Roethlisberger’s TD pass on final play ends Packers’ streak
Photo 
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left, talks with Green Bay Packers' Charles Woodson after an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 37-36.
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger throws to the corner of the end zone, the receiver barely gets his feet down inbounds for a remarkable touchdown.
Ten months after winning the Super Bowl with just such an improbable play, the Pittsburgh Steelers possibly saved their season with a nearly identical one.
Roethlisberger ended the game the way he started it by throwing a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, a desperation 19-yarder on the final play that rallied Pittsburgh to a 37-36 victory over Green Bay on Sunday that ended the Packers’ five-game winning streak and the Steelers’ five-game losing streak.
“The way the game ended was incredible, especially that last play,” center Justin Hartwig said, comparing the play to Roethlisberger’s 6-yard pass to Santonio Holmes that beat Arizona for the NFL title last season. “It was obviously pretty reminiscent of the Super Bowl.”
The Packers (9-5) stalled in their playoff run as they failed to hold leads of 28-27 and 36-30 in a frantic fourth quarter that was much like Oakland’s 27-23 win in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, when the lead changed hand five times in the final nine minutes. Green Bay could have secured a playoff spot with its first win in Pittsburgh since 1970 and a Giants loss or tie on Monday night but, instead, Minnesota clinched the NFC North with the Packers’ loss.
Roethlisberger went 29 of 46 with three TDs and 503 yards passing while becoming the first Steelers quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a game. He kept the Steelers’ decisive 86-yard drive going by finding Santonio Holmes for 32 yards on a fourth-and-7 play and Heath Miller for 30 on third-and-15.
Down to his last play, Roethlisberger found Wallace open in the left front corner of the end zone with Josh Bell in coverage. Wallace managed to keep both feet in on a play upheld by replay, and Jeff Reed—who also kicked three field goals—added the extra point.
Roethlisberger broke the team record of 473 yards by Tommy Maddox during a 34-all tie against Atlanta in 2002. His yardage is a league season high; Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb threw for 450 against San Diego on Nov. 15.
“The guys were coming back to the huddle worn out, linemen, receivers, every linemen, receivers, every body,” Roethlisberger said. “We didn’t quit. Everybody believed we could do it.”
Including Wallace, who made no other catches except for his touchdowns. Shortly before making his decisive catch, Wallace quickly went to the locker room to get stitches to close a gash on his knee.
“It was kind of hard to run,” Wallace said. “But that’s just Ben. That’s all I can say. That’s just Ben.”
Asked if he had good coverage on the play, Bell said, “Not good enough.”
“You lose on a last-second play, with a spectacular throw and catch, it’s tough,” the Packers’ Clay Matthews said. “Hindsight’s always 20-20, but we knew what we were getting ourselves into. It was a dogfight.”
Wallace also caught a 60-yard scoring pass on Pittsburgh’s first play of the game as Steelers (7-7) joined five other AFC teams tied at 7-7 in the chase for the AFC’s last playoff spot—and just in time. One more play, and their season probably would have been over.
“Not dead yet,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We’ve got a little pulse here.”
The Steelers have lost five times when ahead or tied in the fourth quarter, but they rallied this time during a final quarter that featured four lead changes and a failed Pittsburgh onside kick attempt with the Steelers ahead.
Aaron Rodgers, who finished 26 of 48 for 383 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for another, threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to James Jones on third-and-14 with 2:06 remaining to put Green Bay up 36-30 after Pittsburgh gambled and failed on an onside kick.
But the Steelers came back while outgaining the Packers 537-436 in a game that matched two of the NFL’s top four defenses but turned into a passing duel almost from the start. Pittsburgh avoided becoming the first Super Bowl champion to lose six in a row the following season.
It was a tense and discouraging finish for Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native who couldn’t deliver the Packers’ first victory in his hometown since shortly after the Vince Lombardi era ended. The Packers are 0-4 since winning there in 1970.
“This is classic December football,” McCarthy said. “It came down to the last play, and we didn’t get it done.”
The Packers trailed 7-0, 14-7, 21-14 and 27-21 as Roethlisberger also threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Mewelde Moore late in the second quarter that made it 21-14. Green Bay went ahead for the first time at
28-27 on Ryan Grant’s 24-yard touchdown run halfway through the fourth quarter. Before that, Rodgers hit Greg Jennings on an 83-yard TD pass that tied it at 7 and scooted through the Steelers’ surprised defense on a 14-yard TD run that made it 14-all.
Pittsburgh later retook the lead on Reed’s 43-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 3:58 remaining, but Tomlin—aggressively trying to shake his team out of a slide that was ruining their season—called for a surprise onside kick.
“To be honest, we hadn’t stopped them and they hadn’t stopped us,” Tomlin said.
Ike Taylor fielded the ball before the kick bounced the required 10 yards, giving the Packers a huge break and the ball at Pittsburgh’s 39-yard line. The Packers went on to score but, at the end, simply left their exhausted defense on the field one play too many.
“Unfortunately, the last team with the ball would win,” Rodgers said.
The game was nearly devoid of running attempts—Grant ran for a team-high 37 yards for Green Bay, Rashard Mendenhall gained 38 for Pittsburgh—and featured nearly 900 yards passing.
Dec 21, 2009 at 6:54 p.m.
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Dont forget Brandon chillar and his three penalties. The same Brandon Chillar that genius Ted Thompson thought deserved a contract extension over Nick Collins. Chillar negated the game winning INT with a terribly stupid penalty.
Dec 21, 2009 at 5:21 p.m.
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kiowa, you sound like someone that just lost some money. That reversal was a little strange, but the net effect didn't change much. If I recall, the play (once reversed) resulted in a 4th down punt anyway? Or is my memory failing me today? =)
Dec 21, 2009 at 5:16 p.m.
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bobb, the only way they were able to move the football was by throwing. Grant was getting nowehere, evidenced by 37 yards total rushing (24 of which were on a single run). When you're down by 2, you can't run the ball, there's 4 minutes on the clock, and throwing the ball has worked the entire game, it made perfect sense to me. Play calling has lost some games for the Packers, but this wasn't one of them.
Dec 21, 2009 at 4:46 p.m.
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if you look back at yesterdays game fundamentals cost us the game, 1- dropped passes by good recievers, 2- missed fieldgoals that should have been made, 3- poor clock management, 4- Jared Bush needs to be let go there was 3 huge plays at him the steelers capitalized on them if only he would have looked back he might have made a play, and you cant blame Bell for the last play of the game it was a great pass and reception and bell was in position it was just a great play
Dec 21, 2009 at 2:31 p.m.
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From my perspective the game looked pretty shady to me.
It all started with the LTesk play by Clay Mathews Jr; with the sack, strip, fumble and recovery all in one move. They send that up to replay (something I have argued for years now is ruining the game) and they REVERSE the call on the field??????
Riiiiiiiight, I'm sure there was nothing going on there. No "rouge" officials exist in the NFL. Just like they never did in the NBA...haha.
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Anytime one sees a game of that nature; with LARGE line movement, it should really raise ones eyebrow......The line opened as a "pick", and moved 3 points to close at Pitt -3...Packers +3. That sort of move always makes me raise an eyebrow of suspicion (having seen it all from a book making perspective). Eyebrows really get raised when the game miraculously ends on one (one point), and MANY flags came into play in the final critical minutes...Of course the books CLEAN UP on a game like that...Many books will middle a game like that, and many "steam" bettors in the public loose out following the big line move .. A trick that has sounded the bell, and lead to many investigations over the years. The last being in Toledo's games in college.
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Not trying to say the game was fixed. Just looked like certain people were in place to give the house that ever crucial "advantage".
It was a very exciting game to watch. I think they Packers still make the playoffs, but are really going to be hampered by Harris being gone. Jarrad Bush, I have maintained for years now, is the worse defensive player in the NFL. He cost them the game in the championship game against the Giants two years ago, and since has made mistake after mistake. And was burned yet again yesterday right off the bat in Pittsburgs opening drive.
Dec 21, 2009 at 1:28 p.m.
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God is good!
Dec 21, 2009 at 1:14 p.m.
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I agree that last pass of the game, was perfect. I don't think there was anything anyone could have done.
But they put themselves in that position.
To many penalty's. I wondered as well as what the deal was yesterday with the penalty's on Charles Woodson.. that guy is great. He must have had the flu.. lol.
Dec 21, 2009 at 12:55 p.m.
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Few things..
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1. Crosby didn't lose the game, but I wouldn't mind seeing him take a nice, long hike up a short peninsula.
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2. Penalties are killing them, but what was up with Woodson yesterday? He's always agressive and that makes him a great player, but he looked like a rookie on some of those penalities.
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3. Packers got a huge break on their last posession. Who on-side kicks with a 2 point lead and a few minutes left in the game?
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4. Last pass was pretty much undefensible. It was a great pass and an unbelievable catch. Pretty sure it didn't matter who was defending on that one.
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5. The secondary forgot to show up. 500 yards passing... THAT is what lost the game.
Dec 21, 2009 at 11:11 a.m.
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I really miss Al Harris. That guy defending for the Packers, Bell?? , on the last play. Some said he will be gone after this week.
Dec 21, 2009 at 11:10 a.m.
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It always seems to be a coin flip as to what defense is going to show up.
Dec 21, 2009 at 11:07 a.m.
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Crosby should have gone long ago. He is terrible. I could have made a 34yd field goal. Al Harris' non-presence was exsposed big time yesterday. Jared Bush will be targeted all day long now. To allow over 500yds passing is a joke for the "#2 defense".....
Dec 21, 2009 at 9:56 a.m.
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A loss is a loss is a loss.
Dec 21, 2009 at 9:07 a.m.
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one missed field goal by mason crosby thats the differance
Dec 21, 2009 at 7:42 a.m.
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How many penalty's on our defense on that final drive , ridiculous. They had them stopped, then gave it away with another penalty.
IT was great to see the vikings lose again.
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