and stepped freely about 20 yards into the end zone. Washington finished with 94 yards on six receptions, and Ward had 90 on seven. Washington's score gave the Steelers their first lead of the night, They extended it to at the half when Reed kicked his second field goal, this one from 43 yards, with 45 seconds left. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on October 6, 2008 at 12:13 am

23 Turning points: Steelers win in OT, Page 1 of 3 9/30/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Turning points: Steelers win in OT, Holmes' 38-yard TD reception, a fumble returned by Woodley for a score 15 seconds later spark Steelers to OT victory Tuesday, September 30, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette LaMarr Woodley picks up a fumble that he returns for a touchdown against the Ravens in the third quarter last night at Heinz Field. A burst of anger at halftime from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at his teammates was followed by a burst of scoring late in the third quarter that boosted the Steelers from behind, and they beat the surprising Baltimore Ravens, 23-20, on Jeff Reed's third field goal of the game, from 46 yards in overtime last night. Baltimore players celebrated because they thought Reed's field goal went wide, but it hooked just inside the left upright for the seventh winning field goal of his career. "Oh, yeah, there was doubt," Reed said as he watched the ball hook to the left. The Ravens had tied the score with four minutes left when Le'Ron McClain ran 2 yards for their only score in the second half that sent it into overtime. The Steelers were left with one running back, Mewelde Moore, for most of the fourth quarter and overtime after Rashard Mendenhall fractured his shoulder and Carey Davis sprained his ankle. Mendenhall, making his first pro start, will miss the rest of the season. Moore did not let them down. He turned a short pass into a 24-yard gain to Baltimore's 31 on third down, keeping their winning drive alive. He then caught a crucial 7-yard pass on third down to put Reed in better range from 46 yards. "To make a play to help my team out... I can't explain it," Moore said. "That [24-yarder] was the biggest play in my life." The victory boosted the Steelers back atop the AFC North Division at 3-1. Baltimore fell to 2-1. "We're never going to quit," Roethlisberger said after the game. He said something entirely different at halftime. The Steelers trailed, 13-3, and they were booed as they left the field. Roethlisberger shouted at his offensive teammates in the locker room. "I was tired of being booed," he said. "I was tired of being embarrassed." Tackle Willie Colon said: "He's just being a leader. He said you either step up or die, and everyone got it in their minds they were going to fight."

24 Turning points: Steelers win in OT, Page 2 of 3 9/30/2008 Whether it was those fighting words or something else, the Steelers stunning turnaround late in the third quarter occurred within 15 seconds when it appeared nothing could go right for their offense. Then something did go right. "We knew we had to get jump-started with a big play or a turnover," linebacker Larry Foote said. They got both. On third down, Roethlisberger threw a pass over the middle to Santonio Holmes for a 38-yard touchdown. On the next play, James Harrison sacked Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, who fumbled. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley recovered and took it 7 yards for a touchdown. "I'd rather take the sack-fumble all day," Harrison said about Woodley's touchdown off his effort. "He can score all he wants." Those two scores not only breathed life into the Steelers, but they also gave them a lead in a game in which they looked ripe for an upset loss to their bitter rivals from Baltimore. Roethlisberger had a rough time of it until then. He was sacked three times in the first half and threw an interception that helped the Ravens turn an early tide and their first score, the ball slipping out of his hand. Reed kicked his second field goal of the game, from 19 yards, with 9:19 left for the Steelers advantage, but the Ravens drove 76 yards to tie the score with 4:02 left. The Steelers got to Flacco for five sacks with Harrison leading the way with 2 1/2. The Steelers grabbed a 3-0 lead on Reed's 49-yard field goal to end their first drive of the game. Halotti Ngata's interception of Roethlisberger on the Steelers' second possession of the game changed its complexion. Instead of the Steelers having the lead and the ball near midfield, the Ravens took over at the Steelers' 48 and tied the score on Matt Stover's 33-yard field goal. Stover put the Ravens in front, 6-3, when he kicked a 20-yard field goal with 3:48 left in the half. The Ravens took over at the 50 after a poor punt, and the Steelers defense made them pay for their three points by driving 48 yards on 11 plays. Roethlisberger then had a Philadelphia moment -- he was sacked twice on three plays and fumbled on the final one. Colon recovered the fumble at the 9, but Mitch Berger managed to punt only 35 yards and the Ravens took over at the Steelers' 44 with 1:52 left in the first half. The Ravens seemed content to settle for a field goal and a 9-3 halftime lead when Flacco dumped a short pass over the middle on third down to McClain. The fullback eluded a few defenders, most notably James Farrior and Ryan Clark, and made it 25 yards to the 3. A few plays later, Flacco threw a fade in the left rear corner of the end zone, where tight end Daniel Wilcox caught it for a 4- yard score and a 13-3 Baltimore halftime lead that left Heinz Field in stunned silence. It did not silence Roethlisberger, though, either in the locker room at halftime or back out on the field. He was not sacked in the second half and, using the no-huddle, found Holmes streaking across the middle on third down. He caught it behind diving cornerback Fabian Washington, then cornerback Chris McAlister missed a tackle and Holmes completed a 38-yard touchdown. The Steelers trailed, 13-10, with 4:09 left in the third quarter. One play and 15 seconds later, they took the lead at On first down, Harrison hit Flacco from behind and fumbled. Woodley fell on it at the 7, got up and ran into the end zone for a touchdown with 3:54 to go. Their next drive came up 1 yard short for a touchdown, Reed instead kicking from 19 yards for a lead. One play put them in scoring position. The Ravens blitzed six men on second down and Roethlisberger escaped it, shaking off linebacker Bart Scott to throw deep to Hines Ward, who was wide open for a 49-yard gain to the 10. Baltimore, though, tied it, 20-20, when McClain ran 2 yards for a touchdown with 4:02 left. Regulation ended, and then Baltimore won the coin toss and elected to receive. A holding penalty on the kickoff gave Baltimore the ball on its 15.

