When Ben Roethlisberger’s fourth-down pass was broken up by Colts’ defensive back T.J. Carrie at the goal line in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, the Steelers appeared destined to match a streak of offensive futility unrivaled in 51 years.
You don’t need a degree in Pittsburgh sports history to know it’s never good to be compared with the 1969 Steelers. Those were the Steelers of 1-13 infamy. The Steelers of Dick Shiner and Dick Hoak. The Steelers before Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Lynn Swann made them dynastic.
They were the last Pittsburgh team that failed to score 20 points in five consecutive games — a dubious skid not entirely unexpected given the paucity of playmakers. Those Steelers were in transition during Chuck Noll’s first season, not in virtual free fall under the watch of a veteran coach and Hall of Fame quarterback with the playoffs beckoning.
That’s the situation Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger found themselves in against the Colts — trailing 24-7 late in the third quarter at Heinz Field. They were staring at a possible fourth straight defeat and creeping close to etching their names alongside those of Shiner and Hoak for historically bad runs of offense.
“We’re far from perfect,” Tomlin said. “Our warts are well documented (and) I’m sure you guys will continue to chop them up.”
So will the Steelers’ coaches and players, but they’re much easier to dissect after rallying dramatically to make a different kind of history. Roethlisberger threw touchdowns on three straight second-half drives to turn a 17-point deficit into an AFC North title-clinching 28-24 victory.
It was a much-needed win for the 38-year-old quarterback and the Steelers (12-3), who now have the option of resting veterans for the regular-season finale against the Browns.
Everyone ready for a week’s worth of discussion about a potential Mason Rudolph start against Myles Garrett and the desperate Browns? From the Steelers’ perspective, it certainly beats the talking points that were queuing up as they thrashed about for 2-1/2 quarters against Indianapolis.
In building a 24-7 lead, the Colts had outgained the Steelers, 282-93, in total yards. The home team had six first downs and four yards rushing.
Pittsburgh’s lone first-half touchdown had been set up by its defense — a second-quarter T. J. Watt strip sack that was recovered by Mike Hilton and returned 14 yards to the Indianapolis 3.
When the Steelers failed to convert on four tries from inside the Colts’ 3 yard-line late in the third quarter, nobody would have predicted a comeback to deliver the franchise’s first division title since 2017. Nobody would have foreseen the Steelers rallying from 17-plus points down in the second half for the first time in the Tomlin era.
“It took everyone today,” Tomlin said. “Just loved the fight of the group. (It) was very necessary, man. Victory is sweet. It’s been a month or so for us, so we’ve been through some adversity. But just growth in the midst of that. Hopefully, these negative experiences can galvanize us, man, and strengthen us as we move forward.”
Asked whether he planned to rest starters or try to build momentum ahead of the postseason, the coach said: “We’ll ponder those possibilities in the morning. Tonight, we’re going to wear our (AFC North champion) hats and T-shirts.”
The way things have transpired since the Dec. 7 loss to Washington, there was no guarantee those items were going to make it out of the boxes.
The erosion of the offense and the injuries on defense had sent the Steelers into an ill-timed funk after winning their first 11 games. Roethlisberger had come under heavy criticism, and his inability to deliver deep balls with accuracy and zip were becoming daily fodder for sports talk shows.
His first-half struggles Sunday were contrasted with 39-year-old Philip Rivers connecting on several long passes, including a 42-yard touchdown to Zach Pascal. Roethlisberger finished the first half 11 of 20 for 98 yards passing and a 68.3 quarterback rating.
In the locker room at halftime, with the Steelers trailing 21-7, Roethlisberger and center Markice Pouncey addressed the team. The theme, in so many words, some likely R-rated, was relax and have fun.
“When you are having fun playing the game, things can happen differently,” said Roethlisberger, who ended the day 34 of 49 for 342 yards and three TDs with a 109.4 QB rating. “So you’re right, it didn’t look good at the end of the half. That’s why you get a halftime to make adjustments, to gather yourself.”
Roethlisberger and Tomlin believed a comeback was possible in part because of vulnerabilities they spotted in the Colts’ defense but failed to exploit. There were “chunk plays” the Steelers were unable to convert due to a lack of execution and, in one case, a miscommunication between the quarterback and Diontae Johnson on a deep route that resulted in an incompletion.
“We missed on some opportunities in the first half,” Tomlin said. “I don’t know if (the comeback) was dramatic. It’s a fine line between drinking the wine and squashing the grapes as we say in this business. Sometimes, it’s very subtle.”
On the Steelers’ first drive of the second half, Roethlisberger hit Chase Claypool on a 34-yard skinny post. It’s the kind of arrow the quarterback has been firing for years, but one that had gone missing from his quiver for weeks.
While the drive stalled at the goal line, it helped establish a rhythm and quicker tempo. On the next series, Roethlisberger needed just one play to find Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-14:
The long completions not only fueled the rally, but backed off the Colts’ secondary. For weeks, opponents have been crowding the line of scrimmage, making it hard for Roethlisberger and his receivers to hit on short and intermediate routes.
As the quarterback strung together completions in the second half, the Indianapolis defense began to press. It was flagged three times for pass interference and once for illegal contact.
Once the Colts were forced to respect the deep threats, the intermediate passing lanes reopened.
“You know what, just believing in each other, believing that we can make plays,” said Roethlisberger, who credited his offensive line for giving him time to throw deeper passes. “Guys made plays. That’s what we needed in the second half. Guys to step up (and) make tough catches.”
Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster were instrumental in the rally after weeks of coming under fire for poor play. Johnson, maligned for a flurry of recent drops, caught eight passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Smith-Schuster had nine catches for 96 yards, a 25-yard, game-winning TD and no dances on any logos for TikTok.
“It was a big game for him,” Johnson said of Smith-Schuster. “He didn’t let (the TikTok controversy) get in his way. He showed he can make plays whenever he wants to.”
When Smith-Schuster scored with 7:38 left, it gave the Steelers their first lead in 10 quarters. It also helped put some distance between themselves and the ’69 Steelers.
"We don’t need to send messages to other teams,” Roethlisberger said when asked how this performance will be perceived around the league. “We need to send messages to ourselves. We need to prove to each other that we can do it. That we have the guys in the locker room that can make plays, that are special talents. Sometimes, you just need a little shock to rejuvenate yourself and believe again.”
The Steelers’ defense played a big part in the second-half comeback. After yielding a field goal on the first series of the third quarter, it limited the Colts to 83 yards and five first downs the rest of the way.
Watt and Hilton were terrific in stopping the three-game slide. Watt registered two of the team’s five sacks and Hilton was everywhere the Steelers needed him to be. The defensive back recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and broke up several other plays.
“We weren’t able to force turnovers in (two of our three) losses and it put more pressure on our offense,” Hilton said. “But as a defense, if we put them on a short field, our offense will succeed and we did that today.”
In the locker room, players donned shirts reading, “Won Not Done -- Division Champions”
“It was exciting, it was overcoming, it was brotherhood,” defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt said in describing the locker-room scene.
Now, it’s on to Cleveland for an opportunity to ruin the Browns’ chances of reaching their first postseason since 2002.
The storylines will be rich. Rudolph will be at the ready. And a shot at breaking 20 points won’t seem nearly as daunting.