Piczo

Steelers Win for the Six Pack

Steelers Win Superbowl 43

Steelers: 27  Cardinals:23

Quarter  1:

The Steelers came out of the gates strong, driving down the field on their opening drive. Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward at the 50-yard line and Ward broke free for a 38-yard gain to the Cardinals 32-yard line. Willie Parker rattled off a nine-yard run and added a one-yard carry for the first down. Roethlisberger went to the air again, connecting with Heath Miller at the one-yard line. On first-and-goal Gary Russell lost four yards, but Parker got them right back. Roethlisberger took it himself on third-and-goal for an apparent touchdown, but the Cardinals challenged the call and he was ruled down short of the goal line. Jeff Reed came on for a chip shot from 18 yards out to give the Steelers the 3-0 lead.

James Farrior stopped Edgerrin James for no gain on the Cardinals first offensive play, but Kurt Warner was then able to find Steve Breaston for a 10-yard gain to their 37-yard line. A holding call on the next play backed the Cardinals up to the 27-yard line. Warner fumbled the snap on the next play, but James came up with the recovery. The Cardinals weren’t able to get out of the hole they dug themselves, though, and were forced to punt.

Quarter 2:

Roethlisberger continued with the hot hand, hitting Santonio Holmes who turned it in to a 25-yard gain to the Cardinals 44-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Holmes again for five yards, but a false start on the next play wiped out the gain. On third-and-10 Roethlisberger worked his magic, escaping the pressure, getting free and then firing it across to field to Miller for an 11-yard gain. Roethlisberger went back to Miller for 11 yards before Parker went off right tackle for eight yards to the 14-yard line. A short gain by Parker and completion to Miller gave the Steelers a third-and-goal at the one-yard line. This time there would be no denying them as Gary Russell took it off right guard for the touchdown and 10-0 lead.

The Cardinals came marching back, though, with a key play in their drive a 45-yard completion to Anquan Boldin at the one-yard line. Warner hit Ben Patrick for the one-yard touchdown to pull the Cardinals within a field goal at 10-7.

Neither team was able to go anywhere on the next drive, but then the Cardinals got a huge break when Bryan Robinson tipped a Roethlisberger pass and Karlos Dansby intercepted it at the Steelers 33-yard line. The Steelers got pressure on Warner forcing two incomplete passes, but on third down Warner hit Tim Hightower for a first down. Warner kept it in the air with an 11-yard completion to Larry Fitzgerald for a 12-yard gain toe the 12-yard line. Boldin pulled in a seven-yard gain and added a four-yard gain to the one-yard line.

Just as the Cardinals were poised to at the very least tie the game going into the half, Harrison showed why he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year when he intercepted Warner at the goal line. Harrison, who was aided by blocks along the right sideline, returned it 100 yards for a touchdown as time ran out in the half for a 17-7 lead. The touchdown was the longest play in Super Bowl history.

Quarter 3:

The Cardinals came out in the second half and started to move the ball with a completion to Boldin and then three consecutive runs by James for a combined total of 19 yards. The defense shut the door fast, though, allowing just two short gains and then forcing an incompletion when Farrior got to Warner to force an incompletion.

Holmes pulled in a six-yard reception along the sideline, but a face mask call added another 15 yards. Roethlisberger kept things rolling with completions to Matt Spaeth for six yards and Ward for five. Roethlisberger had to get rid of the ball while under pressure, but was hit late on the play for a 15-yard penalty, giving the Steelers the ball on the Cardinals 35-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Holmes for 15 yards and Parker went off right tackle for 15 yards. The Steelers weren’t able to punch it into the end zone, and Reed came on for a 27-yard field goal, but the Cardinals were called for a personal foul when holder Mitch Berger was run over. The Steelers got a new set of downs, but still had to settle for a Reed field goal for a 20-7 lead with 2:16 to play in the third quarter.

The Cardinals weren’t going away, though. Warner engineered an impressive scoring drive, completing all eight of his pass attempts for the 87 yards of the scoring drive, which culminated in a one-yard touchdown reception by Fitzgerald to pull them within six at 20-14.

Things continued to go in the Cardinals favor when they pinned the Steelers back at their own one-yard line. On third down, center Justin Hartwig was called for holding in the end zone, resulting in a safety to close the gap to 20-16.

