Posted at 10:45 a.m., Sunday, September 23, 2007
NFL: Pittsburgh stays perfect in 37-16 win over 49ers
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Mike Tomlin's record after three games as Steelers coach is the same as Bill Cowher's was in 1992. Perfect.
Pittsburgh played nearly error-free for the third week in a row, with Allen Rossum returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and Willie Parker running for 133 yards in a defense-driven 37-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers today.
Just as Cowher did to begin his Steelers career 15 years ago, Tomlin is 3-0. Now, he can only hope the rest of his career goes as well as his predecessor's did.
The Steelers shut down the 49ers the same way they did the Browns (34-7) and the Bills (26-3) the last two weeks, allowing no big plays and repeatedly coming up with key third-down stops.
Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 97-26, allowing only two meaningless touchdowns in games they were well ahead.
Parker had his fourth consecutive 100-yard game and sixth in seven games dating to last season, yardage the Steelers needed on a day quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw only when necessary. Roethlisberger was 13-of-20 for 160 yards and a 9-yard touchdown to tight end Jerame Tuman. It was the third TD catch in as many games by a Steelers backup tight end, with Tuman filling in for injured rookie Matt Spaeth (groin), who already has two TD catches.
49ers quarterback Alex Smith (17-of-35, 209 yards) had plenty of chances to generate some scoring, But he couldn't get them into the end zone until hitting Taylor Jacobs for a 21-yard touchdown after Pittsburgh opened a 30-9 lead. Smith also threw his first interception, which Bryant McFadden returned 50 yards for a touchdown late in the game. Pittsburgh's Najeh Davenport added a 39-yard TD run after that.
