Steelers top Packers on last play
The Pittsburgh Steelers had the ball, 17 seconds and about 30 yards to go to avoid overtime against relentlessly resilient Green Bay.
Oh, and the Steelers had Antonio Brown. The Packers did not. And 17 seconds, 37 yards provided entirely by Pittsburgh’s do-everything wide receiver and one 53-yard field goal from Chris Boswell later, the host Steelers were dancing on the logo at midfield following a 31-28 escape on Sunday night.
Pittsburgh (9-2) won its sixth straight behind Brown, who finished with 10 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Yet the biggest grab was a 23-yard toe-tap along the sideline on the first snap of his team’s last-gasp drive that put the Steelers near the fringe of Boswell’s range.
At first, it looked as if Brown was out of bounds. Two officials conferred before ruling Brown somehow managed to get both feet down. The call stood on replay.
A more conventional 14-yard reception on the next snap pushed the Steelers closer. Boswell’s career-long blast slipped inside the left upright to keep Pittsburgh tied with New England atop the AFC and keep Brown’s teammates searching for superlatives.
“It’s one thing to do it in practice on a Thursday,” guard David Decastro said. “To do it in that situation to get into field-goal range? I just, I guess how can you not be surprised?”