Pittsburgh Steelers. Game Story News Clippings

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1 Pittsburgh Steelers Game Story News Clippings

2 Steelers: Wallace pulls in winning TD to snap skid Page 1 of 3 12/21/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS Steelers: Wallace pulls in winning TD to snap skid In a stunning replay of the Super Bowl, Wallace pulls winning TD with no time left to end 5-game skid Monday, December 21, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Steelers Mike Wallace pulls in the winning touchdown pass as he's defended by Packers Josh Bell. The Steelers tried every which way to get back to winning football games before they went back to an old favorite, the drive that delivered them a victory in Super Bowl XLIII. With their coach admitting in so many words and deeds he had lost all faith in his defense to stop the Green Bay Packers, the offense drove 86 yards on 12 plays and squeezed every last second of the clock to do so to deliver a victory at Heinz Field. This time it was not Santonio Holmes toe-tapping in the right side of the end zone for the winner, but rookie Mike Wallace catching a 19-yard pass with both toes barely in bounds with no time left. That tied the score, Jeff Reed's kick won it and, while it did not deliver another Lombardi Trophy, it put a five-game losing streak out of their misery. "We're not dead yet," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin declared. "We have a little pulse here." Indeed, the Steelers cling precariously to contention for a wild-card playoff berth with a 7-7 record, but the reality of their chances can hold for another day. That they put their finger in the dyke that was near dissolution was reason alone for them to celebrate last night. "I think we went through a whole range of emotions [last night]," linebacker James Farrior said. The fourth quarter alone featured four touchdowns and two field goals in the kind of fastbreak game rarely seen in Heinz Field. In fact, a lot that occurred yesterday rarely had been seen at all in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger's 503 yards passing set a franchise record and he became the only quarterback in NFL history to top 500 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Hines Ward had 126 yards and Heath Miller 118, both on seven catches. "They didn't hold anything back," said Pittsburgh native and Packers coach Mike McCarthy, whose team's five-game winning streak ended. Wallace caught two touchdown passes -- on the Steelers' first and final plays on offense. His first carried 60 yards. But it was his final one that brought back the flood of memories from Super Bowl XLIII in February, when the Steelers drove 88 yards and Holmes caught the winner with 35 seconds to go. "I think there was more work on this drive here than it was back in February," Holmes said. "That last drive in February was a lot easier than this here." Holmes kept the drive going when, on fourth down at the Steelers' 22, he caught a 32-yard pass. The Packers (9-5) helped the Steelers with a few penalties, one negating a sack of Roethlisberger and another an interception that would have given Green Bay a six-point victory.

3 Steelers: Wallace pulls in winning TD to snap skid Page 2 of 3 12/21/2009 The Steelers converted that fourth down, another on third-and-15, and the final play, snapped with three seconds left, came on third-and-10. "He just threw the ball to a spot," Wallace said of the winning touchdown pass, "and was counting on me to be there. "Once I caught the ball, I knew I was in." No one may have been more relieved than Tomlin. With Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers gouging his once-dominant defense for 383 yards and three touchdowns passing and the Packers scoring nearly at will in the fourth quarter, Tomlin made a strange call. After Reed's third field goal of the second half, from 43 yards, put the Steelers up by two with four minutes left, Tomlin ordered an onside kick. "We had 30 minutes of evidence that we could drive the ball on them," Tomlin explained. "We also conversely had 30 minutes of evidence to show they could also drive the ball on us. That's why we took the risk when we did." It failed when Ike Taylor touched the ball before it had gone the required 10 yards. The Packers took over at the Steelers' 39 after the botched onside kick and scored on Rodgers' 24-yard touchdown pass to James Jones with 2:06 to go. Had the lead stood, Tomlin might never have lived it down. "I wear that like a badge of honor," Tomlin said. "That comes with the job. I don't live in fear." The Steelers took over at their 14 after a bobbled kickoff return with 2:06 left. They needed a touchdown to avoid tying their longest losing streak in 40 years. "It seems like it took 20 minutes for the one-minute offense," Farrior said. "They worked it to perfection." It was not pretty at times, but it worked. "Guys were coming back to the huddle worn out -- linemen, wide receivers, everybody," Roethlisberger said. But one player took command. "Only one guy was talking in huddle, and that was Ben," Holmes said. "No other voice was spoken. No one had an opportunity to talk. We were dead tired." The game began as a track meet, too, with three touchdowns in the first quarter. Wallace scored from 60 yards and Rashard Mendenhall ran from the 2 around the Packers' 83-yard strike from Rodgers to Greg Jennings. Green Bay tied it on Rodgers' 14-yard scramble up the middle, and then Mewelde Moore took a 10-yard screen pass to put the Steelers back on top by halftime, Reed's 37-yard field goal was the only score of the third quarter before the fourth quarter lit up like a Zambelli fireworks display. First, tight end Jermichael Finley caught a 11-yard pass for Green Bay and the Steelers' lead was chopped to three. It became six on Reed's 34-yard field goal before the Packers took their first lead of the game on Ryan Grant's ridiculously easy 24- yard touchdown run, Reed kicked his 43-yarder with 3:58 and it was game on, with Tomlin figuring the team with the ball at the end would win. "His plan was that if they were going to score, he wanted to leave us enough time to go down the field and score on them," center Justin Hartwig said. "And the plan worked." Yes, it did. Barely, but then, that is how the Steelers were losing games in the past five weeks and that is how the playoff hopes for the reigning Super Bowl champs beat -- barely. "That is kind of a Pittsburgh mentality," Roethlisberger said. "We don't quit, no matter what." For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

4 Steelers save the best for last - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 12/21/2009 Steelers save the best for last By Scott Brown PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 21, 2009 Ben Roethlisberger's last-second heroics against the Green Bay Packers came either too late or just in time depending on one's perspective. The Steelers clearly had the latter after Roethlisberger capped a record day with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace on the final play of a wild game Sunday at Heinz Field. And with good reason. Prior to their victory over one of the NFL's hottest teams, the Steelers had not won since well before Thanksgiving. And Roethlisberger, who riddled one of the NFL's top defenses for 503 passing yards and three touchdowns, put the best spin on how fine the line between anguish and elation has been for the Steelers this season. "If that last play's incomplete, there's no one in (the locker room) talking, everybody's having the worst Christmas ever," Roethlisberger said after setting a slew of records, including most single-game passing yards in team history. "But because that play's a touchdown, it's a completely different ballgame." Roethlisberger and the offense indeed made it a cheerier Christmas for fans driven to despair by the Steelers' first five-game losing streak since They also bailed out coach Mike Tomlin, who tried an unsuccessful onside kick late in the game, and a defense that once again failed to protect a fourthquarter lead. What stood out above all for the Steelers following a game in which the teams combined for almost 1,000 yards of total offense and traded the lead as if it were an unwanted stocking stuffer: they finally stopped the bleeding. "It was just good to come out with a win," inside linebacker James Farrior said after playing in the first game in NFL history. "We had a lot of ebb and flow in this game, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of range of emotions." The pulsating victory allowed the Steelers to improve to 7-7, and they are one of 10 AFC teams competing for four remaining playoff berths. The Steelers face another must-win situation Sunday when the 8-6 Baltimore

5 Steelers save the best for last - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 12/21/2009 Ravens visit Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. game. The defending Super Bowl champions are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. But they would have been all but eliminated had they lost a sixth game this season in which they led in the fourth quarter. "Not dead yet," Tomlin said. "We're on life support here in terms of staying in the hunt for the playoffs, so we can't save anything." They didn't hold back yesterday as Roethlisberger and Wallace hooked up for a 60-yard touchdown on the Steelers' first play from scrimmage. That set the tone for the shootout that unfolded in front of an announced crowd of 57,452. The tempo picked up considerably after a 34-yard field goal by Jeff Reed with just under 10 minutes left in the game gave the Steelers a lead. After Aaron Rodgers, who staged an epic duel with Roethlisberger, led the Packers (9-5) on a quick touchdown drive, Reed kicked a 43-yard field goal to give the Steelers a lead. Tomlin called for an onside kick with the thinking that the Steelers would either catch the Packers off guard or Green Bay would score quickly enough to leave Roethlisberger enough time on the clock to answer. Roethlisberger got the ball back with just over two minutes left. He stopped a burdensome streak and added to his lore by engineering the 19th gamewinning drive of his career. "It's big to win it that way, I think," Roethlisberger said after leading the Steelers on an 11-play, 86-yard drive. "To win it like that, I think it shows a lot of heart. It opens up something inside of all of us to say 'You know what, this team never quits, it never backs down and fights to the end.'" CLARK APOLOGIZES AFTER SECONDARY TORCHED Less than a week after saying the local media had unfairly singled out members of the Steelers secondary and that some fans may not understand how hard the players work, free safety Ryan Clark offered something of a mea culpa. "I apologize to the fans and the media," Clark said Sunday following the Steelers' last-second win over the Green Bay Packers. "I'm sorry if I offended anyone. That's all I've got to say." During a diatribe that lasted almost 12 minutes last Wednesday, Clark infamously said the Steelers are held to a higher standard than other NFL teams or that the local writers who cover them are "turds."

