Steelers dodge bullet to remain undefeated
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Steelers stand alone as the AFC’s last undefeated team, thanks to a dominant start and a bit of late luck.
Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson, and the Steelers remained perfect by holding off the Titans for a 27-24 victory Sunday in a game postponed three weeks after the host team came down with the NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak.
In a matchup of the conference’s two remaining unbeaten teams, the Titans rallied by scoring 17 unanswered points after being smothered in the first half.
They failed to complete the comeback when Stephen Gostkowski, who made a 51-yarder earlier, missed wide right from 45 yards with 14 seconds left, sending the Steelers running around the field in celebration and stunning the Titans (5-1). Even Roethlisberger appeared shocked the four-time Pro Bowl kicker missed.
“Oh, man. I was surprised he missed it,” Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith- Schuster said. “Our idea was to go into overtime. A good kicker. It’s tough. It’s good for us.”
The Steelers improved to 6-0 for their best start since 1978, when they won their first seven on the way to the Super Bowl. This was just the fifth time undefeated teams had met in Week 7 or later, and the winner of the previous four all made the Super Bowl.
“We feel we have a really good football team,” Roethlisberger said. “We feel we can be really special. That’s going to be a shortlived happiness because we know what’s coming next.”
What comes next? A matchup with the rival Ravens.
“We are perfect from a record standpoint, and so we respect that,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We realize that we’ve got AFC North ball on next week on the road. We’re going to a group that has seven days’ advantage on us, so there’s a lot for us to be urgent about.”
Benny Snell Jr. added a one-yard touchdown run, and Ray-Ray McCloud set up a touchdown with a 57-yard punt return. The Steelers scored at least 26 points for the sixth consecutive game to tie a stretch in 2015 for the longest in franchise history.
The Steelers were without cornerback
Mike Hilton, one of their best blitzers, not
that the NFL’s No. 2 defense in both yards and points allowed missed him much. They outgained the Titans 362-292 and held the NFL’s second-best scoring offense under 31 points for the first time since the opening week.
The Titans nearly pulled off another late rally. Ryan Tannehill hit A.J. Brown on a short pass that the receiver took to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Jayon Brown picked off a batted pass, setting up Gostkowski. Then Derrick Henry capped a 12-play drive with a one-yard TD with 10:13 left to set up the late drama.