When
the last player drafted in 2009 trotted onto the field, the best
team of 2008 was doomed. A few minutes after Ben Roethlisberger wobbled
off the field Sunday with a possible concussion, Ryan Succop kicked
a 22-yard field goal
with 8:28 left in overtime and the Kansas City Chiefs snapped a team-record
10-game home losing streak with a 27-24 victory over the stunned
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chris Chambers' 61-yard catch-and-run set up Succop, and "Mr.
Irrelevant" booted through the game-winner for the Chiefs (3-7),
whose stadium was crammed with tens of thousands of towel-waving
fans of the Steelers (6-4).
Roethlisberger had thrown for 398 yards and three touchdowns when
he apparently took a knee to the helmet while being sacked by Derrick
Johnson and gave way to Charlie Batch. Coach Mike Tomlin said he
was not certain how severe the injury might be.
"He took a blow, needless to say, it was a concussion-oriented
thing so I doubt he was going to come back into the football game," Tomlin
said. "I don't have a lot of information in terms of where he
is or his level of availability. We will have more information as
we proceed."
Just before Chambers' big play, Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor dropped
a possible interception.
"This job is not for the faint of heart," said a beaming
Todd Haley, the Chiefs' rookie coach.
Matt Cassel had a horrendous first half, passing for only 35 yards
on four completions. But he came through in the final two quarters
and overtime, finishing with 248 yards and two touchdowns.
"I've got to hand it to (Cassel), the kid's a fighter," said
Haley, who grew up accompanying his father to Steelers training camp,
where the elder Haley worked as a personnel executive. Haley lost
to Pittsburgh in last year's Super Bowl when he was Arizona's offensive
coordinator.
"It's nice to get a little reward against a team like that.
I thought the guys really showed heart and guts," he said.
The Chiefs faced third down when Cassel connected with Chambers,
who was signed three weeks ago off waivers from San Diego. He went
61 yards before he was pushed out of bounds at the 4.
Succop, the final player drafted in April, came in and clinched
the Chiefs' first home victory in more than a year. Succop also had
a 27-yarder that tied it 17-all in the final seconds of the third
quarter.
It was the second loss in a row for the Steelers, who have fallen
twice to division rival Cincinnati and were without injured Pro Bowl
safety Troy Polamalu. Guard Chris Kemoeatu also went out with a knee
injury.
In regulation, the Steelers (6-4) had the ball for almost 19 minutes
longer than the Chiefs (3-7) and outgained them 463-206. The Chiefs
stayed in it with Jamaal Charles' 97-yard return of the opening kickoff
and Andy Studebaker's 94-yard return of an interception.
"I think we lost the momentum in the third quarter with all
the turnovers and stuff like that," said Steelers wide receiver
Hines Ward, who had 10 catches for 128 yards, including an 8-yard
touchdown. "When you let a team hang around like that, you give
them a chance. When you give them hope, they thrive off the crowd
noise. They took it into overtime and did what they had to do."
Studebaker, making his first NFL start, picked off Roethlisberger's
pass 2 yards deep in the end zone in the third quarter and motored
to the Steelers 8 before running back Rashard Mendenhall dragged
him down.
"Once I picked it off, 100 yards looked like a long way," he
said. "It was a fun play."
But Cassel was sacked twice in the next three plays, and the Chiefs
had to settle for Succop's 27-yarder.
Roethlisberger's 8-yard touchdown pass to Mendenhall gave the Steelers
a 24-17 lead a few minutes later after the Steelers recovered Cassel's
turnover at the 27.
But back came KC, playing without suspended wide receiver Dwayne
Bowe. Cassel hit Lance Long for 30 yards and Chambers for 47 to set
up a 2-yard TD pass to Charles that tied it 24-all with a little
under 5 minutes left.
Cassel also had a 21-yard TD pass to Leonard Pope early in the third
quarter.
Charles, who got the Chiefs' first rushing touchdown of the year
the week before, got their first kickoff return for a TD in four
years. He took the opening kickoff at the 3, started left and then
veered right and was hardly touched. It was the fourth time in five
games Pittsburgh yielded a kickoff return for a touchdown.
It was the Chiefs' first home win, and first win over an opponent
with a winning record, since they beat Denver in the fourth week
of the 2008 season. It was the first time they'd posted back-to-back
wins since Oct. 14-21, 2007.
"To do it against the defending Super Bowl champions is a great
feeling," said Succop. "A lot of hard work has gone into
it and our coaches and players and everybody has really bought in."
NOTES: The Steelers have given up a fumble, interception or kick
return for a touchdown in eight consecutive games. ... Roethlisberger's
big game followed one of his worst, when he threw for 174 yards and
had a 51.5 passer rating against Cincinnati the week before. ...
The Chiefs had not won back-to-back games since beating Cincinnati
and Oakland on Oct. 14-21, 2007.
|