Mistakes, Vick plague Steelers in overtime loss to Falcons
ATLANTA — The Pittsburgh Steelers were on their way to another blowout, but they just couldn't hang on to the football.
Michael Vick made them pay for every one that got away — and fired back at his critics with one touchdown pass after another.
In what surely will be remembered as one of the most thrilling games of the season, Atlanta and the defending Super Bowl champions swapped the lead six times before Morten Andersen kicked a 32-yard field goal in overtime to give the Falcons a 41-38 victory Sunday.
"I just happened to be the last one out there to finish the job," the 46-year-old Andersen said.
Indeed, there were many twists and turns on the way to the winning kick. Vick threw a career-high four touchdown passes, three of them to Alge Crumpler. Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward had a career day in his Atlanta homecoming, pulling down three TDs and finishing with 171 yards receiving — literally running out of his shoe on a 70-yard scoring play. The Steelers piled up 473 yards and 27 first downs. The Falcons countered with 399 yards and 24 first downs.
There's more. Ben Roethlisberger got off to another brilliant start, then got knocked out of the game with a scary blow to the head in the third quarter. The Falcons thought they had won in regulation on a 56-yard field goal by their No. 2 kicker, but it didn't count. Pittsburgh also squandered a chance to win in waning seconds, then got beat in overtime by the second-oldest player in NFL history.
But the most decisive plays of all were three Pittsburgh fumbles and a surprising onside kick by the Falcons in the second quarter. Atlanta (4-2) pounced on the ball every time — and turned all four into momentum-changing touchdowns.
"You turn the ball over like we did playing on the road, it's hard," said Ward, who grew up in the Atlanta area dreaming of someday playing for the Falcons. "We've got to take care of the ball, and we didn't do that."
Pittsburgh (2-4) was coming off a 45-7 rout of Kansas City, which ended a three-game losing streak and appeared to get the champs back on their feet. They jumped all over the Falcons, too, going up 17-7 and dominating defensively, except for a quick-strike, 22-yard touchdown pass from Vick to Crumpler after Santonio Holmes fumbled a punt.
Atlanta couldn't stop the Steelers, but the Steelers kept stopping themselves. Roethlisberger fumbled a snap, the Falcons recovered and Vick went to Crumpler for a 3-yard TD.
Then, perhaps the biggest play in a game filled with them. Atlanta called for an onside kick, and Jerious Norwood recovered after Jimmy Williams leveled a Steelers player going for the ball. Vick converted with a 17-yard pass to Michael Jenkins in the corner of the end zone.
From there, it went back and forth, the Steelers hanging tough even though Roethlisberger appeared to get knocked unconscious on a facemask-to-facemask hit by Chauncey Davis. Big Ben wobbled to the sideline, left the field on a cart and returned as a mere spectator.
His status for next Sunday's game at Oakland isn't certain, but backup Charlie Batch kept the Steelers in this one. He threw the 70-yard touchdown pass to Ward for Pittsburgh's final lead, 31-28, and hooked up with him again on a 17-yarder that tied the game at 38 with 3:19 remaining in the fourth.
That set up a dramatic final minute of regulation.
Atlanta appeared to go ahead when Michael Koenen, who lost the kicking job after two games but still handles the punting and long field goals, made a 56-yarder with 35 seconds remaining. Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher slipped in a timeout just before the snap, however, and the officials waved off the play.
Koenen tried again and missed, but Troy Polamalu was called for running into the kicker. The Falcons then sent on Andersen, whose 52-yard try came up short.
There was still time for Pittsburgh to pull out a victory. Batch delivered a 25-yard pass to Ward and the Steelers raced up to the line to down the ball with 8 seconds to go. However, receiver Nate Washington flinched ever so slightly before Batch took the snap and threw the ball into the ground, a false-start penalty that automatically led to the remaining seconds being run off.
Ward slammed his helmet to the turf in disgust. The Steelers wouldn't get the ball again.
After Atlanta won the coin toss, Vick converted on third-and-9 by scrambling away from Polamalu and flipping a 26-yard pass to Crumpler. Five plays later, Andersen came on to make the winning kick.
"Moments like this are the main reason I'm a Mike Vick fan," Mora said. "For all the talk about what Vick can't do, I like to talk about what he can do. And he does things that no other player in the history of the game at that position has the ability to do."
Notes: Vick was 18-of-30 for 232 yards passing and ran for another
40 yards. ... Vick also threw two interceptions. ... Both teams were missing defensive stars. Rod Coleman (toe) and John Abraham (groin) didn't dress for the Falcons, while Pittsburgh played without Joey Porter (hamstring). ... Willie Parker had the Steelers' other fumble, which led to Warrick Dunn's 1-yard TD run.