Quarter 4: 

The Cardinals made it count, when Fitzgerald caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Warner, to take their first lead of the game, 23-20.

The Steelers fought back, though, and Holmes scored the winning touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock.

____________________________________________________________

The Steelers made history when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII to win their sixth Super Bowl, the first team in NFL history to accomplish that.

Some last minute heroics by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes secured the win, when he scored the go ahead touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock.

Steelers Slideshow-Courtesy of the Steelers site

PITTSBURGH -- Willie Parker rushed for a game-best 146 yards with two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the AFC title game with a convincing 35-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an AFC Divisional matchup from Heinz Field.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 17-of-26 passes for 181 yards and a score for the Steelers (13-4), who will host the AFC Championship game next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens at 6:30 p.m.

By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

The Steelers once again rallied late for a huge come from behind win, defeating the Baltimore Ravens 13-9 to clinch a playoff berth and win the AFC North Title. The Steelers also secured a first-round bye with the win.  

The Steelers didn’t lead until there were just 50 seconds left in the game when Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a four-yard touchdown, the only one of the day scored by either team. 

“One thing is consistent, is when we need plays, when we have to move the ball, we have,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “Guys felt the urgency of the moment and didn’t want to let their teammates down. They played to win.”

A late rally attempt by the Ravens was shut down when William Gay intercepted Joe Flacco in the end zone.

 

The Ravens got a spark early on when Yamon Figures fielded the opening kickoff at the goal line, but returned it to the 39 yard line. They wouldn’t go much further, though. The Steelers defense made their mark early, stopping Le’Ron McClain for a one-yard gain and Willis McGahee for no gain. On third down Joe Flacco’s pass to McGahee was incomplete and it was a quick three-and-out.

 

The Steelers got the ball deep in their own territory at the seven-yard line, where Roethlisberger scrambled for nine yards to the 16-yard line to give them some breathing room. Willie Parker’s two-yard gain for a first down was negated when the Steelers were called for a delay of game. Parker got it right back with a five-yard gain, to give the Steelers third-and-one. Roethlisberger went to the air for the first time and found Hines Ward for an eight-yard gain. Roethlisberger went right back to Ward for four yards, but Nate Washington couldn’t pull one in on the right sideline. The crowd noise got to the Steelers again when Willie Colon was called for a false start as time was running off the play clock. On third-and-11 Roethlisberger connected with Heath Miller, but he came up short of the first down when he was stopped for only a six-yard gain.

McClain got the nod on the ground for the Ravens and responded with four and seven-yard carries. Flacco took it himself for a five-yard gain to give the Ravens a first down. The defense then shut the door, holding McClain to just three yards on three carries and forcing a punt.

 

Field position continued to not work in the Steelers favor as they got the punt at the seven-yard line and were backed up to the four when Mewelde Moore was called for a personal foul after calling for a fair catch and then throwing a block. Moore rattled off two five-yard carries and added a four-yard run off right end. But on third-and-six Holmes couldn’t hold on to what would have been a first down reception. 

In what everyone expected to be a defensive battle, it was the Steelers who would come up with the first big play of the game. On second-and-10 Flacco looked for Marcus Smith, but Ike Taylor tipped the pass and Ryan Clark came up with a leaping interception at the Steelers 33-yard line.

 

Going to work with their best field position of the day the offense got a spark from Washington when he pulled in a big third down reception and broke away from the defender to get the first down on an 18-yard gain. But they wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the turnover when Ray Lewis came on the blitz, sacking Roethlisberger for an eight-yard loss to force a punt.

Jim Leonhard fielded Mitch Berger’s 38-yard punt at the 11-yard line, hesitating before picking up the ball, but when he did broke loose for a 46-yard return to the Steelers 43-yard line. Flacco got the Ravens in scoring position with a 24-yard completion to Todd Heap at the 16-yard line. The Ravens were able to get to the 10-yard line, but the Steelers stopped them on third down. The Ravens had to settle for a 28-yard Matt Stover field goal for a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.