25 Turning points: Steelers win in OT, Page 3 of 3 9/30/2008 Lawrence Timmons ended that series with a sack of Flacco back to the 12. The Steelers took over after the punt at their 43 to open the winning drive. They moved 29 yards on seven plays to set up Reed's winner. "I knew we were going to get in my range," Reed said. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on September 30, 2008 at 12:57 am

26 Steelers fend off Ravens - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 9/30/2008 Steelers need overtime to fend off Ravens By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, September 30, 2008 The Steelers' overtime victory over the Ravens Monday night did not come without serious cost. A handful of players were lost to injury. Starting guard Kendall Simmons (foot) and running back Rashard Mendenhall (shoulder) are out for the season. The victory, which came after the Steelers scored 17 unanswered points and squandered a late lead, wasn't sealed until Jeff Reed snuck a 46-yard field goal attempt just inside the left goal post at 8:55 of overtime. It gave the Steelers a 3-1 record as well as first place in the AFC North. It may also have represented another stage in the maturation of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger threw for 191 yards and the touchdown that jump-started the Steelers' offense in the third quarter. In truth, he may have provided the jolt his team needed earlier. So frustrated by the Steelers play through the first two quarters Roethlisberger said he "screamed" at his teammates at halftime. "Very unusual," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said of Roethlisberger's outburst, "but being a captain, that's what we expect from him." He came in and stated his claim." "I was tired of being booed," Roethlisberger said, "I was tired of being embarrassed on offense. I told the guys that. I said, 'There's no need for it.' " The Steelers had gone eight consecutive quarters without a touchdown before Roethlisberger and Holmes hooked up on a 38-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter. On the Ravens' next play from scrimmage, James Harrison sacked quarterback Joe Flacco. That caused a fumble that LaMarr Woodley scooped up and returned 7 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, a 13-3 deficit turned into a Steelers lead. The Steelers added a field goal in the fourth quarter to extend their lead but

27 Steelers fend off Ravens - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 9/30/2008 they needed one more Reed kick to finish the Ravens, who marched 76 yards late in regulation to tie the score. It came less than four minutes into overtime and was set up by two Roethlisberger completions to third-down back Mewelde Moore. The two hooked up for a 24-yard gain on third-and-8 from the Steelers' 45-yard line. Moore scampered 7 more yards on another pass reception to set up Reed's game-winning field goal. In Moore, who hadn't played much before Monday night, the Steelers were down to their final running back. Mendenhall will be put on injured reserve today and Carey Davis left the game with a sprained ankle. Willie Parker, who missed the Ravens game with a sprained knee, said he does not know if he will play Sunday when the Steelers visit the Jaguars. Tomlin said the injuries the Steelers sustained -- linebacker Andre Frazier and Keyaron Fox also left the contest -- did not put a damper on the victory. He said the Steelers would look at options outside the organization at running back. On a positive note, Frazier, who was taken off the field in a headboard after the first play of the game, did not suffer a serious spinal injury, Tomlin said. In fact, he had returned to the Steelers' sideline before the end of the game. Of how beat up the Steelers are Tomlin said, "It's only devastating if you allow it to be. We are not concerned with our problems. They are probably happy we have them. We will address them and we will get ready to play." The Steelers put forth another inspired defensive effort. Harrison led the way with 2 1/2 sacks. Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

