Steelers Get Well Against Chargers, 36-14 : AFC: Pittsburgh’s offense scores its first four touchdowns of the season.
There were tears in Joe Walton’s eyes, and you can understand why. The Chargers were leaving town.
Walton, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, had been under fire for directing a go-nowhere offense that had not produced a touchdown in the first month of the season.
But after playing the Chargers Sunday in Three Rivers Stadium before 53,486 fans, the Steelers had a 36-14 victory, and Walton was honored with a game ball.
“It’s obvious the Steelers have offense,” Coach Dan Henning said, “or we’re not as good on defense as we think we are.”
Pittsburgh (2-3) scored its first offensive touchdown of the year eight seconds into the second quarter on Bubby Brister’s eight-yard pass to rookie tight end Eric Green. Once they understood there was nothing to it, the Steelers went on to score three more.
The team’s 36 points, which also included a safety and a pair of Gary Anderson field goals, was more than it had scored in its previous four games--32. It was also the most points scored against the Chargers (1-4) since last year’s season opener, when the Raiders posted 40.
The Steelers scored two touchdowns in a 20-9 victory over the Houston the second week of the season, but one came on an interception return and the other on a punt return. All of the Steelers’ other points had come on field goals.
Leave it to the Chargers to cure what ailed them.
“This is as flat as I have ever seen this team,” linebacker Gary Plummer said. “And it’s an embarrassment.”
The Steelers, who entered the game 28th in the NFL in offense, had the ball 18 minutes 14 seconds longer than the Chargers and went 12 for 16 in third-down conversions.
Brister, who was playing with a painful rib injury, completed 11 of 14 passes for 132 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Green. And he was not sacked.
Brister left the field for examination before halftime, and second-year quarterback Rick Strom played the rest of the game and was seven of 11 for 68 yards. Together, they were 18 of 25 without an interception.
The Chargers’ Billy Joe Tolliver, while victimized by a number of dropped passes, completed 11 of 29 for 121 yards, including a two-yard scoring flip to Plummer, who had lined up in the backfield as a fullback.
But Tolliver also threw three interceptions.
Tolliver led the Chargers on a 64-yard opening drive in reply to Anderson’s 45-yard field goal, and they took a 7-3 lead on third and goal from the two with his rollout pass to Plummer.
After Brister ignited a second-quarter celebration with his touchdown pass to Green, he did it again on the next series with a one-yard shot to the same man.
The Steelers lost cornerback Rod Woodson in the first half with a thigh bruise, safety Thomas Everett with a back sprain and then Everett’s replacement, Larry Griffin, with a hamstring pull.
Dwayne Woodruff stepped into Pittsburgh’s makeshift secondary and intercepted a Tolliver pass intended for Anthony Miller at the Charger 38 on the third play of the third quarter, then returned it to the 15.
Running back Warren Williams ran left four plays later for a two-yard touchdown to build Pittsburgh’s lead to 24-7. Williams had replaced Tim Worley, who also left in the first half with an ankle sprain.
The Chargers’ final score came when defensive lineman Les Miller fell on Williams’ fumble in the end zone with 3:52 left in the third.
But Pittsburgh was not finished. Former Charger linebacker Tyronne Stowe blocked a John Kidd punt for a safety 3:13 into the fourth quarter, Anderson hit again from 45 yards with 7:02 to play, and with 1:06 left, running back Barry Foster ran in from the two.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no enthusiasm out there,” Plummer said. “If you don’t have enthusiasm, that’s a reflection on how confident you feel going into the ballgame.
“You can’t go out there with the attitude that you just have to show up, and things will take care of themselves. We’re paid to win, not to play. I don’t know if everyone has that attitude.”