 

Roethlisberger completed a seven-yard pass to Sean McHugh and Parker went off right tackle for two yards to set up a tough third-and-one. Gary Russell surged up the middle for one-yard, and while the Ravens challenged the spot of the ball, it was upheld. Parker went off left end for four yards and Roethlisberger scrambled for a seven-yard gain for the first down. Roethlisberger took it to the air and hit Ward for a 21-yard gain. A holding call backed the Steelers up, but Washington came up with a key nine-yard reception. On third down Roethlisberger hit Miller for 17 yards to the Ravens 16-yard line. The Steelers got to the 12-yard line on a four-yard reception by Parker, but were stopped on third down. Jeff Reed tied the game at 3-3 when he hit a 31-yard field goal with 5:48 remaining in the half.

 

McClain got a workout with three consecutive runs for a combined 20 yards. Flacco then went to the air avoiding pressure and hitting Mark Clayton for 17 yards, following it with a 12-yard completion to Lorenzo Neal and nine-yarder to Derrick Mason to the 11-yard line. One again, though, the defense stepped up and Stover had to come on for a 26-yard field goal for a 6-3 lead at the half.

 

The Steelers got the ball to start the second half, but went a quick three and out. The Ravens wouldn’t go anywhere either, as Aaron Smith sacked Flacco for an 11-yard loss. Defense continued to be the story of the game on both sides, as they quickly exchanged possessions again.

 

Roethlisberger and the offense took over at their own one-yard line and went to the air to get out of the hole. Roethlisberger hit Holmes for a nine-yard gain, but he fumbled when hit and Ed Reed recovered for the Ravens at 21-yard line and returned it five yards. The Steelers were able to dodge a bullet though, holding the Ravens to 28-yard field goal by Stover to extend the lead to 9-3.

 

The Steelers got a huge break when Holmes fumbled a punt return, but Keyaron Fox recovered at their own 49-yard line and returned it 18 yards to the Ravens 33-yard line. On first down Roethlisberger scrambled for six yards and Moore added a three yard run. But on third-and-one, Roethlisberger was sacked Terrell Suggs, fumbled and Brandon McKinney recovered.

 

Once again, the defense came through, holding McClain and McGahee to three yards each and then Lawrence Timmons breaking up a third down pass attempt to Mason.

 

The offense got clicking when Parker went off left tackle for 10 yards and Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 30-yard gain. He went back to Ward on third down and he responded with a sliding catch for eight yards at the 15-yard line. Roethlisberger threw behind McHugh then hit Miller for three yards. Roethlisberger and Holmes couldn’t connect in the end zone on third down, but Reed closed the gap to 9-6 with a 30-yard field goal.

 

The Ravens offense came up with some big plays on their next drive, with a 19-yard completion to Clayton and 11-yarder to Mason.  But the biggest play of the drive came from the Steelers defense when Timmons sacked Flacco, forcing a fumble. McGahee recovered for the Ravens, but it took them out of field goal range and forced a punt. 

With 3:36 remaining on the clock the Steelers got to work from their own eight-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Ward for consecutive 13-yard completions out to the 34-yard line. Washington then got into the act with a 16-yard reception, followed by a nine-yard grab to the Ravens 41-yard line. On second and one Moore took it up the middle for three yards and the first down. Roethlisberger then hit Washington for 24 yards to the 14-yard line and hit Ward at the four-yard line. On third-and-four, Roethlisberger scrambled, and hit Holmes just across the goal line for the touchdown, putting the Steelers up 13-9 and securing the win.

Week 13:  Steelers vs. Eagles

Steelers: 33 Eagles: 10

FOXBORO, Ma. -- The Steelers battled the elements and the Patriots on Sunday in Foxboro. The game started with a steady rain as the Steelers tried to maintain their lead in the AFC North.

Ben Roethlisberger threw an early interception deep in Steelers territory, and the Patriots quickly converted a touchdown on a Sammy Morris run to take a 7-0 lead.

The Steelers drove down the field and were within scoring range, but failed to convert a 3rd and 1. Jeff Reed kicked a short field goal to make the score 7-3 New England.

In the second quarter, the Steelers gave up some yards, but managed to hold the Patriots to a field goal and a 10-3 lead over the Steelers.

With less than two minutes left in the half, Big Ben found Santonio Holmes in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.

The Patriots drove it down into the red zone, but Randy Moss dropped a pass in the end zone, and Stephen Gostkowski missed a short field goal, keeping the score 10-10 at halftime.