28 Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Page 1 of 2 9/22/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Monday, September 22, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Eagles linebacker Trent Cole yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. PHILADELPHIA -- Ben Roethlisberger turned slowly around from his locker, his right hand wrapped with a white bandage but otherwise surprisingly unbloodied, and asked for a little room to operate. The gaggle of reporters complied. Too bad the Philadelphia Eagles did not. Roethlisberger came under as heavy a pass rush as he has experienced in five NFL seasons as the rampaging Eagles defense sacked him eight times, injured his right hand and sent the Steelers home with their first loss of the season, "We came out here and got the dog kicked out of us," offensive tackle Willie Colon said. That Roethlisberger was able to walk under his own power out of this city was a small victory in itself. X-rays showed no broken bones although his hand, which was stepped on, will be examined further today. Those eight sacks easily could have been a dozen if it weren't for penalties and a yard gain on several plays that negated more. Relief quarterback Byron Leftwich was sacked once to make it nine officially. Philadelphia's pressure defense was the overwhelming difference in a close game. It was more than sacks. That pressure helped create two lost fumbles by Roethlisberger, an interception, a safety and a meager 33 yards rushing, including just 20 by the NFL's thirdleading rusher entering the weekend, Willie Parker. "They took it to us tonight, no doubt," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "They got after us. That's the story of this football game. They applied pressure on our quarterback, particularly on third downs, made splash plays." Sad Sacks The Steelers are 1-4 when Ben Roethlisberger is sacked six or more times: Date/Opponent Sacks Result BAL 9 L, 27-0 PHI 8 L, 15-6 NYJ* 7 L, CIN 7 W, /5/08 vs. JAC** 6 L, *- overtime **- playoffs Tomlin said as the game wore on and the Steelers (2-1) could not solve the problem, the Eagles (2-1) picked up steam. "There was blood in the water at that point," he said as the Steelers' second-half adjustments dissolved like papier-mâche in a rainstorm. "They pinned their ears back." "I want to thank our defense," Roethlisberger said. "They gave us many chances to win that game. They were the reason we were able to stay close and have an opportunity to win the game." Roethlisberger completed just 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Parker ran 13 times for 20 yards. The Eagles threw a lot with Donovan McNabb completing 24 of 35 passes but just for 196 yards. The game's only touchdown came on a 20-yard toss to Correll Buckhalter.

29 Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Page 2 of 2 9/22/2008 Steelers Troy Polamalu and Bryant McFadden each had interceptions and McFadden recovered a Tony Hunt fumble. Tomlin was in no mood for moral victories on one side of the ball. "I'm not worried about wasting efforts," he said of his defense. At one point in the first half, the Eagles sacked Roethlisberger five times on seven plays and he lost a fumble on one of them. On the eighth play, Asante Samuel intercepted Roethlisberger's deep pass. That's eight offensive plays, five sacks, two turnovers. "We got our butt kicked, plain and simple," Colon said. "No other way to put it. Obviously, we didn't do the job we wanted to come out here and do. We got lit up." The Eagles moved readily on their opening drive to a first down at the Steelers' 25 when linebacker James Farrior stripped the ball from Hill after a short reception. McFadden recovered at the Steelers' 20. That led to the first scoring drive of the game, a 12-play effort in which Roethlisberger completed 5 of 7 passes and Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal. It was the only score of the first quarter and it was their only competent drive of the game until the end. The Eagles claimed a 7-3 lead on a 13-play drive that ended when Buckhalter caught a short pass from McNabb, beat linebacker James Harrison around the left corner and leaped over cornerback Ike Taylor from the 3 and into the end zone to complete a 20-yard touchdown reception. The Eagles blitzed Roethlisberger hard and often and it paid off in the second quarter when they sacked him three times in five plays, two of them by end Juqua Parker. Roethlisberger fumbled on the last one and Eagles tackle Brodrick Bunkley recovered at the Steelers' 45. That fumble led to a David Akers' 31-yard field goal and a 10-3 Eagles lead with 2:36 left in the second quarter. Reed made the longest field goal of his career from 53 yards after McFadden's interception near midfield. That left the Eagles with a 10-6 halftime lead. Nothing happened to change that until the Eagles recorded a safety in the fourth quarter when, under pressure and going down in his end zone, Roethlisberger tried to flip a pass to Mewelde Moore and was penalized for intentional grounding. Because the penalty occurred in the end zone, it was ruled a safety and upped Philadelphia's lead to 12-6 with eight minutes left. A leaping sack of Roethlisberger on the next series by safety Brian Dawkins knocked the ball out of his hands. Dawkins recovered and Akers eventually kicked another 31-yard field goal for a 15-6 lead. Leftwich came on and, against no blitz, guided the Steelers to the Eagles' 22 where the drive ended on fourth down. The problem for the Steelers now is not so much what the Eagles did, but what every other defense will try to do, starting with Baltimore Monday night. "It has to be correctable," Colon said. "Any team that watches this tape right now is going to understand we're suffering with the blitz coming at us and if we don't get it done, they're going to blitz the hell out of us." Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

