Posted at 9:42 a.m., Sunday, October 7, 2007
NFL: Big Ben leads Steelers past Seahawks
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have their two best defensive players, their two starting wide receivers or much offense for the first half. With all that, they still had far too much for the Seattle Seahawks.
Ben Roethlisberger, scrambling and improvising without his usual receivers, finally got the Steelers' offense going. He led three successive lengthy touchdown drives highlighted by Najeh Davenport's runs and Pittsburgh's undermanned defense dominated Seattle in a 21-0 victory today.
Roethlisberger bounced back from a two-interception performance during a 21-14 loss at Arizona the previous week to complete 13 consecutive passes. It was an impressive display of creativity given starting receivers Hines Ward (knee) and Santonio Holmes (hamstring) didn't play. The Steelers' record is 15 completions in a row by Bubby Brister in 1989.
Roethlisberger finished 18-of-22 for 206 yards and a touchdown.
With Pittsburgh star Willie Parker held to 17 yards on his first 10 carries before he found a rhythm, the Steelers (4-1) punted on their first four possessions. They didn't get anything going until the 247-pound Davenport ran for 45 yards up the Seattle sideline to the Seahawks 20 late in the second quarter of a scoreless game.
Roethlisberger found tight end Heath Miller for 13 yards and a touchdown with slightly less than two minutes left in the half to finish off a 10-play drive. It was the first series of any consequence by either team following nine consecutive punts.
It wasn't quite a replay of the Steelers' 21-10 win over Seattle in the February 2006 Super Bowl, except for Pittsburgh's ability to prevent any big plays by Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander.
Hasselbeck, repeatedly forced to throw with a pass rusher in his face and also without top receiver Deion Branch for most of the game, was 13-of-27 for 116 yards. He and backup Seneca Wallace were only 2-of-8 for 17 yards in the second half. Alexander, playing with a broken left hand, managed 25 yards on 11 ineffective carries after gaining 353 yards in Seattle's first four games.
The Steelers were without injured Pro Bowl defenders Troy Polamalu (rib cartilage) and Casey Hampton (hamstring), yet it made little difference. Seattle badly missed Branch, who sprained his right foot in the second quarter. He has frequently hurt the Steelers, with 16 catches in his three previous games against them, and was coming off a 130-yard game against the 49ers.
The Seahawks' only threat came following Miller's touchdown. Hasselbeck drove them to the Steelers 14 in the final minute before halftime, only to be intercepted by Ike Taylor at the goal line, keeping alive the Steelers' streak of not allowing a first-half touchdown this season.
Seattle (3-2) didn't get the ball back until it trailed 14-0 late in the third quarter. Roethlisberger put together the Steelers' best drive of the season, a 17-play, 80-yarder that lasted nearly 10½ minutes to start the second half.
Davenport finished off that long possession by scoring from the 1, and he scored again from the 5 to end Pittsburgh's next drive. Parker was beginning to find running lanes by then and finished with 102 yards, his fourth 100-yard game this season.
The Steelers have won all three home games this season by at least three touchdowns.
It was uncommonly warm for early October, with temperatures were in the mid-80s on a sunny day. So the Seahawks jury-rigged some shade on their sideline by having members of their support staff hold large protective screens over the players' heads.
