Steelers Win; Roethlisberger Hurt
Jeff Reed’s foot held up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger’s knee did not.
Moments before Reed kicked a 40-yard, winning field goal Monday against San Diego, Roethlisberger had to be helped off the field by Steeler trainers, a chilling sight for a team with so much hope invested in the second-year quarterback.
“People told me it didn’t look good,” Steeler Coach Bill Cowher said of Roethlisberger’s knee after the 24-22 victory. “It looked bad from what I saw on the screen.”
Roethlisberger, last season’s offensive rookie of the year, was injured on the final drive as he was marching his team into position to win. Charger defensive end Luis Castillo hit him on the kneecap of his left leg just as Roethlisberger had planted his foot to throw a pass with 1 minute 5 seconds to play. Stomach-churning replays appeared to show the knee flex backwards a bit, but Roethlisberger completed the pass.
Until the injury, it was an outstanding night for Roethlisberger, who ran for one touchdown and threw for another. He completed 17 of 26 passes for 225 yards despite being sacked three times.
Charlie Batch finished at quarterback for the Steelers (3-1), handing off to Jerome Bettis three times to set up the field goal. It was Pittsburgh’s ninth consecutive road victory, in part a tribute to Roethlisberger’s remarkable performance as a rookie. Tommy Maddox, normally his backup, is out with a calf injury.
The loss was a big setback for the Chargers, who had rebounded strong after losing their first two games of the season. In the previous two weeks, they handily beat the New York Giants at home and New England on the road, rolling up a total of 86 points in those games.
But they were almost 86’d in the early going against the Steelers, falling behind, 14-0, before running off 16 unanswered points to claim the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh came alive when Roethlisberger connected with tight end Heath Miller for a 16-yard touchdown with 10:30 remaining. The Chargers reclaimed the lead, 22-21, when LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a two-yard run with 4:42 left.
But Tomlinson, who called the Steeler rush defense the best he’s faced, didn’t feel at ease after that touchdown.
“You kind of got a sense in the second half,” he said, “that the team that had the ball last was going to win.”
And that’s the way it happened. Pittsburgh got a 29-yard kickoff return by Cedric Wilson, then moved 40 yards in 11 plays before kicking the field goal.
While Charger and Steeler fans were swirling their towels, a gift handed out at the turnstiles, the officials were throwing their flags. The teams were penalized a combined 20 times for 204 yards.
Early in the second quarter, Charger cornerback Quentin Jammer saved a touchdown by a foot, the foot of Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward.
Ward, covered by Jammer, made a tumbling catch on third down at the San Diego 32. It appeared, however, that Jammer never touched him down. Ward climbed to his feet and weaved his way to the end zone, apparently scoring a 47-yard touchdown. The Chargers challenged the call and the officials reversed it, ruling Jammer touched Ward’s foot as the two fell to the turf. The Steelers had a first down at the 32, but no touchdown.
Four plays later, Ben Roethlisberger left no room for a challenge. On third and five from the seven, he ran a keeper, following his blockers into the end zone for the game’s first points. It was an uncharacteristically late start to the scoring for Pittsburgh, which had scored in the first quarter in 17 consecutive games.
The Steelers struck again before halftime, taking a 14-0 lead on a one-yard plunge into the end zone by Jerome Bettis. The drive started when Steeler linebacker James Harrison intercepted a pass deflected by tight end Antonio Gates. Harrison hurdled Tomlinson on his 25-yard return, and the Steelers picked up an extra 30 yards on two personal fouls.
The Charger offense finally got traction in the last 1 minute 27 seconds, mounting a 47-yard scoring drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown reception by Gates.