30 Steelers take early division advantage Page 1 of 3 9/15/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers take early division advantage High wind, rain keep both teams from effectively moving ball, but win puts Steelers atop AFC North Monday, September 15, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette Steelers linebackers James Farrior and Larry Foote stuff Browns running back Jamal Lewis last night at Cleveland Browns Stadium. CLEVELAND -- Some things never change. Autumn follows summer, the Allegheny River flows into the Ohio, and the Browns lose to the Steelers. The Steelers won their 10th in a row against their longtime and close rivals, made it 16 out of 17, and nine out of 10 here since the new Browns returned to play in new Cleveland Browns Stadium. By doing so, 10-6, last night, the Steelers took early command of the AFC North Division at 2-0 while Cleveland fell to 0-2. It's as if the Steelers have a second home and it's right here, a two-hour drive from Downtown Pittsburgh. "For whatever reasons, we feel confident playing here," said receiver Hines Ward, who scored the game's only touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter. "Overall, we like playing in Pitt... Cleveland." The Steelers beat the Browns in high wind -- gusts were reported at 60 mph -- rain and, on occasion, comedy. Cleveland blew a prime scoring chance at the end of the first half and then made a questionable decision in the closing minutes when Browns coach Romeo Crennel opted for a field goal instead of trying for the tying touchdown. The Steelers weren't without mistakes of their own, muffing a kickoff return almost as badly as it can be done. But Roethlisberger (12 of 19, 186 yards) and Ward hooked up for their third touchdown pass of the season, and Jeff Reed kicked a 48-yard field goal to offset Phil Dawson's two field goals for Cleveland. Willie Parker also made it two games, two 100-yard rushing efforts. He ran 28 times for 105 yards last night. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall did not play on offense. The Browns were supposed to challenge for the division title this season but have lost their first two games, both at home, after they went 10-6 last season. "We're 2-0," Ward said. "Cincinnati and Cleveand are 0-2. They have to catch up to us. It is big. Everybody picked Cleveland as the team to beat. We came on the road and won up here, it speaks volumes for our team.... We are the division champions from last year."

