Roethlisberger, Steelers win fifth straight, rip Titans in second half
PITTSBURGH — Another uninspiring half in the books in a season littered with them for a team that expects to play deep into January and beyond, Ben Roethlisberger decided he had seen enough.
So the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback decided it was time to speak up. The defense had kept the Tennessee Titans and star Marcus Mariota in check, yet a game that had the makings of a blowout didn’t feel like one mostly because the offense kept squandering chance after chance. No more.
“He didn’t call anyone out, he called all of us out,” guard David Decastro said. “Linemen. Receivers. Himself. Running backs. Purely positive. It was a challenge. He challenged us. The guys responded.”
None better than Roethlisberger, 35. Running the no-huddle offense to near perfection, Roethlisberger threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns, three to Antonio Brown, as the Steelers pulled away for a 40-17 victory.
“I don’t care if you’re old or young, just someone has to step up and make a play for this team or else we are going to keep relying on our defense,” said Roethlisberger, who went 20 of 23 for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. “It is time that we step up and do something.”
Brown caught 10 passes for 144 yards and the three scores, including an acrobatic grab in the back of the end zone in which he pinned the ball to his helmet before bringing it in to put Pittsburgh up 20 in the fourth quarter as the Steelers set a season-high for points and margin of victory.
“We’ve talked so much about having the potential in this room, but we can still strive for more,” said defensive end Cam Heyward, who had two of Pittsburgh’s five sacks.
For long stretches, the Steelers (8-2) looked the part while extending their winning streak to five.
Though Mariota ran for a touchdown and threw for another, he was also picked off a career-high four times as the Titans (6-4) saw their four-game winning streak come to a crashing halt. Mariota finished 22 of 33 for 306 yards but was under pressure much of the night.
“When you play teams that are this caliber that are contenders, that win week in and week out, that’s the blueprint,” Mariota said.
There’s plenty to work on. Tennessee appeared to be in it when Mariota found Matthews with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half.
Then Roethlisberger got going. Finally. Roethlisberger dropped some very not subtle hints that he wanted the freedom provided by the no-huddle after the Steelers used it to pick the Colts apart during the winning drive last Sunday in Indianapolis.
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley appeared to be listening.
Pittsburgh opened in the no huddle and needed just six plays to take the lead as Roethlisberger took advantage of a free play and hit Brown with a 41-yard rainbow. Mike Hilton then returned Mariota’s interception to set up the first of Chris Boswell’s four field goals and the Steelers were on their way to a prime-time blowout at home.
2009 — The Buffalo Bills fire coach Dick Jauron after getting off to a 3-6 start. Perry Fewell takes over for the rest of the season and goes 3-4, while Chan Gailey is hired the following January as the new full-time coach.
2014 — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown extends his own NFL record with his 27th game of at least five receptions and 50 yards and joins Hines Ward as the lone players in team history with consecutive 80-catch seasons.