Dropped TD pass, clutch kicks help Steelers survive Buffalo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — At one end of the field, kicker Shaun Suisham was reveling in how he went from castoff to clutch player by securing his new team a victory.
At the other end, Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson was inconsolable, going from being hailed one week to humbled the next.
Neither will soon forget what happened in a topsy-turvy overtime Sunday, during which Suisham hit a 41-yard field goal with 2:14 left to seal a 19-16 win. It came one possession after Johnson dropped what would have been a 40-yard touchdown pass.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Suisham, who signed with the Steelers two weeks ago after having been out of the NFL since missing two attempts for Dallas in a playoff loss to Minnesota last season.
Suisham's mother-in-law died earlier this month.
“For what's happened to our family, for what we went through at the start of the month to be here now is certainly incredible,” said Suisham, who hit all four attempts — all from beyond 40 yards — against Buffalo. “I'm so very thankful to be here.”It was another story for Johnson, who wanted to be anywhere else but sitting alone at the end of the Bills bench, where he occasionally glanced up at the video board as the Steelers marched 58 yards to set up Suisham's kick.“How would you feel?” Johnson said. “All of a sudden, when the biggest play needs to be made, you don't make it. You feel bad. I'm devastated right now.”Suddenly, the “Why So Serious?” slogan Johnson had written on his T-shirt, which he unveiled after scoring his first of three touchdowns a week earlier in 49-31 win at Cincinnati, didn't seem so playful.“I had the game in my hands and then dropped it,” Johnson said. “I'll never get over it. Ever.”In a game the Bills (2-9) proved they're not all that bad, the Steelers (8-3) showed why they're better.Rashard Mendenhall had 151 yards rushing and scored on a 1-yard plunge to help Pittsburgh prepare for an AFC North first-place showdown at Baltimore (8-3) next weekend. Hines Ward had seven catches for 107 yards, and Ben Roethlisberger finished 20 of 33 for 246 yards in a game the Steelers never trailed.Buffalo proved feisty in facing one of the NFL's elite teams by overcoming a 13-point first-half deficit and forcing overtime with 2 seconds left in regulation when Rian Lindell hit a 49-yard field goal. Fred Jackson had five catches for 105 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown, and added 59 yards rushing.The Bills had a two-game win streak snapped. Each of their past four losses has been by three points, including two in overtime after they lost 37-34 at Baltimore on Oct. 24, and 13-10 at Kansas City the following week. Buffalo was also coming off a 49-31 win at Cincinnati, in which it overcame a 21-point first-half deficit.
“We fought so hard out there, yet again, it's one of those overtime heartbreakers,” said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who finished 23 of 45 for 265 yards. “There's not much to say than the guys in that locker room, including me, are really hurting over that one.”Johnson hurt the most.He dropped at least four of the 15 passes thrown his way, and finished with seven catches for 68 yards.“Sure, I talked to him. He hurts,” coach Chan Gailey said. “You can go from penthouse to the outhouse in a hurry. But how you handle it is key. He's a good man. He's a competitor. He'll come back.”The Steelers felt fortunate to win a game they gave away themselves.“I had my helmet on and I was going to the locker room,” defensive tackle Casey Hampton said, when he saw Johnson in the end zone, having sneaked in behind defensive backs Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark.Pittsburgh was penalized 10 times for 107 yards — including five offensive holding penalties, three against guard Chris Kemoeatu. Then there was a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty against linebacker James Harrison, who faces another potential fine from the NFL for leading with his helmet in hitting Fitzpatrick just under the chin.“It's not going to change the way I play,” said Harrison, who's already been docked $100,000 this season. “There was nothing wrong about the play.”