31 Steelers take early division advantage Page 2 of 3 9/15/2008 It was such a game that the home fans booed when the Browns scored for the second time. It came when Crennel, on fourthand-7 at the Steelers' 20, opted to kick a field goal with 3:21 left and the Browns trailing, Dawson kicked it and the fans cut loose with their displeasure. The Browns still needed a touchdown to avoid losing, just as they did before the kick. But the Steelers used up all but 26 seconds on a long drive that ended at the Browns' 26 and Cleveland ended feebly when Aaron Smith sacked Derrick Anderson for the second time. The Steelers did not fault Crennel for kicking rather than trying to tie it with just over three minutes left. "I think it was a smart choice," Smith said. "I think we would have made a play," safety Ryan Clark said of the Browns' choice not to run a play on fourth down. "That's what our defense did all night." Roethlisberger and Ward hooked up for the game's only touchdown in the second quarter, and it came on third down and ended what was becoming a monotonous game between the longtime rivals in difficult weather. The game was scoreless after the first quarter. Then Bryant McFadden intercepted his first pass of the season at the Cleveland 30 early in the second when Anderson badly underthrew Braylon Edwards with the strong wind to his back. The Steelers drove to the Cleveland 40 after the interception and faced a fourth-and-1 there. Parker picked up 12 around right end. Santonio Holmes (five catches, 94 yards) caught a 1-yard pass to the 12. Ward then dropped a pass in the end zone on second down from the 11. Roethlisberger went right back to his veteran receiver on third down and Ward beat cornerback Terry Cousins badly, broke wide open into the end zone and hung on this time for the score, his third touchdown catch of the season. "To have that drop, to come back on the next play and call my number again, shows the confidence they have in me," Ward said. The Browns strung together a nice drive at the end of the half, but in true Browns recent tradition, they muffed it. With a third down at the 12, Anderson sneaked 1 yard for the first down. There were eight seconds left and Crennel opted to try one pass into the end zone figuring if it failed, he would still have time to kick a short field goal. Troy Polamalu upset those plans when he made a diving interception at the 3 on a low Anderson pass intended for Syndirc Steptoe as time ran out. "It sucks the wind out of them a little bit," Smith said of that play. Browns fans loudly booed their team as it left the field at halftime. It wasn't so bad, taking one shot at the end one, but Anderson did not even do that, throwing it short. Had Steptoe caught it and been tackled before the goal line, the half would have ended, too, because the Browns had no timeouts left. The Steelers scored for the second time when Reed kicked his 48-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for a 10-0 lead. That was not a gimme field goal, either, with the wind gusts at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Steelers moved into field-goal position based solely on one play. Holmes caught a 48-yard pass that Roethlisberger threw from the 16. Holmes had to fight off cornerback Brandon McDonald to catch the high and deep pass. As the game wore on, it became quite evident that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was reluctant to use Mendenhall. He did not play other than to return kickoffs as the Steelers used a steady diet of Willie Parker. And the rookie even had trouble returning kickoffs. He stumbled trying to field one in the third quarter and fell down when he was bumped by teammate Carey Davis. By the time the Browns missed two good attempts to cover the ball, it rolled out of bounds at the Steelers' 2. It was the worst kickoff return by a Steelers rookie since Barry Foster let the ball bounce as if it were a punt in San Francisco in 1990 and the 49ers recovered deep in Steelers territory. Cleveland finally scored with the help of two personal fouls on the Steelers defense. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley was called for roughing the passer when he slammed into Anderson and drove him into the ground just after he released a pass that Braylon Edwards caught. The penalty and catch made it a 25-yard play to the Steelers' 34.

32 Steelers take early division advantage Page 3 of 3 9/15/2008 Later in the drive, linebacker James Farrior was penalized for taunting, moving the ball 10 yards to the Steelers' 11. Dawson ended the drive by kicking his 31-yard field goal to put the Browns within a touchdown of the lead. They would get no closer. Ed Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on September 15, 2008 at 12:30 am

33 Steelers hold off Browns, go Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 9/15/2008 Steelers maintain dominance over Browns By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 15, 2008 CLEVELAND -- Winds that were as strong as 40 mph Sunday night had the goal posts dancing to the pregame music that blared at Cleveland Browns Stadium. They whipped so ferociously before kickoff that the people who tried to unfurl a large, rectangular Browns banner were instead hurried off the field when it came apparent they had no chance of completing their task. The Browns fared better amid the gusting winds and, at times, swirling rains, but their performance wasn't enough for them to interrupt the Steelers' recent dominance of the bitter rivalry. Stout defense, a steady Ben Roethlisberger and a couple of fortuitous bounces were enough for the Steelers to hold off the Browns, 10-6, in front of an announced crowd of 73,048 and a national TV audience. The Steelers (2-0) beat the Browns (0-2) for the 10th consecutive time. The last time the Browns beat the Steelers was October when Roethlisberger was a junior at Miami (Ohio). "It's best to win this way," said safety Troy Polamalu, whose second quarter interception was one of the key plays of the game. "It's Steelers football to run the rock, to burn the clock that way and for the defense to play really good." Roethlisberger, playing with a slightly separated right shoulder, completed 12 of 19 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. His 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward in the second quarter broke a scoreless tie and gave the Steelers a lead they would never relinquish. No completion may have been more significant than Roethlisberger's 31-yard hook-up with Ward near the end of the third quarter. It came after the Steelers nearly lost a fumble on a kickoff return following a Phil Dawson field goal that cut their lead to Cleveland's Jerome Harrison had several chances to recover the fumble deep in Steelers' territory but the ball went out of bounds at the 2-yard line. Roethlisberger got the Steelers out of the shadow of their own end zone with his strike to Ward.