After stopping the Patriots at the start of the third quarter, the Steelers went on a methodical drive behind Mewelde Moore. But the Patriots held them inside the 10, and Jeff Reed kicked a field goal to put the Steelers on top 13-10.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Steelers recovered a Patriots fumble. Big Ben struck quickly, hitting Hines Ward for a touchdown to give Pittsburgh a 20-10 lead.

The Steelers defense came through again, forcing Matt Cassel to fumble the ball away. The Steelers turned that turnover into a field goal, and a 23-10 lead.

After a missed Jeff Reed field goal, the Steelers got the ball back on a Troy Polamalu interception. This time Jeff Reed made a 45-yard field goal to put the Steelers up 26-10.

With New England driving, Lawrence Timmons came up big, picking off Matt Cassel and returning it to the one yard line.

Gary Russell punched it in for the Steelers final score, 33-10.

Week 11: Steelers vs Chargers
Steelers: 11  Chargers: 10

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Sunday's contest against the Chargers at Heinz Field on a two-game losing streak at home.

But the Chargers have never won a regular season game in Pittsburgh.

Troy Polamalu made an incredible, one-handed diving interception early in the game. But Jeff Reed missed a 51-yard field goal on the next Steelers drive.

After a questionable interference call near the goal line, LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a short touchdown run to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead.

At the end of the first quarter, the Chargers defense stopped Mewelde Moore on 4th and inches at the goal line to end the first quarter with a 7-0 lead over the Steelers.

At the beginning of the second quarter, James Harrison got his 12th sack of the year, nailing Philip Rivers in the end zone, forcing a fumble that the Chargers recovered to hold the Steelers to a safety.

James Harrison came up with an interception late in the first half to stop the Chargers from adding to their lead.

Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to the 4 yard line, letting Jeff Reed kick a field goal as time ran out in the first half. The score at the end of the half was 7-5 Chargers.

The Steelers engineered a long drive to start the third quarter, but it eventually stalled. Jeff Reed kicked a 41-yard field goal to give the Steelers their first lead of the day, 8-7.

On their next possession, the Chargers drove down the field, but Nate Kaeding missed a 42-yard field goal, keeping the score at 8-7 Steelers.

The Chargers took back the lead after another long drive. This time Nate Kaeding did make a 22-yard field goal to put the Chargers back up 10-8.

Big Ben and company took another long drive of their own. An apparent game winning touchdown with 13 seconds left was called back because of a holding penalty.

But Jeff Reed came through in the end, hitting a 32-yard field goal to put the Steelers on top at the end 11-10.

Week 7: Steelers vs Bengals
Steelers: 38  Bengals: 10

1st Quarter: The Steelers didn't look rusty following their bye week. On their first possession, the Steelers went 75 yards capping the drive with a Ben Roethlisberger to Mewelde Moore touchdown pass. The Steelers converted two third downs to keep the drive going.

Hines Ward made a big 29-yard catch on the drive and delivered a punishing hit on Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers who left the game after the play with a jaw injury.

Will Ward face a fine for the hit? Maybe. if he does, it would be for celebrating the hit. There was no flag on the play but as Hines has learned, a flag is not required to draw a fine.

Steelers 10 Cincinnati 0 after one quarter of play.

---

2nd Quarter: The Steelers had a couple of chances to put the game out of reach but couldn't find the end zone.

Cincinnati picked up a standing ovation from their fans when they picked up their first first down of the game late in the quarter. Little did the crowd know that the ovation would inspire the Bengals to a 92-yard touchdown drive that was sealed with a Ryan Fitzpatrick to Chad Ocho Cinco (Johnson) touchdown pass from five yards out.

Steelers 10 Cincinnati 7 at the half.

---

3rd Quarter: Mewelde Moore continues to impress! Moore who is making his second straight start picked scored on a 13 yard scoring run to put the Steelers up 17-7.

Give Cincinnati some credit, they keep coming back. A field goal late in the 3rd quarter has kept them in the game at 17-10.

The Steelers need a mistake free final quarter to extend their current winning streak in Cincinnati to seven games.

They also need to put some more pressure on Fitzpatrick.

---

4th Quarter: The Steelers own the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger hits Nate Washington on a 50-yard touchdown strike, and Mewelde Moore scores from in close. It was his third of the game and pushed the Steelers lead to 31-10. Moore also went over 100 yards rushing for the first time as a Steeler.

