Glanville Should Have Left Tickets for Offense : AFC: Falcons fail to score a touchdown and Steelers rally to win for the fourth time in their last five games, 21-9. Miller throws three interceptions.

Atlanta Falcons Coach Jerry Glanville has been known to leave game tickets for Elvis Presley, the Phantom of the Opera and James Dean. On Sunday, he should have left some for his offense. They never showed, either.

Pittsburgh’s offense, shut out for a half by the NFL’s worst-rated defense, scored three touchdowns in the second half to beat the mistake-prone Falcons, 21-9.

The Steelers’ scores came on passes by Bubby Brister to Louis Lipps and Mike Mularkey and a 70-yard run by Warren Williams.

Atlanta’s Chris Miller, the league’s fifth-rated quarterback, threw three interceptions--one on the final play of the first half and two in the second half. He hadn’t had an interception in 116 attempts and 16 quarters.

The Falcons, who committed five turnovers, managed only three field goals despite advancing inside the Pittsburgh 35-yard line eight times. The Falcons had the ball inside the Pittsburgh 30 on their first six possessions but their offense, averaging 28 points a game, was held without a touchdown for the first time this season.

The Steelers (5-4), whose defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in two games, including the 41-10 victory over the Rams last Monday night, moved into a tie for the AFC Central Division lead with the Cincinnati Bengals, who were upset at home, 21-7, by New Orleans.

Pittsburgh, winning for the fourth time in the last five games, overcame a fumble by Larry Griffin on the opening kickoff to spoil Glanville’s return to Three Rivers Stadium. Glanville had won three in a row at Pittsburgh as Houston’s coach and was 2-0 against AFC Central Division teams this season.

“This hurts; this hurts to the bone,” Glanville said. “I don’t think our team can play any harder. Just ask the Steelers--they had somebody coming at them 100 miles an hour the whole game. I feel bad for our players, but you can’t make that many turnovers in this league and expect to win.”

Miller’s first interception, by Dwayne Woodruff on first and 10 from the Steelers’ 27 with 12 seconds left in the first half cost the Falcons (3-5) a chance to increase their lead from 9-0 to 12-0 at halftime.

Brister, only four of eight for 53 yards in the first half, finished 11 of 17 for 216 yards.