34 Steelers hold off Browns, go Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 9/15/2008 The defense bent a little in the fourth quarter but did not allow the Browns' offense to find the end zone. After driving deep into Steelers territory late in the fourth quarter, Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel opted for a 38-yard Dawson field goal with 3:21 left in the game. That cut the Steelers' lead to four points, but the Browns could get no closer. Willie Parker, who rushed for 105 yards on 28 carries, picked up a key first down on the Steelers' final possession. That allowed the Steelers to run the clock down to 30 seconds before relinquishing possession. "I think (Parker) ran hard," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, whose team visits Philadelphia next Sunday. "I liked the resiliency of the men." The Steelers contained return specialist Josh Cribbs and twice picked off Browns quarterback Derek Anderson on a blustery night. One of the interceptions led to a touchdown, and another thwarted a rare Cleveland scoring opportunity. Points in what turned into a defensive struggle and battle for field position weren't produced until more than halfway through the second quarter. Taking advantage of a Bryant McFadden interception, Roethlisberger engineered a 12-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in his 11-yard touchdown pass to Ward. The Browns responded with their only drive of the first half and looked like they were at least going to come away from it with three points after moving inside the Steelers' 15-yard line. Suspect clock management, however, led to a forced Anderson throw on the 15th play of the drive. Polamalu intercepted the pass near the goal line on the final play of the second quarter, allowing the Steelers to take a seven-point lead into intermission. "I think the most critical play (defensively) was by Troy right before the half," Tomlin said. "To get out of that position, giving up no points -- that is what makes Troy who he is." The Steelers extended their lead to 10-0 early in the third quarter when a 48- yard reception by Santonio Holmes set up Jeff Reed's 48-yard field goal. The Browns made it close with the Dawson field goals, but they could not break through in what has become a recurring theme over the past five years. "It's Cleveland, and you know how much we love to beat them," Parker said. "We're going to build off this game going into Philly." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or

35 For openers, it was a dominating outing, but the players aren't overly excited by the win Page 1 of 2 9/8/2008 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL For openers, it was a dominating outing, but the players aren't overly excited by the win Monday, September 08, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley, right, celebrates his interception against the Texans with defensive end Brett Keisel yesterday at Heinz Field. The interception was the first of Woodley's career. The Steelers have become accustomed to winning season openers, yet rarely have they been so dominant in claiming their sixth consecutive opener by clubbing the Houston Texans, 38-17, at Heinz Field. They weren't perfect -- Ben Roethlisberger did throw one incompletion in his 14 pass attempts -- but their play yesterday rivaled the gorgeous weather that greeted their first game of the season. "A beautiful day," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, describing the weather and his team's play. "We're a good team, you know?" defensive end Brett Keisel said. "But I don't think anyone in here is going, 'Oh, yeah, we're so great, we got this big win!' All of us understand the schedule this year and all of us understand after each game we have another tough opponent ahead." That would be the Browns in Cleveland Sunday night, but for now the Steelers should feel good about reveling a little in the game they played to open the season. Willie Parker, whose last season ended with a broken leg in game 15, showed off his renewed health and old form by rushing for 138 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 7, 13 and 4 yards, the most in his career and one more score than he had all of last year. Roethlisberger tossed touchdown passes to Hines Ward of 13 and 16 yards. Linebacker James Harrison got a jump on another Pro Bowl season with three sacks, and his new colleague on the other side, LaMarr Woodley, had a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. The Steelers led, 35-3, into the fourth quarter. Neither Roethlisberger nor Parker played in the final quarter. "We're not going to overreact," said Ward, who led the Steelers with six receptions for 76 yards and had a long reception taken away by a penalty. "It's one game. We have a big game in Cleveland, prime time. We'll enjoy this, look at it and get ready for Cleveland next week." After Keisel and Casey Hampton stopped Houston quarterback Matt Schaub's sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Steelers' 48 on the game's first series, it was virtually all the home team until the fourth quarter.