The Steelers defense also pressured Fitzpatrick in the fourth, and Lawerence Timmons picked up a sack.

A very solid performance for the Steelers perhaps the two biggest stats for the day for the Steelers offense: They allowed no sacks and didn't turn the football over.

Ben Roethlisberger is now 10-0 as a pro in his home state of Ohio.

Hines Ward picked up a late touchdown from Byron Leftwich.

Steelers improve to 5-1 with the 38-10 victory.

Week 5: Steelers vs Jaguars
Steelers: 26  Jaguars: 21

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars quarterback David Garrard stared at the field in amazement, watching Ben Roethlisberger complete off-balance passes with a defender draped on his back and then one in his face.

Garrard knew there was nothing his teammates could do to stop it.

This was Big Ben at his best.

Roethlisberger threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, the last one a perfect 8-yarder to Hines Ward with 1:53 to play, and led the Steelers to a 26-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.

Roethlisberger finished 26-of-41, overcoming three sacks and rebounding from an early interception that Rashean Mathis returned 72 yards for a score.

His most impressive throws came on the go-ahead scoring drive. He had defensive end Reggie Hayward draped on his back one play and mammoth defensive tackle John Henderson breathing down his neck a few snaps later. Either one could have been a sack. Both almost were.

But Roethlisberger turned them into completions, highlighting a big night that gave the Steelers a big boost in the AFC North.

"I've never seen something like that before in that situation, with the game on the line, guys pulling him to the ground and he throws it 20 yards down the field, on the money," Garrard said. "He joked to me after the game, 'I was really throwing it away.' That was a great throw away."

Roethlisberger, who woke up Sunday morning and wasn't sure he would be able to play, completed a 16-yard pass to Ward with Hayward dragging him to the ground to start the decisive drive. Seven plays later, facing third-and-8 at the Jacksonville 31 and trailing 21-20, he had Henderson in nearly the same position.

Roethlisberger managed to get off another pass, this one an 18-yard completion to Ward that set up the final score.

"That's Ben," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Sometimes he holds the ball too long, and the offensive line catches a bad rap for it. But you take the good with the bad because he can step up and deliver the way he delivered tonight. He's very good at what he does, and the guys have a great deal of belief in him. He delivers time and time again."

Said Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio: "That was really the difference. If we don't give up that play, it's probably a little bit different feeling right now."

Pittsburgh (4-1) snapped a four-game losing streak against Jacksonville and stretched its division lead over Baltimore (2-2), which lost to Tennessee earlier in the day.

Roethlisberger misfired on the 2-point conversion following his third TD pass, but Pittsburgh's defense sealed the win by sacking Garrard and then forcing two incompletions.

The Jaguars (2-3) blew a late lead for the fourth consecutive week. They rallied the last two games, getting winning field goals to beat Indianapolis and Houston.

No such luck this time around.

Roethlisberger and his teammates celebrated against Jacksonville for the first time since 2004.

The Jaguars won two close games in Pittsburgh last season, including a 31-29 victory in the first round of the playoffs, and were favored in this one mostly because of the Steelers' injuries.

They played without running backs Willie Parker (knee) and Rashard Mendenhall (shoulder), guard Kendall Simmons (Achilles' tendon) and defensive linemen Casey Hampton (groin) and Brett Keisel (calf).

"We had a statement: 'The more you can do,' and we called on a lot of people to do that," Tomlin said. "Guys stepped outside their lines if you will and delivered, delivered big."

Roethlisberger picked apart Jacksonville's secondary, which played without starting safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Drayton Florence.

The Steelers rolled up 28 first downs and 415 yards, and probably would have won going away had it not been for the early interception and 10 penalties for 129 yards.

"It's something that simply has to be better," Del Rio said, trying to explain another defensive meltdown. "It's the difference between being good and not being good. If you can't get off the field on third down, you give yourself more exposure to all the things you want to avoid."

Week 4: Steelers vs Ravens
Steelers: 23  Ravens: 20

PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Reed's 46-yard field goal in overtime gave Pittsburgh a 23-20 victory over Baltimore in a black-and-blue AFC North battle at Heinz Field.

