Vinatieri misses late as Steelers outlast Colts
PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin sighed and let out a sentence that, after 13 years on the job, surprised the Pittsburgh Steelers coach for the sincerity with which he meant it. Considering what his team has endured during the first half of a wildly uneven season, it was hard to blame him.
“It’s good to be sitting at 4-4,” Tomlin said after the Steelers held on to beat the Indianapolis Colts 26-24 on Sunday. “I never thought I’d hear myself say that.”
He never thought he’d have to. But that was before franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the year in mid-September with a right elbow injury. Before backup Mason Rudolph was knocked unconscious against Baltimore. Before a 1-4 start that had the Steelers on the brink of irrelevance.
Not so much anymore. Pittsburgh is very much alive in the muddled AFC after pulling out a third straight victory, one built on another electrifying play by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — whose 96-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter revived the Steelers after another slow start — and a dash of luck when Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri’s go-ahead 43yard field goal attempt with 1:14 remaining was an ugly, low snap-hook that went nowhere near the uprights in the open end of Heinz Field.
“We know he’s a great kicker,” Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said. “We just tried to get after him, get your hands up, see if we could get another one.”
The Steelers had blocked an extra-point attempt by Vinatieri in the third quarter. The 47-year-old managed to get the ball over a sea of outstretched hands this time, but the NFL all-time leading scorer’s 707th career attempt started left and stayed left. A week after his 55-yarder in the waning seconds against Denver propelled the Colts (5-3) to their third straight victory, Vinatieri could only shrug his shoulders after missing his fifth of the season in 17 attempts.
“I just missed it,” Vinatieri said. “I have to do better than that. Just pulled it to the left.”
His mistake dropped the Colts out of first in the AFC South. Indianapolis (5-3) now trails Houston (6-3) by a half-game and may have to go forward without quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who left in the second quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. Veteran Brian Hoyer came on and threw for 168 yards and three scores, but his pick-six to Fitzpatrick helped the Steelers get off the mat as the Colts found themselves on the wrong side of the edge for the first time in a month.
Indianapolis came in having won five of six by a combined 19 points. Each of the Colts’ eight games this season has been decided by a touchdown or less.