Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tennessee Titans match report: Le'Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger drag Steelers to comeback victory
Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Tennessee Titans 24: Bell ran for 204 yards and Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown to condemn the Titans to an eight defeat this season
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ben Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with 9:01 left as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Tennessee Titans 27-24 on Monday.
The Steelers (7-4) staged an impressive rally in the second half to take sole possession of second in the successful AFC North heading into their bye. Le'Veon Bell ran for 204 yards and a TD, and William Gay returned an interception 28 yards for a score. Shaun Suisham kicked two field goals.
Roethlisberger had never beaten the Titans at LP Field, having missed the Steelers' win here in 2010. With Bell running through and over the Titans, the Steelers took the pressure off Big Ben by holding the ball for 39 minutes, 16 seconds with a 386-312 edge in total offense.
The Titans (2-8) blew a 24-13 lead in their fourth consecutive loss. They sacked Roethlisberger five times and intercepted a pass in the end zone. Rookie Zach Mettenberger threw for 263 yards and two touchdown passes, and rookie Bishop Sankey ran for another score.
But Tennessee's offense fizzled in the fourth quarter. When Pittsburgh got the ball back with 6:58 left, the Steelers didn't give it back and knelt out for the win.
Mettenberger and the Titans got off to an awful start, and then erased a 10-0 deficit with an impressive flurry.
Suisham also had a 49-yarder for the first score of the game, and Gay picked off Mettenberger on the Titans' first offensive play and returned it for the TD.
Roethlisberger had been intercepted only five times this season. But the Titans sacked him three times in the second quarter, and Jason McCourty picked off a pass intended for Antonio Brown in the end zone with 44 seconds left in the first half.
The Titans called timeout, and then Mettenberger threw to a wide-open Nate Washington, who beat Gay with a stutter-step on his way to a career-best 80-yard touchdown reception. Washington, who won two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh, wagged his finger at the crowd once he got to the 25.
Mettenberger added a 4-yard TD pass to Chase Coffman in the third quarter, capping an 11-play drive for a 24-13 lead.
The Steelers responded with Bell's 5-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth, and Roethlisberger's TD to Brown was enough for the win. Brown had nine receptions for 91 yards in another solid performance.
AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments