Steelers football blog

Scobee's last-minute FG helps Jags top Steelers, 31-29

In the annals of heartbreaking losses in Pittsburgh sports history, this one will rank up there (or down) with any of them. The Steelers rallied from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit but couldn't hang onto a late lead in a 31-29 loss Saturday night to the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC wild-card game before 63,629 at Heinz Field.

Ben Roethlisberger shook off three first-half interceptions and brought the Steelers back with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. But just as when the Jaguars won in Pittsburgh on Dec. 16, the Steelers couldn't stop Jacksonville when they needed to most. David Garrard, making his first playoff start, drove the Jaguars for a late field goal after the Steelers failed to get a first down on a late possession and then gave Jacksonville a short field.Garrard rambled for 32 yards on a fourth-and-2 from the Steelers' 43 with just under two minutes left in the game. Continue

Ravens rough up Steelers, 27-21

The first three-plus quarters were a comedy of errors befitting a team that had lost nine consecutive games, not one that had already clinched a division title. A valiant comeback in the last eight minutes wasn't enough to fully erase the mistakes the Steelers made in the preceding 52 minutes of their regular-season finale Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

What their 27-21 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in front of 71,353 means in regard to the playoffs depends on one's vantage point. The Steelers, who play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC wild-card game at 8 p.m. Saturday, wouldn't have improved their postseason position even had backup quarterback Charlie Batch fully brought them back from a 27-7 deficit. Continue

Steelers lose Parker, beat Rams, 41-24

The Steelers finally won a crucial game on the road, but their 41-24 victory over St. Louis last night also was a costly one. Willie Parker left the game after his first carry with a broken right fibula, ending his season. He was the NFL's leading rusher entering the next-to-last game and was named Tuesday to his second Pro Bowl.

Najeh Davenport replaced Parker and had his best game in his two seasons with the Steelers. He ran for 123 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns, one running and one receiving. Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, his other two going to Nate Washington. The Steelers' quarterback compiled the second perfect passer rating of this season at 158.3 and third of his career. Continue

Jaguars, Taylor run to win on wintry day

Steelers football returned to Heinz Field yesterday. They ran the ball and imposed their will on the opponent, used play-fakes to their advantage, kept the ball interminably, protected their quarterback and put a beating on the other quarterback. And they won a game with a late touchdown drive near the end.

But it wasn't the Steelers doing that; it was the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, who looked more like a team wearing black and gold than the home club. Fred Taylor ran for 147 of Jacksonville's 224 yards as the Jaguars ran out to a big lead and pulled it out at the end after a furious fourth-quarter Steelers comeback. Continue

Speechless: Patriots do all the talking, 34-13

There is but one guarantee worth making in the NFL these days: Tom Brady is as good as gold. Brady threw four touchdown passes and 399 yards as the New England Patriots yesterday snuffed out what was supposed to be the last, best regular-season challenge to their perfect record with a 34-13 spanking of the Steelers at Gillette Stadium.

That's 13-0 and counting, and Brady and the Patriots seemed to enjoy rubbing it into the faces of the Steelers and their cocky free safety, Anthony Smith, who guaranteed a victory in this game. Smith got into a jawing match with Brady early and was on the butt end of his two biggest touchdown passes as the Patriots blew open a close game in the second half. Continue

Steelers survive turnovers, beat Bengals

The turnover-prone Steelers did everything they could to give away a key AFC North game Sunday night. In the end, a defense that lived up to its top billing wouldn't let them. The defense kept the Steelers in the game early and bailed them out in the second half when Willie Parker developed an acute case of fumble-itis and the offense committed three turnovers. As a result, the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-10, before 58,842 and a national TV audience.

The Steelers, who swept the season series against the Bengals for the first time since 2004, improved to 9-3 and took a commanding lead in the AFC North. The Steelers essentially lead the second-place Browns (7-5) by three games with four to play since they have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland. Continue

Wash out: Reed's field goal just enough for win

Playing on a football field that at times looked like a fourth river, the Steelers fought through rain, wind, muck and the winless Dolphins eight times to get into Miami territory last night without scoring a point.