6 Steelers save the best for last - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 3 of 3 12/21/2009 Clark said some members of the Steelers' defensive backfield had been mistakenly singled out in recently weeks for getting beaten or for botched assignments. The maligned secondary did not have one of its better games against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, including an 83-yarder to Greg Jennings in the first quarter. "They played to their personality," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Green Bay's offense. "We didn't make enough plays on third down to keep them cool." The Packers converted 10 of 16 times on third down. Digits Times that Aaron Rodgers has been sacked this season after the Steelers dropped him just one time yesterday Net passing yards by the Steelers, tying a franchise record that had been set in "It's not about confidence, it's about plays. I believe in these guys, they believe in each other. We had a tough time stopping them in the second half and you do what's appropriate to win the football game. It's not like we're going to play scared or lack confidence in terms of what we're doing defensively, but I was concerned about our ability to stop them based on what I was looking at in that stadium." MIKE TOMLIN STEELERS COACH ON WHETHER HE IS LOSING FAITH IN THE DEFENSE TO CLOSE OUT A GAME Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

7 Steelers fall to Browns, of 2 12/11/2009 9:20 AM SPORTS / STEELERS Steelers fall to Browns, 13-6 Losing streak hits five games Friday, December 11, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is hit by Browns safety Mike Adams in the fourth quarter of last night's game at Cleveland Browns Stadium. CLEVELAND -- On a bitterly cold, windy night, as angry swells from Lake Erie next door lapped over seawalls, the Steelers season sailed into darkness. The Cleveland Browns, who have the dubious daily double of last-place rankings on offense and defense in the NFL, became the latest of the league's dregs to dine at the Steelers' table. The final score was 13-6, the fifth consecutive loss for the defending Super Bowl champions, including ones to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. It dropped their record to 6-7 and their faint playoff hopes likely have expired. "To lose five straight coming off a Super Bowl from last year, it's embarrassing for me,'' said receiver Hines Ward, who shook off a hamstring injury to play last night. "It just hurts, it hurts a lot. There's nothing fun about losing games, especially five in a row. We're better than that, we should play better than that." The Browns -- No. 32 on offense and defense -- ended their own seven-game losing streak and improved their record to The Steelers have the longest current losing streak in the NFL. It is a plummet with no end in sight and an inexplicable fall from 6-2 and a first-place tie in the AFC North Division for the erstwhile champs. The "undesirable pattern of behavior" -- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's words Monday -- continued. The loss, and losing, apparently struck a chord with at least one of them. Linebacker James Harrison, last season's NFL defensive MVP, threw his helmet to the turf and could be seen screaming at teammates at the end of the game. "I thought they fought," Tomlin said. "I thought they stuck together, but it wasn't enough to win the football game.... Fighting and sticking together are not winning football games for us." The Steelers must win two of their final three games to avoid their first losing season since 2003 and the first in Tomlin's coaching tenure. It also ended their 12-game winning streak against the Browns and in doing so the Browns sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eight times. Nothing worked. These Browns also were playing without five injured starters on defense and their starting running back. Thus, the second Super Bowl hangover in four seasons lingers. "Were finding new and different ways to not rise up," Tomlin said. "This one tonight happened in all three phases." This is what the Browns have looked like for much of this season, only they switched uniforms last night. The Steelers looked like the Browns and the Browns looked like the old Steelers.

8 Steelers fall to Browns, of 2 12/11/2009 9:20 AM In fact, Cleveland beat the Steelers at what used to be their game. The Browns gouged them for 171 yards rushing, a 4.6-yard average per carry in a game in which quarterback Brady Quinn completed only 6 of 19 for 90 yards. Joshua Cribbs, working often out of the wildcat offense, ran eight times for 87 yards and Chris Jennings added 73 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run that was the first scored by a Cleveland running back this season. The Steelers wanted to run and, for the most part, could not. Rashard Mendenhall had 53 of their 75 yards. Roethlisberger was 18-of-32 passing for 201 yards. Despite the cold and wind, there was not a turnover in the game. Phil Dawson kicked a 29-yard field goal to start things off for Cleveland in the first quarter, giving the Steelers special teams a hand in another score. Cribbs returned a punt 55 yards to the Steelers 8 to set up Dawson's first score of the game. Dawson kicked another 29-yarder with 7:20 left before the half to give the Browns a 6-0 lead. Another big pass play led to that second score. Quinn threw behind Mohamed Massaquoi, who was loosely covered by Ike Taylor. The Browns extended their shocking lead to 13-0 when Jennings ran around right end, beating LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior and, finally, William Gay, who tried to knock him out of bounds but could not do so until Jennings hit the pylon for the score with 41 seconds left in the first half. Cribbs ran 37 yards, taking the snap from center in the wildcat offense, to help set up that score. The Browns gouged the Steelers for two plays of 37 yards, the other a pass to Massaquoi that led to their second field goal, plus a 24-yard pass completion by Quinn. The Steelers finally scored on Jeff Reed's 27-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Santonio Holmes caught a 24-yard pass on that drive for the Steelers. The Steelers did not look sharp much of the game. They put the supposed sure-handed Mewelde Moore on kickoff returns and he dropped two of them, including the opening kickoff of the second half that had the Steelers start their series from the 12. It took until late in the third quarter before the Steelers strung together another scoring drive. It started with Holmes' first punt return of the season, a fair catch. It ended with another Reed field goal, from 42 yards with eight seconds left in the third quarter. On that series, Roethlisberger was sacked for the seventh time. The Steelers creeped into Browns territory again in the fourth quarter, with a first down at the 36. But a holding penalty against center Justin Hartwig and a dropped pass by Rashard Mendenhall, wide open over the middle, scuttled that drive. They got another chance with 6:16 left in the game, starting a drive at their 21, trailing by seven. They reached Cleveland territory, picking and plucking away in short chunks. Ward caught a third-and-6 pass from midfield for a first down at the Browns' 43. But on the next play, Cleveland sacked Roethlisberger for an eighth time, a loss of 9, to the Steelers' 48. A 13-yard pass to Heath Miller set up a fourth-and-6 at Cleveland's 39. Roethlisberger's pass, intended for Holmes, was knocked down, and the Steelers' playoff hopes were knocked out. Yet they still must play three more times. "When you lose five straight," Farrior said, "you grasp for anything to try to get control of the situation." For more on the Steelers, read Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 11, 2009 at 12:27 am

9 Steelers fall to Raiders, Page 1 of 2 12/7/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS Steelers fall to Raiders, Monday, December 07, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy catches the game-winning touchdown pass as defended by Steelers defensive back Ryan Mundy in the fourth quarter yesterday at Heinz Field. Coach Mike Tomlin promised that his Steelers would unleash hell, not look like it. Yesterday's tumble to the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field might have been stunning if it had not happened so often this season. The Steelers have now lost to a 14-point underdog and an 11-point underdog in the past three games, and they lost their fourth in a row to tumble to 6-6 and maybe out of the playoff race. And they lost the way they've become accustomed as their once Mariano Rivera-like closing defense collapsed; they've allowed fourth-quarter leads to slip away in five of their six defeats. Their most egregious fourth quarter el foldo occurred yesterday. Oakland (4-8), which had produced only 10 touchdowns all season, scored three in the fourth quarter to come from behind three times. The Raiders final score come with 9 seconds left when Pittsburgh native Bruce Gradkowski did his best Ken Stabler imitation and threw his third touchdown pass, good for 11 yards to rookie Louis Murphy. "We couldn't lose this game, but we lost," said cornerback Ike Taylor, who botched one of the defense's many chances to end the Raiders' comeback when Murphy caught a 23-yard jump ball along the sideline even though Taylor had position on him. Taylor called the Steelers' chances to get the playoffs, "Slimmer than a dog on a diet." The Raiders also said they fed off Tomlin's "unleash hell" comment. "Oh, yeah," wide receiver Todd Watkins said. "We had his comments up on the board. That kind of drove us all week, when you make a statement like that??? that just fired us up." Hines Ward had said last week his team could not lose to Oakland or "we're pretty much out of it" and no one in the Steelers' locker room argued that point afterward. "Obviously our playoff picture looks really bleak," tackle Willie Colon said. "Huh?" Tomlin responded when asked about the playoffs. "I'm just trying to win a game, man. What's coach [Jim] Mora's response to that? That's where we're at." Yesterday, Tomlin's offense and defense waited to get going until the fourth quarter. His offense scored two touchdowns in that period and his defense??? got going. Ben Roethlisberger (18 of 24, 278 yards) threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 left to lift the

10 Steelers fall to Raiders, Page 2 of 2 12/7/2009 Steelers to a lead as the fans in Heinz Field, in a surly mood as time and again the Raiders ripped through the Steelers' defense in the fourth quarter, celebrated. "When I scored that touchdown I just knew that was the game-winning touchdown," said Ward, who hugged Roethlisberger as they left the field. "We were going to go on our way, get back on the winning track." Gradkowski, making his third consecutive start -- he is after coach Tom Cable replaced JaMarcus Russell, had other ideas. The Raiders drove 88 yards on 11 plays that included a drop by rookie cornerback Joe Burnett of a ball right into his chest, and Taylor's missed chance along the sideline. The touchdown came on yet another late miscommunication by the Steelers' defense in which a blitz was called for one side and instead it came from both sides, leaving their secondary thin. "I think when you get in the moment, guys hear and just go but we have to do a good job of relaying the call across the board," linebacker James Farrior said. Missed calls, missed interceptions, missed tackles, they all added up to one big collapse for last year's acclaimed defense and the Super Bowl champions. The Steelers' offense gave its defense scant help through three quarters, coming away with only Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal in the first quarter and Santonio Holmes' 34-yard touchdown catch from Roethlisberger in the second. They blew two other chances when Roethlisberger slipped on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 5 and when safety Hiram Eugene intercepted a Roethlisberger pass in the end zone on first down from the Oakland 16. Afterward, some defensive players apologized to the offense for their play, but as Ward noted: "There's not need to apologize. If we score when we get down in the red zone, maybe this game isn't even close." It was close, at 10-6 entering the final quarter after a scoreless third and a lackluster first half. Then the fireworks came. Gradkowski, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 308 yards and no interceptions, threw his first touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Chaz Schilens from 17 yards out to give the Raiders their first lead, The Steelers responded with their second two-play touchdown drive to reclaim the lead at Roethlisberger completed a 57-yard pass to Santonio Holmes, who caught the ball at the 38 and ran 35 yards to the Oakland 3. Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for 103 yards on 20 tries, then broke a couple of tackles as he raced around left end for the score with 7:13 to go. And then it was the Raiders turn to strike back. It took them three plays to do so, starting from their 16. They had a thirdand-1 at the 25. Gradkowski faked a handoff and threw deep to Louis Murphy. He caught it at the 35 and beat Ike Taylor to the pylon for a touchdown that put Oakland back on top, 20-17, as the fans booed. "He's supposed to stay inside of him, inside of that man and potentially could pick up some help from the backside," Tomlin said. "Of course, neither happened." They were on their feet cheering moments later as Roethlisberger completed a 27-yard pass to Heath Miller on the first play and, later a 20-yard pass to Holmes. Then, he found Ward and the whole stadium celebrated as if they had won a Super Bowl. Not this year, it would appear. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

11 Ravens edge past Steelers for overtime win - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 11/30/2009 Ravens edge past Steelers for overtime win By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, November 30, 2009 BALTIMORE A valiant effort Sunday night in Baltimore won't count for anything in the standings. And following a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Ravens in front of an announced crowd of 71,314, the reigning Super Bowl champions find themselves in a fight just to secure a wild-card berth. The shorthanded Steelers gave their archrivals all they could handle, but their vaunted defense again failed to protect a fourth-quarter lead. Dennis Dixon's 24-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes left in the game gave the Steelers a three-point lead at M&T Bank Stadium. But the Steelers allowed the Ravens to tie the game late in the fourth quarter and win it in overtime. Rookie linebacker Paul Kruger intercepted a Dixon pass with just over 10 minutes left in overtime, and returned it to the Steelers' 28-yard line. Four plays later, Billy Cundiff kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal. "It was a designed blitz," Kruger said of his interception. "I was just in the right place at the right time." "Please don't talk to me about moral victories," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "That would be disrespectful to guys in (the visiting) locker room. We're going to unleash hell." The good news for the Steelers (6-5) is they should have Ben Roethlisberger back Sunday when they try to snap a three-game losing streak against the visiting Oakland Raiders. Roethlisberger didn't play last night as a precaution after sustaining a concussion in the Steelers' overtime loss in Kansas City on Nov. 22. Tomlin said he is hopeful the exercise-induced headaches which Roethlisberger experienced late last week and caused the Steelers to sit the sixth-year veteran won't be an issue this week. The Steelers couldn't have asked for much more from Dixon, who made his first NFL start.

12 Ravens edge past Steelers for overtime win - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 11/30/2009 Dixon completed 12 of 26 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. He also had the touchdown run that gave the Steelers their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. The Steelers were not able to run their winning streak against the Ravens to four games because the defense couldn't make a stand at the end of the game and because Dixon finally made a mistake. "All year we've been allowing teams to put points on the board," outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "That's what teams are beating us, those last drives." It didn't take long for the Ravens to show why the oddsmakers made them touchdown-plus favorites after news of Roethlisberger's status surfaced Saturday. Dixon's first pass of the season nearly got intercepted deep in Steelers territory after defensive end Dwan Edwards batted it into the air. The Ravens then went right down the field following the first punt of the game. Flacco completed passes of 15, 20 and 12 yards. A 19-yard run by Ray Rice set up Willis McGahee's 2-yard touchdown run with more than eight minutes left in the first quarter. Dixon settled down after the Steelers' opening possession and completed six consecutive passes, including a 33-yard touchdown to Santonio Holmes early in the second quarter. The Steelers were driving later in the quarter, and a highlight-worthy catch by Holmes he tipped a pass by Dixon to himself on the left sidelines and then stretched for the first down gave them the ball inside Baltimore's 20-yard line. A holding call on Mewelde Moore negated the play, and the Steelers were forced to punt. Daniel Sepulveda pinned Baltimore on its 11-yard line. Flacco, however, flipped the field when he completed a 54-yard pass to Mark Clayton, who tormented cornerback William Gay in the first half. Flacco capped a six-play, 89-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason, and the Ravens took a 14-7 lead into halftime. Baltimore continued to go after Gay in the second half, but the first-year starter caused a much-needed turnover when he stripped Clayton after the latter made his fourth catch of the game. The Steelers recovered the fumble, and later in the quarter they cut the Ravens'

13 Ravens edge past Steelers for overtime win - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 3 of 3 11/30/2009 lead to four points after a 44-yard field goal by Jeff Reed. The fierce rivals went back and forth the rest of the way, with the Ravens finally prevailing for the third time in four overtime games against the Steelers. "We made some big plays, but not enough of them," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We've got to win out. There's no other ifs, ands or buts." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

14 Steelers upset by Chiefs, Page 1 of 2 11/23/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers upset by Chiefs, Monday, November 23, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is pressured by Chiefs defensive linemen Ron Edwards and Tamba Hali. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sometimes, Super Bowl hangovers do not occur at the start of the season. They sneak up on a champion and clamp it upside the head when it least expects it. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the game yesterday with a slight concussion, and his team departed Arrowhead Stadium with one giant headache after it dribbled away a loss in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs. The high wire the champs have been straddling this season finally gave way. They fell and they fell hard to a Kansas City team that had won only four of its previous 34 games after rookie Ryan Succop kicked a 22-yard field goal with 8:28 left in overtime. The Steelers' second consecutive loss dropped them to 6-4 and left them wondering about themselves for the first time in a long while. "Each person has to look at themselves," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "We're all into it, coaches included; they're just as much involved as we are." Indeed, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took the blame for what he called a team not prepared. "I take responsibility for that performance," Tomlin said. "I have to have this football team better prepared to play." The Steelers outgained the Chiefs (3-7), 515 yards to 282, but the Steelers were done in again by turnovers, squandered chances in the red zone and what has become high comedy, another kickoff return for a touchdown against them. It was the fourth in five games, tying an NFL record for a full season. Kansas City's Jamaal Charles returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a score. Those changes the Steelers made a week ago to their kickoff team? It looked as though they inserted Moe, Larry and Curly -- the Three Stooges. "Man, special teams haven't helped us very much lately," linebacker James Harrison said. Help never arrived for the Steelers yesterday in many forms. Roethlisberger, who threw for a season-high 398 yards (32 of 42), tossed three touchdown passes, to Ward for 8 yards, Heath Miller for 10 and to Rashard Mendenhall for 8. But the normally sure-handed Miller also let one pass go through his hands as the Steelers seemed ready to put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Leading 17-7 at halftime, the Steelers were poised to stretch their lead with a first down at their 48 on the opening drive of the second half. Roethlisberger threw a perfect pass to Miller over the middle but the ball went through his hands at the 36 and popped up into the hands of Chiefs linebacker Andy Studebaker, making his first pro start because Mike Vrabel was hurt. The Chiefs'

