The Steelers' drive late in the fourth quarter for a game-winning field goal was the 50th such drive for the team in Ben Roethlisberger's storied career. That tied him with Tom Brady for third place on the league's all-time list for that particular statistic, which has been kept since 1960.
But some game-winning drives are different than others. And the one that lifted the Steelers to a 29-27 win over the Bears Monday night was certainly that, at least according to the Steelers.
While it was Roethlisberger's fourth game-winning drive -- considered anything in the fourth quarter or later that lifts a team to a win -- it was really his first this season in the waning moments of a game where the Steelers had to go down the field and score while trailing after the two-minute warning.
And that was a big step for the team's young offense this season as they head into the second half of the 2021 season, which will kick off for the Steelers (5-3) Sunday at home against the Lions (0-8).
"I thought it was great because that group has struggled in practice doing the two-minute drill," Roethlisberger admitted Wednesday. "The defense has kind of had our number the last couple of times we’ve done it. Doing it in a game when it really matters is special, and I think guys feel that. It would have been nice to get the first down and milk the clock to win it, but we’ll take it any way we can get it."
The Steelers took a 20-6 lead into the fourth quarter against the Bears, but saw that frittered away when Chicago scored a touchdown early in the quarter, then got a fumble return for a touchdown off a punt.
The Bears took a 27-26 lead with 1:46 remaining on a 16-yard TD pass from Justin Fields to Darnell Mooney. But the Steelers got the ball back and Roethlisberger completed 4 of 5 passes -- the incompletion was a spike -- to go 52 yards in seven plays for a 40-yard game-winning field goal by Chris Boswell, the eighth game winner of Boswell's career.
"I think any time you're able to come back and secure a game in the closing moments and smile in the face of adversity and do the things that you have to do to get out of stadiums, it's a good thing," Mike Tomlin said. "We had done that a couple of times this season defensively. It was good to be able to do that offensively, to need production from that group and for that group to take the field and deliver in the form of a two-minute drive that allowed Bos to go out there and kick the game winner. Exciting stuff."
It was an important step for an offense that includes four rookie starters who had never before done something like that at the NFL level.
But it also doesn't hurt to have an 18-year veteran leading the way.
When the Bears scored to go ahead, everyone on the sideline seemingly had the same thought.
"They left us 1:46," said rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth. "That was too much time."
It was something Roethlisberger said, as well. The veteran quarterback now has 38 career fourth-quarter comebacks, which is third all-time behind Brady (41) and Peyton Manning (43). But to get to that point is both good and bad, as Roethlisberger noted.
"You just realize that you stunk the first three quarters," Roethlisberger said, noting that you'd rather not be in that position.
But those moments also are something the Steelers drill on a pretty consistent basis. Tomlin typically gives his offense those type of scenarios during practices, telling them they need a field goal or touchdown to win in a certain amount of time. Downs, of course, count. And turnovers also end the drive as a win for the defense.
As Roethlisberger noted, the team's offense had struggled in the two-minute drill in practice in recent weeks.
"At the end of that game, when they scored, they scored quick. I looked up and (1:46). It made me think of when we do our two-minute drills in practice, (Tomlin) gives me a time, yardage and a timeout or two, if I’m lucky. I always joke with him, ‘Do I need a field goal or a touchdown?’" Roethlisberger said. "Obviously a field goal is much different. He’ll say, ‘Oh you need a touchdown 7.’ So, only needing a field goal is much easier."
As noted, it was Roethlisberger's fourth game-winning drive this season. And it also was his third come-from-behind victory. But this one was different.
He was credited with a game-winning drive and a comeback in the team's 23-16 win over the Bills in Week 1 when the Steelers entered the fourth quarter trailing 10-6. And while Roethlisberger's 5-yard touchdown pass to Dionate Johnson put the Steelers ahead 13-10, that pass came with 11:19 remaining in the game. The Steelers then also blocked a punt that they returned for a touchdown, so there wasn't a lot of heavy lifting late in the game for the offense.
Roethlisberger also was credited with a game-winning drive and fourth-quarter comeback in a 23-20 overtime win against the Seahawks, but the game-winning kick in overtime came off a forced fumble by T.J. Watt.
Finally, Roethlisberger also was credited with a fourth quarter comeback in a 15-10 win over the Browns two weeks ago. But much like the win over the Bills, the game-winning score came early in the fourth quarter when Roethlisberger connected with Freiermuth for a short touchdown pass with 11:04 remaining.
Against the Bears, the offense was in a much more dire situation.
But it also was one where it paid to have a quarterback with so much experience in those type of situations. There is an art to comebacks and game-winning drives.
"It’s kind of one of those things where it’s usually the tempo, if you can pick up the pace and not huddle, things like that, the defense, sometimes gets more basic," Roethlisberger said. "They kind of stick to something. I felt going into that last drive, they had some success with their 22-man defense. I figured that is what we’d be seeing. So I called a couple of plays where we would in 22-man beaters. It worked and we got down the field and were able to get ourselves into position."
The Bears had played that man coverage with two deep safeties throughout the game. And in this case, knowing the Steelers would be in a passing mode and not having to worry about the run, having two safeties deep made sense as their default.
But it also made them predictable and highly susceptible to short crossing routes, something of which Roethlisberger took advantage, particularly on passes to Ray-Ray McCloud for 12 yards and Johnson for a gain of 22.
That the Steelers needed to use their two-minute offense in a game in which they led by 14 points in the fourth quarter wasn't ideal. But the fact they have now done it and run it correctly to win a game is a positive.
Given the way their games have gone this season -- the Steelers have been involved in four games decided by seven or fewer points, winning all four of them -- there's a good chance they'll need their two-minute offense to come through in a game in the second half sometime soon.
"I think this last game especially shows guys that you’re never out of it, whether you’re winning by a lot or losing by a lot. One of the rookies was talking about it with one of the veterans today, I heard a veteran say, ‘We’ve been up this much and it’s close.’" Roethlisberger said. "You just know that anything can happen in this league. It’s a little different. Sometimes in college, if you’re up 21 points, it’s hard to catch up a lot. In this league, that’s not always the case. Anytime you win a game, it’s great. And if you can pull a lesson from it, it’s better."
More from practice.
• The injury report stayed largely the same for the first practice of the week. The Steelers just did a walkthrough since they're on short rest. Both Roethlisberger and Chase Claypool were non-participants Wednesday with Roethlisberger having a plethora of bumps and bruises while Claypool suffered a toe injury Monday night against the Bears.
Also appearing on the injury report for the first time were linebacker Robert Spillane (ankle) and defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs (hip). Both Spillane and Buggs were full participants. Cam Heyward (ankle) was a full participant while tight end Eric Ebron (hamstring) was a limited participant.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