And on their ninth and final time, Jeff Reed mercifully sent a 24-yard field-goal try through the uprights with 17 seconds left to save everyone from watching and playing any more. Reed's score pulled out a 3-0 victory for the Steelers on a night in which it appeared someone might pull out a carp at the 25-yard line. It was the lowest-scoring Steelers victory in club history. Continue

Jets upset Steelers, 19-16, in OT

It looks like using Steelers and Super Bowl in the same sentence turned out to be as premature as going shopping for Christmas -- Christmas of 2008, that is. The Steelers played their worst game under first-year coach Mike Tomlin, losing 19-16 in overtime to the lowly New York Jets Sunday at the Meadowlands. Inside a hushed Steelers locker room, the players did come to a consensus on one thing: they put forth a team effort. Unfortunately for the Steelers (7-3), it was hardly the kind of effort Tomlin had hoped to see. Continue

Steelers defeat Browns, 31-28

The Steelers rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat the Browns, 31-28, in a wild AFC North showdown today at Heinz Field. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the comeback as he again shined for the Steelers, who beat the Browns for the ninth-straight time despite atrocious special-teams play. Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, his 30-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave the Steelers their first lead of the game. Continue

Harrison, Roethlisberger studs in victory

Ben Roethlisberger tied a Steelers record with five touchdown passes and linebacker James Harrison looked like Greg Lloyd and Jack Ham rolled into one as the Steelers humbled the Baltimore Ravens, 38-7, last night in Heinz Field. Roethlisberger left the game briefly in the third quarter with a hip injury when linebacker Terrell Suggs shoved him out of bounds after he completed a pass. Charlie Batch replaced him, but Roethlisberger returned to start the fourth quarter after missing just six plays.

Roethlisberger handed off twice and was sacked on that series and coach Mike Tomlin sent Batch back in with 11:37 to go and the Steelers leading by 31. Wearing their throwback jerseys and playing before their 75th season all-time team, the Steelers ran out to a 35-7 halftime lead and sat on the Ravens the rest of the way. Continue

Steelers win in Cincinnati again, 24-13

This being the Steelers' 75th season and one in which the franchise is celebrating any and all manner of tradition, Mike Tomlin took part Sunday in what officially qualifies as a black-and-gold ritual: tormenting the Bengals on their home turf.

The Steelers won their seventh consecutive game over the Bengals here, building a comfortable halftime lead and then holding on for a 24-13 win in front of a record crowd at Paul Brown Stadium. The win didn't just extend the Steelers' dominance of the Bengals in Cincinnati -- something that has to be a considerable source of angst to Bengals fans -- it also kept them a game ahead of the Ravens and the surging Browns in the AFC North. Continue

Broncos surprise Steelers

When the Steelers arrived in Denver late Saturday afternoon, temperatures were in the high 70s. They awoke the Sunday morning to find the streets and sidewalks outside their downtown hotel covered with snow. Weather apparently isn’t the only thing that can change drastically in Denver.

Looking nothing like the team that had lost three consecutive games and been embarrassed at home just two weeks earlier, Denver held off the mistake-prone Steelers, 31-28, in front of an announced of 72,932 at INVESCO Field at Mike High and a national TV audience. Continue

Steelers dominate Seahawks, 21-0

The Steelers introduced the only coach to win four Super Bowls before the start of Sunday's game. Then they treated Chuck Noll to the kind of performance he grew accustomed to seeing in the 1970s when he helped build the Steelers into a dynasty.

The Steelers pounded Seattle offensively, defensively and ultimately into submission in a 21-0 pasting of the Seahawks in front of 64,478 at Heinz Field. Willie Parker gained 85 of his game-high 102 yards in the second half, Ben Roethlisberger turned in a near-flawless performance and the defense played as if it were anything but short-handed. Continue

Cardinals upset Steelers, 21-14

After making it look so easy in winning their first three games, the Steelers made the execution of basics look so difficult against the Arizona Cardinals, and they lost for the first time this season.