Ben Roethlisberger battled a sore throwing hand to complete 14-of-24 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Thirty-seven of those yards were to Mewelde Moore, who came down with a clutch seven-yard reception to give Reed some breathing room on his game-winning kick.

Moore was also Pittsburgh's (3-1) only healthy running back by the time the fourth quarter began. Willie Parker didn't play with an ankle sprain, rookie Rashard Mendenhall left in the second halfwith a left shoulder injury and even fullback Carey Davis left with an undisclosed ailment and didn't return.

"We were fortunate to come out on top," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "We aren't perfect, but we are together."

Tomlin's post-game press conference then took a different tone, as he announced that Mendenhall (fracture in the left shoulder) and starting offensive guard Kendall Simmons (torn Achilles) would both be placed on the injured reserve list, ending their seasons.

"The standard will not change," vowed Tomlin. "It is part of football."

The hard hits didn't end there.

Baltimore (2-1) also battled injuries at the running back position, as Willis McGahee played sporadically with a chest injury that required in-game tests and LaRon McClain even was shaken up late in the fourth quarter.

The hard-hitting affair was typical for the two hated divisional rivals. A few new stars were added to the mix. Joe Flacco, the Ravens rookie quarterback from Delaware, played admirably in his first NFL road start, completing 16- of-31 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown.

He met another new fixture on a game-turning head-on collision late in the third. James Harrison, who finished with 2 1/2 sacks, and LaMar Woodley, who added 1 1/2 sacks, converged on Flacco with Harrison stripping the ball out. Woodley rolled on top, got up and rumbled seven yards for a touchdown that gave Pittsburgh the 17-13 lead.

"I understand I have to protect the ball," said Flacco. "It's a large part of the game."

Flacco did find a security blanket in veteran Derrick Mason, who caught eight passes for 137 yards. Mason's Pittsburgh counterpart, Santonio Holmes, hauled in three passes for 61 yards and a 38-yard touchdown reception in the victory.

Baltimore went three-and-out on its first possession, and Pittsburgh converted a pair of third-down conversions. The first resulted in a 19-yard connection with Holmes, while the second started with Roethlisberger moving away from an upfield rush and finding a crossing Nate Washington for 12 yards. The march eventually stalled, resulting in Reed's 49-yard field goal.

After another Ravens punt, Roethlisberger bootlegged to his left, but the football slipped out of his hand and into the waiting arms of big defensive nose tackle Haloti Ngata.

Baltimore took advantage of the turnover with some major-league arm strength shown by the rookie signal-caller. He whistled a throw out to the right to Demetrius Williams for eight yards and a first down just in front of a lunging Troy Polamalu. He then threw a 14-yard deep-in pattern to Mason, again just in front of a hard-charging Polamalu. Matt Stover's 33-yard boot knotted the contest at 3-3.

The Ravens controlled the clock and the football for the remainder of the half. An 11-play drive that started at midfield ended with a chip shot off Stover's right foot and a 6-3 edge. McGahee found some running room with a 12- yard burst on the drive's second play, and Flacco tossed a pass to the tailback for five yards on 3rd-and-3. The march stalled, but Stover's 20-yard kick slipped inside the left upright.

Baltimore reached paydirt just before the half. Flacco found Mason for 13 yards along the left sideline and his swing pass to McClain went for 25 yards. In a running formation with a pair of tight ends, Flacco faked a handoff and found one of those tight ends, Daniel Wilcox, behind Polamalu for a four-yard scoring strike.

Fifteen seconds in the third stanza turned the momentum upside-down.

Using a no-huddle offense to offset the Ravens' pass rush and a personal foul penalty as added fuel, the Steelers struck for their first touchdown since a Roethlisberger-to-Hines Ward score in the second quarter during a Week 2 victory in Cleveland.

On 3rd-and-4 from the Ravens 38-yard line, Roethlisberger avoided the rush and flicked a strike across the middle to Holmes, who bounced off one tackle and shook off another for a 38-yard touchdown and a 13-10 game.

On Baltimore's first play of the next series, Flacco was hit and stripped by Harrison, allowing fellow linebacker Woodley to pick up the ball and run into the end zone for the lead.