15 Steelers upset by Chiefs, Page 2 of 2 11/23/2009 drive after the interception ended with Matt Cassel (15 of 30, 248 yards) throwing a 21-yard touchdown to Leonard Pope and the game was on at A distressed Miller -- who otherwise had a big game with seven catches for 95 yards and his touchdown -- took the blame for letting the ball and the game get away. "I thought we ended the first half well," Miller said quietly. "We're driving down the field and I don't make the play and practically handed the ball to the other team. I felt it was a battle from there on in." He had more company than the Steelers would have preferred. The Steelers drove again to a first down at the Chiefs' 10 in the third quarter. But Roethlisberger was hit when he tried to pass to an open Ward in the left corner of the end zone, and the ball fluttered into Studebaker's hands again 2 yards deep. He returned it 94 yards before Mendenhall made a saving tackle at the eight. Succop tied the score with a 27-yard field goal at and this most unusual contest entered the fourth quarter. "Those first three or four drives in the third quarter left that team back in the game and gave them a chance to stick around," Ward said. The Steelers' defense, though, finally forced a big play when Lawrence Timmons sacked Cassel, who fumbled. James Harrison recovered at the Kansas City 27, and five plays later Mendenhall caught a touchdown pass that gave them a lead with 8:35 to go. Just as quickly, the Chiefs struck back and shocked the NFL's second-ranked defense in doing so. The defense that prides itself on not allowing big plays gave up two of them on that drive -- consecutive passes by Cassel of 30 yards to Lance Long and 47 to Chris Chambers. Charles then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass to tie it at 4:54. It seemed this growing nightmare might end when Ward called tails correctly on the coin flip and the Steelers began the first drive of sudden-death at their 20. They reached their 49 when, on second-and-3, Roethlisberger was sacked and injured and center Justin Hartwig also was called for holding. Charlie Batch, though, came on to play for the first time since the 2007 season and rifled a pass to Santonio Holmes of 17 yards to give the Steelers a first down at the Kansas City 43. That became a third-and-2 at the 35 and Mewelde Moore ran a sweep toward the right end that lost 3 yards. Tomlin elected to punt rather than try what would have been a 56-yard field goal. Four plays later it was over, on the play after cornerback Ike Taylor dropped what would have been an interception at the 23. The Chiefs had a third-and-5 at their 35 and Steelers defensive backs later said they did not get the play call before the snap. Cassel threw a short pass over the middle to Chambers, who ran toward the right sideline. Clark had a shot at him near the 30 and missed and Chambers made it to the 4 for a 61-yard gain. Chiefs coach Todd Haley did not hesitate. He sent Succop, the last player drafted this year, onto the field and he kicked the ball and the Steelers home. "We play like we played today, you deserve to lose," said nose tackle Casey Hampton, who had one of his team's five sacks. "You play like that, that's the outcome." For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on November 23, 2009 at 12:00 am

16 Bengals beat Steelers, Page 1 of 2 11/16/2009 Bengals beat Steelers, Monday, November 16, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Bengals running back Bernard Scott runs a kickoff back for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Steelers at Heinz Field yesterday. Two teams tested a theory yesterday at Heinz Field that if you cannot run and you cannot pass, you cannot win a football game. That is, unless you have the luxury of the Steelers kicking off to you. Neither the Steelers nor the Cincinnati Bengals scored an offensive touchdown, yet for the third time in four games the Steelers' kickoff team allowed a return for a touchdown and it stood up enough for the Bengals to pull off the improbable victory, 18-12, and the two-game sweep of this year's series. It is the first time the Bengals have swept the series in 11 seasons and it may deliver an AFC North Division title to Cincinnati, which at 7-2 took a one-game lead over the 6-3 Steelers and also claimed any tiebreaker against them. "Obviously now we have to beat them with overall record," said Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who dropped an interception that might have turned things in the fourth quarter. "They have the tiebreaker. That's tough. I feel like in order for us to do that, we have to win out. Are we capable? Yes." First, the Steelers would have to tackle someone after kicking off and score a touchdown here or there. Jeff Reed kicked four short field goals after the Steelers reached at least the Bengals' 12, but it was his kickoff that rookie Bernard Scott brought back 96 yards in the first quarter that was the real boot in the Steelers' behinds. The extra-point attempt after the touchdown, like many other things on both offenses yesterday, was botched by Cincinnati. The touchdown came after Reed kicked the Steelers into a 3-0 lead with a 28-yard field goal. "I've been here for 12 years and I've never seen this many touchdowns scored on our kickoff team in one season," Hines Ward said. "It's by far the most since I've been here. We got to rectify it, we have to get guys on there inspired to play. That just takes our crowd out of it and gives them momentum." Shayne Graham also kicked four field goals for Cincinnati, two in the fourth quarter after Reed's field goal early in the quarter tied the score, Graham also missed when he hit the upright from 51 in the first quarter. About the only good news the Steelers received came from the bad news that safety Troy Polamalu's left knee was re-injured on the game's first drive and he departed. Polamalu was sent for an MRI but sources say it does not appear to be as serious a sprain to his MCL that kept him out for four contests. With two of the game's better quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, throwing more like Ben Stiller and Carson Daly, neither offense had much of a chance. "I played bad," Roethlisberger admitted. "It kind of starts with me up there." No one in his locker room disagreed with that assessment. Roethlisberger completed 20 of 40 passes for 174 yards with one interception for his worst game in more than a year. He was sacked four times and his passer rating of 51.5 was his lowest since a 38.6 in a loss to the Giants Oct. 26, 2008.

17 Bengals beat Steelers, Page 2 of 2 11/16/2009 He threw high at times and, when the Steelers tried to go deep, he often under threw his intended receivers, who also had two or three drops. "Ben threw a few short, high, [three] got batted down," said Santonio Holmes, who led the Steelers with seven catches for 88 yards. "We were just off," said Ward, who caught four passes for only 24 yards. Roethlisberger did hold the distinction of having the longest run of the day, 15 yards on a scramble. There was little inclination on the Steelers' end to try many other runs. Rashard Mendenhall ran 13 times for 36 yards as the Steelers managed 80 yards on 18 carries. The Bengals tried harder, especially as they ran the clock on their final 11-play field-goal drive. They ran 29 times for just 61 yards, although they lost the NFL's second-leading rusher, Cedric Benson, to a hip injury in the first half. He ran just seven times. "We'll take a win any way we can get it," said Palmer, who was 18 of 30 for 178 yards, but with no interceptions and just two sacks, one each by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. "I think that's something we didn't do as a defense," Clark said of the lack of turnovers. "As solid as we played, we didn't give our offense a chance to have a short field." They might have done little with it anyway. For the second time this season, the Steelers outgained the Bengals (226 yards to 218) and lost. Four times they reached Cincinnati's 12 or closer; all four ended in field goals. "We have to find a way to put it in the end zone," Mendenhall said. "When you're playing in this league, you're in the red zone this many times, you have to put it in the end zone. And if you don't, you're susceptible to losing and that's what happened." Of their four forays inside the 15, the Steelers ran five times for 2 yards, Roethlisberger was 2 of 8 for 8 yards, but was sacked for minus-16 yards and there was one holding penalty for minus-10. Added together, that would be minus-6 yards on nine tries and a penalty. "We just didn't make the plays that we normally make," Roethlisberger said. Roethlisberger's lone interception helped produce a Cincinnati field goal early in the third quarter. He threw a pass behind Ward on a short slant over the middle, cornerback Morgant Trent tipped it and Frostee Rucker pulled down the short popup, giving the Bengals the ball at the Steelers' 14. Then, given the ball at the Steelers' 33 with 1:56 to go, Roethlisberger, who has pulled out so many games in similar situations, threw four incompletions. "Just from the get-go, we weren't on," Roethlisberger said. "Offensively, we weren't good in the red zone, we weren't good in the run, we weren't good in the pass. We just didn't play well." For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on November 16, 2009 at 12:00 am

18 Steelers dominate Broncos, Page 1 of 2 11/10/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers dominate Broncos, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers safety Tyrone Carter runs back an interception for a touchdown during the first half of a win against the Broncos at Invesco Field in Denver last night. DENVER -- The Steel Hurtin' defense, playing without three starters, rose up in the mile-high altitude to deliver a crushing victory last night, the team's fifth consecutive win. The Steelers dominated the Broncos and won, 28-10, despite losing two big turnovers of their own, one for a touchdown and another that prevented one. The victory lifted the Steelers' record to 6-2 and a tie with Cincinnati atop the AFC North Division. The teams meet at 1 p.m. Sunday in Heinz Field. Denver lost its second in a row to drop to 6-2. Three times, the Steelers intercepted Kyle Orton, who had thrown just one in his first seven games, and two of them led to touchdowns for the Steelers. Tyrone Carter, the man who replaced Ryan Clark at free safety in Denver, intercepted Orton twice, the first time in the second quarter when he returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. He intercepted him a second time near the end of the game. "I'm excited for him," said Clark, who was dressed in a grey sweat suit and cheered his teammates along the sideline. "He did an awesome job. I'm just proud of him." Last week Steelers coach Mike Tomlin emphasized that Denver and not his team had the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL. That got his players' attention on offense and defense with help from Clark, who did not play in this game because of the health issues he encountered in the high altitude two years ago. "Mike said all week we're going against the best defense in the world," said end Brett Keisel, who sacked Orton twice. "He kept reiterating that so Ryan just wanted us to remember that, I guess." The Steelers broke open what had been a close back-and-forth game in the fourth quarter with two touchdown passes from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, one set up by their defense. Clinging to a four-point lead, Troy Polamalu intercepted Orton at Denver's 25 and Roethlisberger delivered with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace with 7:03 left. It was the second of three Roethlisberger touchdown passes. He also threw two to Hines Ward, both for 3 yards, one in the third quarter and the final one with 1:22 left. "We're coming together," Ward said. "The defense shut them down and the offense stayed the course." Rashard Mendenhall shredded the NFL's No. 1 defense, running 22 times for 155 yards as the Steelers leaned on their ground game more than they have recently. They ran 29 times for 173 yards and a 6-yard average.

19 Steelers dominate Broncos, Page 2 of 2 11/10/2009 "I don't think he realizes how good he can be," Ward said of the young running back. "He's a special back." Roethlisberger completed 21 of 29 passes for 233 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Denver, determined to run on the Steelers, was impotent on the ground. The Broncos managed just 27 yards rushing. Defensive starters Clark, end Travis Kirschke and linebacker Lawrence Timmons did not play last night because of health issues but few noticed their absence the way their teammates played on defense. "It's a team sport and we're probably the ultimate team in the NFL," Clark stated. If not for two Roethlisberger turnovers in Denver territory, this game might have been a laugher much earlier. The first came when he was sacked and stripped of the ball and rookie linebacker Robert Ayers returned the fumble 54 yards for a touchdown. The second occurred when Roethlisberger threw behind Ward from his 15 into the end zone, where cornerback Andre Goodman intercepted. What had been a rather dull first half picked up tempo quickly in the second half. It took the Steelers precisely four plays to respond to Ayers' touchdown with one of their own. Roethlisbeger completed three passes for 56 yards and Mendenhall ran once for 24. Ward caught the touchdown in the back middle of the end zone on first down with Roethlisberger in a shotgun formation from the 3. "In the first half we were just a little slow, just two teams feeling each other out," Ward said. Roethlisberger was in position to throw for another touchdown and put his team up by two scores with a first down at Denver's 15, but his pass for Ward sailed behind him and was intercepted by Goodman. "He said the ball sailed on him, it was behind me just a little bit," Ward said. Carter's touchdown off his interception was formed back in the film room, he said. He noticed the Broncos liked to run that pass play to their rookie back, Knowshon Moreno, and he played it accordingly. He also got a little help from umpire Garth DeFelice when Moreno ran smack into him over the middle coming out of his cut. "I saw the quarterback looking at him the whole way," Carter said. "I feel good about the opportunity to be out there any time. "What more can I ask for but to come away with a win on Monday Night Football with my family watching and getting two picks." Before Carter's interception, Orton had thrown nine touchdowns and his only interception came on a desperation pass. The Steelers' victory last night sets up an AFC North showdown Sunday in Heinz Field against Cincinnati, with both teams tied at 6-2. "It's going to be a war," said Ward. For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on November 10, 2009 at 1:10 am

20 Big second half lifts Steelers to MNF victory - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 11/10/2009 Big second half lifts Steelers to MNF victory By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, November 10, 2009 DENVER Not much has come easy for the Steelers during their tour as reigning Super Bowl champions. They nonetheless arrived at the midway point of the season with a five-game winning streak in tow. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns and the Steelers' defense scored more TDs than it gave up Monday night in front of an announced crowd of 76,108 at Invesco Field. As a result, the Steelers won a regular-season game in Denver for the first time since Their resounding victory also set up a showdown with the Bengals on Sunday at Heinz Field with sole possession of first place in the AFC North on the line. The Steelers (6-2) got to this point in large part because the defense scored the first touchdown of the game and shut down the Broncos in the second half when the outcome still hung in the balance. Free safety Tyrone Carter returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter to get the Steelers on the scoreboard. Strong safety Troy Polamalu helped put the Broncos (6-2) away by intercepting Kyle Orton deep in Steelers' territory in the fourth quarter. That set up Roethlisberger's 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Mike Wallace on a third-and-10 play with just over seven minutes left in the game. It allowed the Steelers to open up an 11-point lead. That touchdown pass proved to be one of the biggest plays in the second half. The Steelers also got several big runs by Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for 130 of his game-high 155 yards after halftime. "I think everybody helped contribute, it wasn't just one guy" said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who caught a pair of touchdown passes. "Right now, we're just playing with a lot of confidence." The Broncos outgained the Steelers by more than 100 yards in the first half. Denver, however, trailed at halftime because of Carter's big play. Down by four points at the start of the third quarter, the Broncos wasted little

21 Big second half lifts Steelers to MNF victory - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 11/10/2009 time in stopping a promising Steelers drive and answering Carter's big defensive play. Kenny Peterson forced a fumble when he sacked Roethlisberger from the blind side. Robert Ayers scooped up the loose ball and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos didn't hold the lead for long, as Roethlisberger needed a little more than two minutes to drive the Steelers 80 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers were driving for another score near the end of the quarter, but Andre Goodman intercepted Roethlisberger in the end zone. It was Roethlisberger's only incompletion in the third quarter. The Broncos never seriously threatened following the turnover because of the stifling Steelers' defense, which allowed only one first down in the fourth quarter. "It's a good win for us, but I'm not satisfied," said Roethlisberger, who threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. "I think, offensively, we've got a long way to go. We have to keep searching for the ceiling." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

22 Steelers defeat Vikings, Page 1 of 2 10/26/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers defeat Vikings, Defense scores two late touchdowns Monday, October 26, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley picks up a loose ball and returns it for touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. You expect this kind of scoring burst when the NFL's leading passer and the league's resident Hall of Fame quarterback-inwaiting get together. Fans jammed Heinz Field like never before to see it and they were treated to a blitzkrieg when the Steelers and Minnesota Vikings fired off three long touchdowns in the final 61/2 minutes yesterday. Only it was not Ben Roethlisberger nor Brett Favre who provided the rockets; those came from a Steelers defense too often on the other side in the fourth quarter this season, and another kickoff return by their opponent. Another Brett -- Keisel -- joined Lamarr Woodley and Keyaron Fox to hijack the Roethlisberger and Favre Show as the Steelers' defense held off the Vikings in a fourth-quarter flurry of big plays, "We don't do shootouts," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. "It's been awesome how fast that you forgot that this defense can actually play." The Steelers won their fourth consecutive game to go 5-2 and issued Minnesota its first loss at 6-1. In doing so, their defense outscored their own offense, not to mention Favre's offense, by scoring two late touchdowns and doing it twice in the same game for the first time in 11 years. Those dramatics followed their huge defensive stand at the 1 in the third quarter. "Those were kind of fluke deals," groused Vikings coach Brad Childress. Keisel stripped Favre of the ball as he dropped back to pass from his 8, Woodley recovered and -- James Harrison-like -- ran it back 77 yards with a posse of teammates for a touchdown to put the Steelers ahead by 10. Next play, Percy Harvin returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown that brought the Vikings within three again with six minutes to go. Finally, as Favre closed in on a tie or go-ahead touchdown at the Steelers 19, halfback Chester Taylor allowed a short pass to go through his hands and into those of Fox, a linebacker playing because Lawrence Timmons left with an ankle injury. Fox returned that one 82 yards for a touchdown with one minute left that put the stake through this one, finally, and reminded everyone that, yes, this defense can play. "We feel like we have a really good defense," said Keisel, who idolized Favre as a kid. "Today was a great test for us to go against a good offensive line, a great quarterback, a great running back. It was a big test for us and we answered the call." Those scores erased any thoughts that Favre, who completed 34 of 51 for 334 yards, had a good game. He had no

23 Steelers defeat Vikings, Page 2 of 2 10/26/2009 touchdown passes and found himself on the wrong end of two defensive touchdowns that decided things. They are the only two touchdowns by the Steelers' defense this season and they could not have come at a better time. Harvin nearly spoiled the party with his kickoff return that left Steelers coach Mike Tomlin perturbed. A week earlier, Joshua Cribbs ran one back 98 yards on them. "You put 14 points on the board defensively you can overcome a lot of errors," Tomlin said. "We were far from a perfect team, but we won." Roethlisberger did not add much to his league-best yardage when he completed 14 of 26 for just 175 yards. But one of those was a 40-yard touchdown to rookie Mike Wallace 24 seconds before halftime to put the Steelers ahead, And he did not make the kinds of mistakes that Favre made at the end. "We had those turnovers, especially when you return them for touchdowns," Favre said, "they made a huge difference." Both teams squandered scoring chances throughout the game. The Steelers were 0 for 3 in the red zone, managing only Jeff Reed's 27-yard-field goal in the third quarter, his second of the game. One lost opportunity came when Rashard Mendenhall lost a fumble after gaining 5 yards on first down to Minnesota's 4 early in the fourth quarter and his team ahead by three. It was the final time Mendenhall, who also lost a fumble at the 15 the previous week, saw the field. Mewedle Moore handled the running chores the rest of the way. "Just a little careless in that instance," Tomlin described it. "We feel comfortable with the ball in [Moore's] hands." You would think the Vikings would be more than comfortable with it in Adrian Peterson's hands. He led the NFL with 1,760 yards rushing last season. He came into this game with a 5.1-yard average and still leading the league with 624 yards and seven touchdowns. He scored easily on a 2-yard run in the second quarter. Yet with first down on the Steelers 1-foot line in the third quarter, trailing by six, the Vikings sent Peterson just once. Fox stopped him for no gain. Instead of cracking Peterson two or even three more times to try to tie it, Favre threw incomplete twice and Ryan Longwell came on to kick an 18-yard field goal. The Steelers did a nice job on Peterson, holding him to 69 yards on 18 carries to run their streak to 29 without allowing a 100-yard rusher, including postseason. Mendenhall also ran for 69 yards but required only 10 carries to do so and had a good game without the fumble. "It was a great atmosphere, a playoff atmosphere," Hines Ward said as a record 65,597 jammed into Heinz Field on a perfect October afternoon. "We're stacking wins. In the month of November, we're heading in the right direction." For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on October 26, 2009 at 12:00 am

24 Pass-happy Steelers please Tomlin in victory - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 10/19/2009 Pass-happy Steelers please Tomlin in victory By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, October 19, 2009 The notion that the Steelers are a running team is becoming as outdated as paying bills via the mail. The Steelers had one of their most prolific passing days in years Sunday, as Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards and two touchdowns and continued to torment the team from his native state. The dominance of Roethlisberger and the Steelers' passing game allowed the defending Super Bowl champions to overcome four turnovers and the individual brilliance of Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs to record a victory over the Browns at Heinz Field. The Steelers (4-2) have won three in a row and are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, improved to 10-0 lifetime against the Browns, who had a chance to draft him in 2004 but instead took tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. Roethlisberger overcame a slow start to complete 23 of 35 passes and rack up a passer rating. "(Ben) frustrates a lot of people," Browns coach Eric Mangini said. "If we bring a bunch of guys, he gets rid of it quick. If we drop a bunch of guys (into coverage), we give him too much time." That conundrum summed up the kind of day it was for the Browns, who didn't stop the Steelers as much as the Steelers stopped the Steelers. When the Steelers weren't playing hot potato with the football, they didn't have trouble gobbling up big chunks of yardage. Eight of Roethlisberger's completions went for at least 20 yards. And for the first time since November 2002, the Steelers had a quarterback throw for more than 400 yards. Hines Ward finished with 8 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. Santonio Holmes added 5 catches for 104 yards. "Everybody is getting touches," Roethlisberger said after completing passes to seven receivers.

25 Pass-happy Steelers please Tomlin in victory - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 10/19/2009 "We caught them in a lot of blitzes, and we knew we'd get guys running free," Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "Ben found the guys quickly and got the ball to them. I didn't think we'd get that many (big plays), but we matched it up good a few times." The Steelers figured to do more damage on the ground considering that the Browns entered the game with the worst run defense in the NFL. The Browns bottled Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker the two rushed for a combined 88 yards but the emphasis on stopping the run came at a pretty steep cost. While Mendenhall averaged only 3.6 yards per carry, Arians lauded the secondyear running back for the help he provided as a blocker when Cleveland blitzed Roethlisberger. As for the Steelers' offensive philosophy, coach Mike Tomlin said: "We don't care about what means we move the chains or put points on the board as long as the job gets done. A lot of times what we do is dictated by what our opponent does, and we're OK with that." Arians said there was one thing he was not OK with after the Steelers piled up 543 yards of total offense. "The points didn't match the performance," Arians said. "When we put it all together, I think we can be pretty daggone good." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

26 Trio of sacks secures Steelers win over Detroit Page 1 of 2 10/12/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Trio of sacks secures Steelers win over Detroit STEELERS 28, LIONS 20 Monday, October 12, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette William Gay does his best impersonation of former teammate Larry Foote after sacking Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper in the fourth quarter. DETROIT -- It looked like another meltdown again late yesterday afternoon in a city that knows too much about that lately. Only this wasn't Detroit and its downed economy, nor the Lions and their decade of dubious dynasty that was in trouble. Instead it was the Super Bowl champion Steelers, and their once dominating defense, which already had blown two fourthquarter leads on the road, that was on shaky ground. And they were gasping as, of all teams, the Detroit Lions (1-3) mounted a comeback. Then out of nowhere appeared an old friend to save them from the embarrassment of losing to the Lions, who lost them all last season. Blitzburgh, which inexplicably vanished in 2009, swooped in to end Detroit's upset plans, and the Steelers headed home happy with a victory. "We're still searching for the Steelers," said linebacker James Farrior, a defensive captain, as his team escaped Ford Field with its second consecutive victory to raise its record to 3-2. The Steelers, ahead by 15 points late in the fourth quarter, allowed an 82-yard drive by the Lions that cut the margin to eight when Daunte Culpepper threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Northcutt with 4:57 left. Then, with 1:54 left, the Lions found themselves with a first down at the Steelers' 21 and Operation Blitzburgh went into effect. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau ordered some blitzes, and the Steelers sacked Culpepper on three consecutive plays, pushing the Lions back to the 45 and, in essence, closing out a game that should have been put away much earlier. James Harrison did not have any of those sacks, but he had three of the Steelers' seven yesterday. "We dialed them up," safety Ryan Clark said. "A lot of other games we haven't been dialing up the pressures. Coach LeBeau just got aggressive. I guess he figured if we're going to get beat, if we're going to give up leads, let's give them up being who we are." The Steelers have been wondering just who they are through the early part of the season after losing two in a row on the road after an opening victory. Their defense, uncharacteristically, became the culprit, blowing lead after lead. Even in the home victory against San Diego the previous Sunday the Chargers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. "It's tough... but we can't blame anybody, we just have to get better," offensive tackle Willie Colon said. The offense made it seem easy for a while, but also had its share of mistakes that allowed the Lions, 11-point underdogs, to stay close. Ben Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes, three to his teammates and one on a 38-yard interception return by Detroit cornerback William James. Roethlisberger threw touchdown passes of 15 yards to Heath Miller, 17 yards to Hines Ward and 47 yards to Mike Wallace. One touchdown drive persevered after another Roethlisberger interception was waved off by a personal foul when he was hit

27 Trio of sacks secures Steelers win over Detroit Page 2 of 2 10/12/2009 in the lower legs after releasing the ball. Rashard Mendenhall, who had another good day running with 77 yards on 15 carries, scored the Steelers' first touchdown on a neat 7-yard burst in which he beat the cornerback to the corner on the right side. "As you continue to play and gain experience, you get better and better at what you do," said Mendenhall, who has 242 yards in his past two starts for injured Willie Parker. Things might have gotten even more interesting at the end had Clark not stopped one Detroit drive by intercepting a Culpepper pass and had Jason Hanson not missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt, both in the third quarter. Hanson kicked two field goals from 46 yards in the first half to go with James' interception return for a touchdown as the Lions trailed, 21-13, at the intermission. The Steelers went up when Wallace broke open so fast and so deep that Roethlisberger's pass to the rookie speedster was slightly under thrown. Wallace, who sped past James, caught the ball at the 1 and tumbled into the end zone on the 47-yard play. "I hesitated throwing it," Roethlisberger said. "I was looking for a safety. I said 'He can't be this open.' That's why it was a little underthrown, I was so surprised." Despite throwing an interception for a score, Roethlisberger had another good day in a string of them this season. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 277 yards and a passer rating. He would have had another touchdown toss -- and the game might have been a blowout -- except Wallace dropped a pass when he was wide open at the Detroit 28 in the second quarter. The play might have gone for 71 yards had Wallace held on to the ball. Two plays later, James intercepted Roethlisberger's pass for a Detroit touchdown and instead of 21-6 it was in the second quarter. "I still think about it," Wallace said in the locker room. "I could have given our team a [big] lead and the next play he picked it off, so I figured it was all my fault. We have to make sure we catch them." The Lions managed 335 yards of offense to the Steelers' 344. Detroit did it by converting 11 of 18 third downs, many of them long ones. They also beat the Steelers at another part of their game, time of possession. Detroit ran 15 more plays and had the ball for 5 more minutes than the Steelers. But there was no complete meltdown, just a finishing blitz by a defense that had almost forgotten that part of its arsenal. "Guys just wanted to get home," Clark said. For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on October 12, 2009 at 12:00 am

28 Mendenhall leads Steelers past Chargers Page 1 of 2 10/5/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Mendenhall leads Steelers past Chargers Running back rushes for 165 yards, 2 TDs, in proving his worth Monday, October 05, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Rashard Mendenhall scores against the Chargers in the second quarter last night at Heinz Field. Rashard Mendenhall spent last week on the bench, demoted by his coach because he did not know his assignments. Last night, Mendenhall saved the Steelers' offense and perhaps his team's season when he rushed for 165 yards, two touchdowns and delivered on a final scoring drive that staved off a lightning comeback by the San Diego Chargers. Mendenhall ran for 35 yards on a 51-yard drive that ended with Jeff Reed's 46-yard field goal with 43 seconds left to preserve the Steelers' victory. At one time the Steelers led by four touchdowns only to see the Chargers close to within one in yet another poor fourthquarter showing by their defense. Nevertheless, they snapped a two-game losing streak to even their record at 2-2, one game behind co-leaders Cincinnati and Baltimore in the AFC North Division. "He played a good game," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Mendenhall, who had only 103 career rushing yards entering last night. "He had a good week's practice. I'm not going to take any credit for that." Mendenhall, starting for the first time since his shoulder was broken in the fourth game of last season, combined with the pinpoint passing of Ben Roethlisberger to guide the Steelers to leads of 21-0 at the half and 28-0 in the third quarter before the Chargers stunned the Heinz Field crowd with quick scores in the fourth quarter that closed the margin to one touchdown with 4:31 to go. Two touchdowns came on a strip of Steelers punt returner Stephan Logan and after a successful onside kick by the Chargers. "We never make it easy, it seems," tackle Willie Colon said. Roethlisberger threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, and Mewelde Moore caught one and passed for another as the Steelers achieved the kind of balance on offense they long have sought. Tight end Heath Miller caught two touchdown passes and Hines Ward had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season. "It was a great day for the offense as a whole," Mendenhall said. "The offensive line did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage all game." With starter Willie Parker out with turf toe, Mendenhall resurrected a run game that ranked 27th in the NFL entering the season. Mendenhall scored his second touchdown in the first half, powering up the middle for 2 yards with 1:28 before halftime. He scored from the 1in the first quarter. Making only his second NFL start, Mendenhall turned in a fabulous first half with two short touchdowns runs, 80 yards

29 Mendenhall leads Steelers past Chargers Page 2 of 2 10/5/2009 rushing, one catch for 20 yards, many broken tackles and two knockout blows on blocks. The Steelers' first-round draft pick in 2008 answered many questions that have swarmed around him the past two seasons. "He ran hard and he hit the holes hard," Colon said. Mendenhall scored his first NFL touchdown from the 1 with 11:49 left in the first quarter. He ran hard on three consecutive plays from the 14, picking up 9, 4 and the final 1 for a 7-0 lead. The Steelers threw a few wrinkles into their offense on that drive. Center/guard Doug Legursky lined up at fullback and Mendenhall ran behind his block into the end zone. Earlier, Logan lined up at wide receiver. Roethlisberger came out throwing on that 79-yard drive, opening the game with three consecutive passes with the best being a 35-yarder to rookie receiver Mike Wallace. Their next drive covered 75 yards and it began with four consecutive running plays by Mendenhall and ended with a touchdown pass of 19 yards from Roethlisberger to Moore. Roethlisberger beat an all-out blitz by seven Chargers by flipping the pass to Moore, wide open in the left flat. Moore then powered through two Chargers near the goal line for the score that put the Steelers in front, 14-0, with 4:08 let in the first half. Their third touchdown came on their fourth drive of the half, and this one covered 79 yards on 13 plays. The biggest -- certainly the brassiest -- play of that drive came when Tomlin ordered his offense to go on fourth-and-1 at their 30. Roethlisberger made his coach look good, gaining 3 yards on a quarterback sneak. Another key play on the drive came when Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie intercepted Roethlisberger but was called for holding receiver Santonio Holmes on the play. That gave the Steelers a first down. Tight end Heath Miller caught a 12 yards pass to the 2 but fumbled and newly signed fullback Carey Davis recovered. Mendenhall then plowed up the middle for the score and a 21-0 lead. The Steelers were quicker on their next drive, covering 81 yards in eight plays. The drive ended with Miller catching a 6- yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. It was the Steelers' fifth drive of the night and their fourth touchdown for a 28-0 lead. San Diego finally broke the ice with a third-quarter touchdown pass of 3 yards from Philip Rivers to tight end Antonio Gates, who caught nine passes for 124 yards. Matching the lightning bolts on their helmets, the Chargers scored again in quick and unique fashion. The Steelers forced them to punt from their 11, and Logan fielded the ball cleanly. However, as he was swarmed by a handful of Chargers, fumbled and Jacob Hester recovered and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. Just like that it was with 12:37 left to play. The Steelers scored again with 7:18 to go to seemingly take a comfortable lead, But the electrified Chargers were not done. They moved 67 yards in a minute-and-a half to score on a 30-yard pass from Rivers to Gates with 5:48 left. That cut the margin to They then recovered an onside kick that went through the hands of Ryan Mundy and moved 54 yards on three plays, scoring on a 13-yard pass from Rivers to Chris Chambers. That made it with 4:31 to go. But Mendenhall and finally Reed put the game away. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on October 5, 2009 at 12:35 am

30 Bengals stun Steelers with last-minute TD - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 9/28/2009 Bengals stun Steelers with last-minute TD By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 28, 2009 CINCINNATI During a first half that the Steelers dominated, Bengals fans cheered sarcastically after a couple of plays in which Cincinnati gained yardage. By the end of an AFC North game that left the defending Super Bowl champions in third place in their division and searching for answers following another come-from-ahead loss those same fans were raucously chanting "Who dey?" as they filed out of Paul Brown Stadium. Carson Palmer threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left Sunday, and that propelled the Bengals past the Steelers, The Bengals overcame 13-0 and 20-9 deficits in snapping an eight-game home losing streak to the Steelers in front of 64,538. Cincinnati never led until after Palmer had Roethlisbergered the Steelers by marching the Bengals 72 yards on 16 plays for the winning touchdown. The Bengals (2-1) twice converted on fourth down during the drive, including on fourth- and-10 from the Steelers' 15 with 36 seconds left. Running back Brian Leonard, who had to battle just to make Cincinnati's team, got enough of a step on Steelers linebacker James Farrior to pick up 11 yards after hauling in a short pass. Two plays later, Caldwell corralled the pass that sealed the Steelers' fate. The Steelers (1-2), who are under.500 for the first time since Mike Tomlin took over as coach, will try to rebound Sunday when they host the San Diego Chargers in an 8:20 p.m. game. "I feel like the game's my fault," said Farrior, who is a defensive captain. "I stop the guy on fourth down, and the game's over, and we're not even talking about this. I can take responsibility for this." Alas, for the Steelers, there was plenty of blame to go around. An offense that came out of the locker room humming twice had to settle for short-field Jeff Reed field goals in the first half after it had driven inside Cincinnati's 5-yard line. It also let the Bengals back in the game when a miscommunication between

31 Bengals stun Steelers with last-minute TD - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 9/28/2009 quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes early in the third quarter resulted in an easy interception by cornerback Johnathan Joseph and a 30-yard return for a touchdown. The Steelers outgained the Bengals by 100 yards, dominated the time of possession and led comfortably for most of the game. Yet, after the game, players such as outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and right tackle Willie Colon sat on stools in front of their lockers wearing blank stares as they tried to process what had happened to a team that had owned Cincinnati. "That's two games we should have won," said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, also alluding to a loss to the Bears on Sept. 20. "It was more about what we didn't do than what the other team did. We're just not finding ways to finish teams off." A dropped touchdown pass by Limas Sweed in the third quarter helped keep the Bengals in the game. And just as the Bears had done the previous week, the Bengals had their way with the Steelers' defense in the fourth quarter. Palmer led two touchdown drives in the final 15 minutes, leading to questions of whether a veteran defense wore down in the fourth quarter. "That will never be an excuse," Tomlin said. "The reality is, we better be fresh relative to our opponents. We just have to make critical plays at critical moments. We have people who are capable of doing that." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

32 Steelers blow 20-9 lead in 4th quarter Page 1 of 2 9/28/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers blow 20-9 lead in 4th quarter A dropped TD pass, a tactical error and a miscommunication set the stage for stunning loss Monday, September 28, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette The Steelers' Willie Parker is upended by the Bengals' Keith Rivers yesterday. Parker carried the ball 25 times for 93 yards and caught a touchdown pass. CINCINNATI -- Mike Tomlin and his players preached it so often this year, and yesterday it hit home to the Steelers as rudely as bird droppings on their Lombardi Trophy. If their loss in the fourth quarter in Chicago the week before did not do it, the bigger collapse yesterday in a place they have owned since they built Paul Brown Stadium might have turned the trick. There was plenty of soul-searching in what traditionally had been a jubilant visitors' locker room for the Steelers here the past decade, and it came after the Bengals stunned them with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a victory. The loss snapped the Steelers' eight-game winning streak here, and it was the second time they had lost here in the 10-year history of the stadium. "It's just a numbing feeling right now," offensive tackle Willie Colon said, speaking for virtually all in his locker room. This is not last season. Last season, they won a Super Bowl; last season, they won games in the fourth quarter; last season, they did not blow big leads in the final minutes. No, this season looks nothing like their last one as they tumbled to 1-2, smacking the Bengals all over the ring only to look up and find themselves on the floor at the end, knocked out by a team they had beaten in 15 of their past 19 meetings. "We don't need what transpired out there to let us know it's a new season," Tomlin said. "I don't want to make this a habit, but it appears to be for the second week. We've got some work to do. We have to finish games better." If the Steelers fail to win the AFC North Division -- and they now trail Baltimore (3-0) by two games and Cincinnati (2-1) by one -- they can look back at this one with regret. They not only blew a 20-9 lead, they failed to extend it when they not only had the Bengals on the ropes but had them tied around their necks. PG graphic: Tough start for Steelers Cincinnati won it with two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes. Cedric Benson ran 23 yards for a touchdown with 9:14 to go to cut the lead to and Carson Palmer tossed a 4-yard pass to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left to win it. But the seeds for this loss came much earlier. Tomlin blamed "the details" on their loss. He could have described them as blunders. Consider:

33 Steelers blow 20-9 lead in 4th quarter Page 2 of 2 9/28/2009 Instead of punting late in the second quarter with a 13-0 lead, Tomlin opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 at Cincinnati's 35. A pass failed and, with 1:06 to go, the Bengals had enough time to set up Shayne Graham's 34-yard field goal to crack the ice. At the time, the Steelers had 258 yards to the Bengals' 91. On the first drive of the second half, Santonio Holmes ran the wrong way and Ben Roethlisberger threw the right way, but cornerback Johnathan Joseph was there and not Holmes and he intercepted and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, the down-and-out Bengals were back in it at 20-15, even if they did botch the extra point. "A miscommunication," both Tomlin and Roethlisberger described it, not wanting to put the finger on their wide receiver. Limas Sweed, who caught his first pass of the season earlier, dropped a 34-yard touchdown pass, all alone in the end zone. Jeff Reed followed by missing a 52-yard field-goal attempt wide to the left. "You saw what I saw," Tomlin said. "He dropped it." Those dirty details apparently surfaced long before kickoff. Rashard Mendenhall did not play on offense. He was punished by Tomlin, who explained that "Rashard wasn't on his details this week, so I chose not to play him on offense." If they keep paying attention to detail like that, they could make their 2006 Super Bowl hangover look like a party. "I'm at critical red, state of red," Colon said, when asked what the state of urgency is for this team. "We have to get going now. "We have to finish games. We're not doing the little things, and it's catching up to us. If we don't change, it's going to be a rotten season." The strange part is they were beginning to do the things they had not done in the first two games. Willie Parker ran 25 times for 93 yards and caught a 27-yard pass for a touchdown. Roethlisberger, who completed 22 of 31 for 276 yards, was sacked just once and scored another touchdown on a 1-yard sneak. Reed, who missed both field-goal tries in a three-point defeat in Chicago, made his first two, although from only 19 and 24 yards when the offense stalled again. After one quarter and change, it looked ridiculously easy with the Steelers on top, They outgained the Bengals, 152 yards to minus-10 and never punted until the fourth quarter. But the field goal at the end of the half and the pick-six touchdown at the beginning of the next one breathed life into the Bengals, and the more details the Steelers let go, the more Palmer and Cincinnati got into a groove. "Hanging in there was obviously a test for the guys," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, embracing one of his bigger regularseason victories. "We didn't get off to a good start.... We kind of dug ourselves in a hole." That turned out OK on a day in which men dressed in black and gold extended their hands and helped rescue the Bengals. For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on September 28, 2009 at 12:00 am

34 Steelers mistakes cost them in a grizzly loss Page 1 of 2 9/21/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers mistakes cost them in a grizzly loss Reed misses two FG attempts, Holmes drops passes Monday, September 21, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette photos Kicker Jeff Reed hangs his head as he walks off the field after missing his second field goal of the game against the Bears yesterday in Chicago. CHICAGO -- There have been worse performances in Chicago. Dillinger, Daley in '68, St. Valentine's Day, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. Approaching that infamy, though, are the Steelers of the past 75 years. They came here to play a game for the 13th time since 1934 and came away with their 12th loss. This one had to hurt the deepest for them because of how they lost, 17-14, on Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining. Both teams now have 1-1 records. Gould did what Jeff Reed could not; he kicked the ball through the uprights in the fourth quarter. Reed had two chances in the final 11:37 and missed both wide to the left. "Of course this is uncharacteristic of him," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "He just kicked the game-winner in overtime last week, and that's what we're used to. We aren't used to what happened with him today." Reed's first miss came from 38 yards out when he seemed to slip slightly on new, bad turf made worse by rain. The Steelers were ahead by seven at the time. Reed's second miss occurred with 3:18 to go and the score tied, It came from 43 yards out and it appeared as if Reed tried to adjust by taking choppy steps on his approach, but the result was the same. The Bears took over at their 33 and drove against last year's top defense to the Steelers' 26, and Gould knocked home the winner. "There's no excuse," said Reed, who insisted he did not slip on the soggy field. "I missed two kicks and basically what it was, I was trying too hard on both of them. That's what happens to a right-footed kicker -- you hook them. "I'm just embarrassed because these guys fought their tail off to win the game. If there's one player who can single-handedly lose a game, I'll take credit for it." No, he had company. Santonio Holmes dropped what would have been two big catches along the sideline. He appeared to drop a perfectly thrown pass over his shoulders from Ben Roethlisberger in the end zone on third down before Reed's final miss. Holmes said cornerback Charles Tillman slightly deflected it.

35 Steelers mistakes cost them in a grizzly loss Page 2 of 2 9/21/2009 "He tipped it just enough," said Holmes, who acknowledged that wet balls might have contributed to the many drops on both sides. "You had to fight the elements. The rain did play a big part. You have to be professional about it." There also was the matter of the Steelers' defense, which not only allowed the Bears their winning drive at the end, but also a touchdown drive of 97 yards to tie the score, 7-7, with 19 seconds left in the first half. In between, there was a second Chicago touchdown drive of 72 yards to tie it, 14-14, with 6:21 left. Quarterback Jay Cutler, unpopular in Chicago after his four interceptions contributed to Green Bay's victory in the Bears' opener, accounted for both of his team's touchdowns with passes of 6 yards to tight end Kellen Davis and 7 yards to rookie wide receiver Johnny Knox. Cutler did not throw an interception and was sacked just once. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 236 yards on a day in which the Steelers held Matt Forte to 29 yards on 13 carries and the Bears just 43 yards rushing. "I thought Jay Cutler was very good with the football," Tomlin said. "In the face of pressure, he made very good decisions." Roethlisberger could have had a day as equal if Holmes had come down with the pass in the end zone and if he had not been hit when he threw an interception that was caught at the Chicago 5 in the first half. He completed 23 of 35 throws for 221 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. That play capped a 92-yard drive. Roethlisberger also scored the Steelers' second touchdown on a 2-yard bootleg in the third quarter for a 14-7 lead. That drive came courtesy of Rashard Mendenhall. The second-year back had his first signature moment in the NFL, his broken shoulder in the fourth game of his rookie season aside. Mendenhall ran 39 yards to the Chicago 2 to set up Roethlisberger's go-ahead touchdown. Earlier in that drive, Mendenhall fell down as he caught a pass thrown behind him in the flat, got up, ran the other way and ended up gaining 13 yards on the broken play. The Steelers were more productive on the ground yesterday than they were in the opener. They had 105 yards rushing and a 4.8-yard-per-carry average. Willie Parker had 47 yards and Mendenhall had 39 on three carries. "I'd rather run for no yards and win," Tomlin said. That is something the Steelers historically do not do in Chicago, where they last played in 1995, and came away with their only victory in this city. But then, they also do not often lose these types of close games. "Usually, we find a way to pull it out at the end," defensive end Aaron Smith said. "Unfortunately for us, they pulled it out." It looked at one point as if Roethlisberger would add to his 20 career winning drives when the Steelers' offense moved to the 25 to set up Reed. His 33-yard field goal in overtime beat Tennessee in the opener and was his ninth career winner. It's the first time Reed missed two field goals since Sept. 26, 2004, at Miami. He also did it twice in "It was a tough one today," linebacker James Farrior said. "We could have made some plays when we were supposed to, we just didn't. Chicago's got a good team and just hung in there to the end. That's usually what we do." For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on September 21, 2009 at 12:00 am

36 Steelers pull out overtime win versus Titans Page 1 of 2 9/11/2009 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers pull out overtime win versus Titans Roethlisberger leads comeback for tying and winning field goals Friday, September 11, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Steelers kicker Jeff Reed is congratulated by punter Daniel Sepulveda after kicking the winning field goal against the Titans in overtime last night at Heinz Field. The Steelers' offense went from Super Bowl hangover to Super Bowl repeat all in one game last night as Ben Roethlisberger and Co. overcame early lethargy to beat the Tennessee Titans, 13-10, in overtime at Heinz Field. There was no dramatic, winning pass as in Super Bowl XLIII, just plenty of them by Roethlisberger on a night in which he had virtually no support on the ground. The victory in the NFL opener was delivered on the first drive of overtime, after the Steelers won the coin toss. Jeff Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10:28 left. Roethlisberger, who had a rickety first half, responded with a big second half and overtime. He completed 5 of 7 passes on the winning drive, including a 22-yarder to rookie Mike Wallace at the Titans' 15 that set up Reed's winner. "We're not where we want to be," said receiver Hines Ward, whose lost fumble at the 4 in the final minute of regulation forced the overtime. "But it is a great way we responded in overtime." It was the 18th regular-season comeback victory for Roethlisberger in a final period, and the eighth time Reed has won with a late kick in the regular season, ninth overall. On a night in which the Steelers managed only 36 yards rushing, Roethlisberger, completed 33 of 43 passes for 363 yards and had two receivers with more than 100 yards. Santonio Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown in the first period; Ward had eight for 103. The victory did not come without cost, however. Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu left the game for good late in the second quarter with a MCL sprain to his left knee that coach Mike Tomlin said likely will keep him out between three and six weeks. "We were not a perfect team by any stretch," Tomlin said. "But it was good to maybe learn some lessons with a 'W.' We were fortunate to get it because that is a good football team.... Hopefully, we will learn some lessons so the road will be a little less bumpy next time." Willie Parker led the Steelers with 19 yards rushing on 13 tries. The Steelers were poised to win the game in the final minute of regulation when Roethlisberger completed a 30-yard pass to Ward at the Titans' 4 with the score tied. But as Ward, in typical fashion, fought for more yards, safety Michael Griffin stripped the ball out of his hands and linebacker Stephen Tullock recovered with 51 seconds left. The Titans, though, contributed to their own demise. Former Pro Bowl kicker Rob Bironas missed one field goal and had another blocked, and Polamalu intercepted a Kerry Collins pass at the Steelers' 5 in the first half. For much of that first half, the offense looked listless, managing12 yards rushing and Roethlisberger, who threw two