The Steelers' offense did almost nothing save for a 43-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes until late in the game and their special teams gave up a punt return for a touchdown. Steve Breaston's 58-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals a lead they never relinquished as Arizona beat the Steelers, 21-14, at University of Phoenix. Continue

Steelers deliver Niner knockout

He gathered in the kick near his end zone and started to his left. Allen Rossum spied a huge opening to his right and flashed through it. Not one 49ers player touched Rossum during his 98-yard kickoff return, which resulted in a touchdown and limited the only time the Steelers have trailed this season to 12 seconds.

Untouched is pretty much what the Steelers are after they won another game they were supposed to win and again did so in impressive fashion. The Steelers improved to 3-0 Sunday with a 37-16 thumping of San Francisco in front of 64,313 at Heinz Field. Continue

Steelers steamroll Bills in 26-3 win

While it couldn't be confirmed that the Buffalo Bills actually showed up for the game Sunday at Heinz Field, Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison sure showed for it. Twice, in fact. Harrison had a sack in the first half and seemed to be all over the field. He returned to the Steelers' sideline in full uniform after halftime -- less than 10 minutes after he was strapped to a headboard and carted off the field with a neck injury in what proved to be the tensest moment for Steelers fans Sunday afternoon.

"I think they hid his helmet or something, so he couldn't get back on the field," outside linebacker Clark Haggans said, "because if he would have had his helmet and his gloves, he would have been out there, no questions asked." A balanced offense and suffocating defense led to a 26-3 victory over the overmatched Bills.  Continue

Steelers hammer Browns, 34-7

The Steelers beat the Browns today, making for a successful head coaching debut for Mike Tomlin. They also beat up their archrivals, extending their winning streak to eight games in the rivalry that has become one-sided.

Ben Roethlisberger threw a career-high four touchdown passes, and the visiting defense made life miserable for the Browns' offense, quarterbacks Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson in particular, in the Steelers' 34-7 victory. Fans started making their way to the exits at Cleveland Browns Stadium early in the fourth quarter when the skies opened up. The game was over long before that. Continue

Roethlisberger, Parker overcome turnovers to pace victory against Eagles, 27-13

Coach Mike Tomlin put Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger to work last night, and the results were mixed. The Steelers' two offensive stars responded to early mistakes with their most productive games this preseason as the Steelers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field, 27-13.

The victory gave Tomlin a 3-1 record in his first preseason with one to go. The Eagles fell to 1-2. In just two quarters of play, Roethlisberger threw for 247 yards, 73 more than in his first three games combined. Parker ran 10 times and caught three passes for 72 total yards in his most extensive playing time since last season. Continue

Steelers' OT victory knocks Cincinnati out of the playoffs

The Steelers gave Bill Cowher a parting gift yesterday, one he won't have to return if he surprises them and decides to come back as their coach.The Steelers' long, disappointing Super Bowl reign ended on a glum, rainy New Year's Eve with a 23-17 overtime victory that left them and the Cincinnati Bengals right where they ended last season -- deadlocked in the AFC North Division.

At 8-8 each, though, two of the preseason Super Bowl favorites ended short of the playoffs. For Cincinnati, the final blow came when rookie Santonio Holmes caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger on the third play of overtime to win it for the Steelers. Continue

Playoff hopes dashed as Ravens' defense stuffs Steelers again

Baltimore embarrassed the Steelers a month ago. Yesterday, the Ravens put them out of their misery, wrapping them in a bright package and sacking them from playoff contention.

The Ravens won easily, 31-7, at Heinz Field for their first sweep of this semiannual game since the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996. It officially eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions from playoff contention with a 7-8 record and one game left on New Year's Eve in Cincinnati. Baltimore, which clinched the AFC North Division last week, is 12-3. Continue

Steelers pound Panthers to even record at 7-7

The Steelers blocked a punt and Santonio Holmes returned another for a touchdown on the way to a 37-3 rout of the Carolina Panthers this afternoon. Holmes returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter after a penalty against Carolina nullified his lost fumble on the previous play, also a punt return.

After rookie safety Anthony Smith intercepted his second pass in two games, the Steelers sent quarterback Charlie Batch into the game for Ben Roethlisberger and also sat down halfback Willie Parker, who had his first 100-yard game on the road this season. Parker ran 23 times for 132 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown. Continue

Parker's record-setting footsteps lead to 27-7 Steelers' win

The Steelers gave the Cleveland Browns more incentive for next season when they hung them like a cold ham in a frozen Heinz Field meat locker last night. The final score was 27-7, and a lot worse for the Browns than it looked.

The licking was reminiscent of the 41-0 number the Steelers put on the Browns last Christmas Eve in Cleveland . Several weeks ago, the Browns pointed to that beating as an inspiration to them before they met the Steelers Nov. 19. The Steelers staged a fourth-quarter comeback to win that game, 24-20."This was almost worse than that because we really dominated them today," linebacker Joey Porter said, comparing the win last night to the one on Christmas Eve. "We ran the ball any time we wanted to. We had them sucked in so much we could have play-actioned any time we wanted to, but we were just gong to run the ball, and they knew we were going to run the ball and they still couldn't stop us. Continue

Steelers bounce back with 20-3 victory vs. Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved almost perfect foils for a week-old gaping wound in the Steelers that opened in Baltimore. Yesterday, the Buccaneers dropped passes, their rookie quarterback threw three interceptions and overthrew receivers, and they took the unusual step of kicking a field goal on the final play of the game to avoid a shutout as the Steelers pasted Tampa Bay, 20-3, in Heinz Field. The Steelers' offense wasn't much better except, for a change, they avoided all but one turnover, a Ben Roethlisberger interception, and they did not have to play against their own defense. Continue

Ravens shut out Steelers, 27-0, Polamalu hurt

The Baltimore Ravens shut out the Steelers 27-0 today, dropping the defending Super Bowl champions record to 4-7. Baltimore leads the AFC North Division at 9-2. The Ravens racked up a team-record nine sacks and were plus-three in turnovers as they stuffed the Steelers. Linebacker Bart Scott stepped in front of Cedrick Wilson to pick off a Roethlisberger pass with about two minutes remaining to seal the shutout.

In his postgame press conference, head coach Bill Cowher revealed that All Pro safety Troy Polamalu has a "significant" knee injury. In a somber exchange with reporters, Cowher said the Steelers had "A very pitiful performance out there today." "Where we go from here is we've got to line up and play this thing out. It starts next week," Cowher said. continue

Steelers make last-minute comeback to beat Browns, 24-20

Ben Roethlisberger scrambled away from the pass rush and pitched a 4-yard touchdown pass to Willie Parker with 32 seconds left as the Steelers came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Browns, 24-20, today. The Steelers trailed by 10 points until Parker scored on a 1-yard run with 4:14 left.

The game ended when Cleveland's Charlie Frye threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone from his 22 and the ball was tipped into the air before finally falling incomplete. Muddied and battered, the Steelers shook off three earlier interceptions and a kickoff returned for a touchdown to beat the Browns. Continue

Steelers defeat Saints, 38-31

Willie Parker scored two fourth quarter touchdowns that followed two runs by him over 70 yards as the Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 38-31, at Heinz Field today. The Steelers sealed the victory when Saints receiver Terance Copper fumbled at the Steelers' 25 with 39 seconds left. Copper had caught a 30-yard pass but gave up the ball when he was hit by safety Tyrone Carter. Safety Ryan Clark recovered.

With the score tied, 24-24, near the end of the third quarter, Parker ran 72 yards to the Saints' 14. He then scored from the three on the first play of the fourth quarter. Parker did it again on the next series. He ran 76 yards around right end to the New Orleans four. After a time out, Parker scooted around left end for a 4-yard touchdown that put the Steelers' ahead by two touchdowns after they had blown a 14-point first quarter lead. Continue

Broncos win 31-20, end Steelers' playoff hopes

The Steelers' lost season continued today when the Denver Broncos exacted some small measure of revenge for their loss in the AFC championship game. Denver snuffed the Steelers and any remaining playoff hopes, 31-20, at Heinz Field today. It dropped their record to 2-6 with half the season left.

Turnovers were a problem again for the Steelers, who had six of them. Ben Roethlisberger threw three more interceptions, and three more came on lost fumbles by Santonio Holmes, Cedric Wilson and Hines Ward. Ward's came with 1:50 left after he caught a pass and was leaping into the end zone for what would have been an 11-yard touchdown. Linebacker Al Wilson hit Ward, causing the fumble. Continue

Steelers super slide continues as Big Ben throws 4 interceptions

Those headaches quarterback Ben Roethlisberger felt after his concussion last week spread to the rest of the Steelers as they continued their pratfall through the National Football League less than nine months after winning the Super Bowl.

Roethlisberger, knocked out of the game last week in Atlanta with a concussion, returned to have the worst game of his three-year NFL career yesterday. He threw a career-high four interceptions, two of them returned for Oakland's only touchdowns, as the underdog Raiders stunned the Steelers, 20-13, and left their season in shambles. Continue

Falcons beat Steelers in overtime, 41-38

The Atlanta Falcons erased an early deficit and beat the Steelers in overtime, 41-38, in a rollicking, back-and-forth monster of a football game at the Georgia Dome today. Morten Andersen, a 46-year-old left-footed kicker who came out of retirement earlier this year, booted a 32-yard field goal to win it for Atlanta. The Falcons won the coin toss to begin overtime, took the ball and drove to the winning field goal.

The loss dropped the Steelers record to 2-4.Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the game midway through the third quarter with an apparent concussion. He was taken to the locker room for observation and later, wearing sweats, joined his teammates on the sideline in time for the fourth quarter. Hines Ward caught three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his Steelers career, as did Atlanta tight end Alge Crumpler. Continue

Steelers, Roethlisberger snap out of their three-game funk in 45-7 win

The Steelers put the brakes on a three-game losing streak and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger emerged from the haze that has enveloped him since the Super Bowl as they hammered Kansas City, 45-7, at Heinz Field yesterday.

Their victory carried a bonus as both teams above them in the AFC North Division lost, drawing the Steelers (2-3) back into the thick of things with Baltimore (4-2) and Cincinnati (3-2)."We knew we needed this win," said halfback Willie Parker, who ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns. "We knew we needed to get back in the race. Everybody else lost, but we can't count on what they do, we can only count on what we do." Continue

Steelers fall to 1-3 after 23-13 loss

The Steelers' Super Bowl headache turned into a pounding migraine last night when they lost their third game in a row. The San Diego Chargers avenged a last-second loss to the Steelers at Qualcomm Stadium a year ago by coming back in the second half for a 23-13 victory. The setback was the second in which the Steelers lost a lead and dropped the defending Super Bowl champs to 1-3. Continue

Bengals steal one from Steelers

Rudi Johnson, the AFC's leading rusher, and Chad Johnson, arguably the AFC's premier wide receiver, didn't beat them. Neither did Carson Palmer, even though he looked surgical at times Sunday afternoon. And so the Steelers go into their bye week the worst way imaginable, knowing they largely beat themselves in a 28-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field.

The Bengals converted two fourth-quarter fumble recoveries into 14 quick points, overcoming Willie Parker's 133-yard, two-touchdown day and improving to 3-0. After falling behind, 28-17, the Steelers got a field goal and then mounted a last-gasp drive. They got to the Bengals' 16 before the drive ended, fittingly, with a turnover. Continue