About five minutes into the fourth period, Roethlisberger again evaded a would-be defender while keeping his eyes down field, where he found a wide open Ward for a 49-yard connection. The drive didn't end in the end zone, but Reed's 19-yard kick gave Pittsburgh a 20-13 advantage.

The Ravens responded with a nine-play, 76-yard march to square the game. Flacco found Mason for 15 and 35 yards on two separate plays, leading to McClain's two-yard touchdown run over left end with 4:02 left.

Game Notes: In a tale of two halves, Pittsburgh managed just 46 first-half yards. Prior to the game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, Baltimore had totaled five total net yards in the second half...The Steelers have won 14 straight Monday Night Football games at home.

Week 3: Steelers vs Eagles
Steelers: 6  Eagles: 12

PHILADELPHIA -- Brian Dawkins looked like one of the action figures he has lined up in his locker. Dawkins eluded one blocker and leaped over another. With his body parallel to the ground, Dawkins swatted the ball out of Ben Roethlisberger's hand and fell on it to secure a victory.
On a day when the Philadelphia Eagles lost their star running back and watched their quarterback play hurt, the defense dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 15-6 win Sunday. Dawkins' superhero-like effort punctuated a remarkable performance.

A swarming D had nine sacks, forced a safety and got three turnovers.

"They didn't know what was coming at them," said end Juqua Parker, who had 21/2 sacks.

Just six days earlier, Philly's defense couldn't stop anybody. The Dallas Cowboys moved the ball at will in a 41-37 victory last Monday.

But this unit was rejuvenated against the Steelers (2-1). Roethlisberger had no time to throw and Willie Parker couldn't find any room to run.

"Defensively, it was a phenomenal job," coach Andy Reid said. "They were coming off a game they were disappointed in their performance. To rebound like that, I'm proud of them."

Clinging to a 10-6 lead, the Eagles pinned Pittsburgh at the 6 following a 54-yard punt by Sav Rocca. Three plays later, Roethlisberger was under heavy pressure when he threw the ball away in the end zone for a safety.

On Pittsburgh's next possession, Dawkins made his highlight reel play and David Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal to ice it.

Roethlisberger hurt his throwing hand on the last sack and was replaced by Byron Leftwich when the Steelers got the ball with just over 2 minutes left. Coach Mike Tomlin said X-rays on Roethlisberger's hand were negative and he's expected to play next week.

"You've got to give it to them," Roethlisberger said. "They are a very good team. They got after us."

Brian Westbrook injured his right ankle on the first play of the second quarter. The All-Pro running back appeared to get hurt while hurdling a teammate on a 2-yard run. He walked to the locker room without help, but didn't return.

Reid said X-rays showed the ankle wasn't broken, but Westbrook will have an MRI on Monday. The Eagles (2-1) can't afford to be without the dynamic Westbrook for an extended period.

One play before Westbrook left, Donovan McNabb was visibly shaken up after getting sacked. He played the rest of the half and took a hard hit to the chest late in the second quarter. McNabb stayed in the locker room after the half, but returned during Philadelphia's second series in the third quarter.

Backup Kevin Kolb was intercepted by Troy Polamalu on his first pass, which was deflected. The Steelers took over at the Eagles 49, but went nowhere.

McNabb got a nice ovation when he returned to the sideline and he replaced Kolb after the second-year pro completed two straight passes.

McNabb completed his first 15 passes and finished 24-for-35 for 196 yards and one TD. Roethlisberger was 13-of-25 for 131 yards. Both QBs threw their first interceptions of the season.

Parker, who had 243 yards rushing in the first two games, was held to 20 yards on 13 carries.

"They had our whole offense confused at times," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said.

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is known for his complex schemes and penchant for blitzing. After a disappointing effort against Dallas, he made some adjustments. It helped that Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and Marion Barber weren't on the other side.

"Our guys were aggressive and the coverage was good," Johnson said. "You have confidence in the blitz when the coverage is good. The game was tight and we kept coming after them."

On the same drive Westbrook left the game, the Eagles went ahead 7-3 on McNabb's 20-yard pass to Correll Buckhalter, who hurdled a defender from the 4 to reach the end zone. McNabb moved ahead of Ron Jaworski for first on the team's all-time list with 176 TD passes.

While the Steelers found praise for the job the Eagles did defensively, many Steeler fans found fault with their team's coaching.

"It seems to me like it may be a problem," said Dave Somers, fan. "The Eagles just ran right through them. There were holes all over the place."

"Why didn't they make adjustments at half time?" said Doug Portz, fan. "It didn't seem as though the coaching staff did."

Notes: The Steelers have lost eight in a row in Philadelphia, dating to 1965. ... Steelers DT Casey Hampton left with a groin injury. ... Eagles RB Tony Hunt (concussion) and TE L.J. Smith (back) joined McNabb and Westbrook on the injury list.

Week 2: Steelers vs Browns
Steelers: 10  Browns: 6
CLEVELAND-- Like nearly every Browns-Steelers game, this one had the usual bone-rattling hits, pushing and shoving after the whistle and enough trash talk to fill up a 16-game schedule.

Nasty, as always.

Down the stretch, it was anybody's to win. All it would take for victory was one big play.

And, as he has done more than once, Ben Roethlisberger made it.

"Man," Browns tight end Kellen Winslow said. "Big Ben just comes up with something every time."

Throwing into 60 mph wind gusts despite a separated shoulder, Roethlisberger connected with Hines Ward for an 11-yard TD in the first half and then helped run out the clock with a 19-yard completion to Heath Miller in the final minutes as the Steelers extended their winning streak over Cleveland to double digits with a 10-6 victory Sunday night.

The Steelers have beaten the Browns 10 straight times, 16 of 17 and 23 of 26 in a rivalry that has been lopsided since the days Roethlisberger was learning how to throw a football as a kid in Findlay, Ohio.

Roethlisberger ignored the biting pain in his shoulder, the howling wind and swirling rain on a night when football -- and any other outdoor activity -- was difficult for a chance to beat the Browns.

Nothing makes this Buckeye happier.

"I love to come here," he said. "The Browns had the 10th pick in my draft, and I went 11th, so it's good to get a win."

Close to home, he always does.

During the game, it was disclosed on TV that Roethlisberger separated his shoulder last week in a win over Houston. But Big Ben didn't seem bothered as he completed 12 of 19 passes for 186 yards and improved to 10-0 in NFL games in his home state. The Cincinnati Bengals haven't had any luck in their stadium against him either.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn't deny the reports about Roethlisberger's shoulder.

"They know more that I did," he said. "That's good television, I guess. He's hurting pretty bad, but he's a tough character. Is he 100 percent? No. But no one plays as hard as he does without getting banged up."

Roethlisberger refused to discuss his injury. He wore a glove on his right hand to help him throw tight spirals through the remnants of Hurricane Ike.

"I'm from Ohio. I've played in windy conditions before," he said. "That might be at times the gustiest I've ever played in."

In addition to his TD pass to Ward, Roethlisberger hooked up with Santonio Holmes on a 48-yard heave to set up Jeff Reed's 48-yard field goal in the tricky conditions as the Steelers held off a late rally by the Browns (0-2), who were hoping this would be the year they finally challenged Pittsburgh for supremacy in the AFC North.

Not yet.

Not as long as Roethlisberger's around.

With the Steelers backed up at their own 2 in the second half, Pittsburgh's quarterback hit Ward for 31 yards to get his team out of trouble.

"He always makes big plays," Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said. "We've seen him do that so many times."

Phil Dawson kicked field goals of 31 and 38 yards, the second one with 3:21 left to pull the Browns to 10-6.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel was counting on his defense getting the ball back, but Roethlisberger broke the hearts of Cleveland fans once again. Under pressure, he rolled right to buy some time and threaded a 19-yard dart to Miller for a first down at midfield.

Willie Parker broke free on a 19-yard run and the Steelers ran out all but the final 26 seconds. Parker finished with 28 carries for 105 yards.

The Browns got the ball back at the end, but Anderson threw two incompletions and was sacked.

"We are inches away from beating these guys," Winslow said. "We just want to win the division and to do that, we have to beat those guys."

Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson threw two interceptions, one setting up Roethlisberger's scoring pass to Ward, and the second by Troy Polamalu at the 3 yard line that ended the Browns' best shot at a TD on the final play of the first half following some questionable clock management by Crennel.

"It was maybe one of the best games we played against Pittsburgh in a while," said Crennel, who fell to 0-7 against the Steelers. "They fought hard. But we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties."