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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 6, 2008

Jaguars frustrate Steelers

Photo galleryPhoto gallery: Saturday's NFL wild-card games

By Alan Robinson
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee, left, gets a well done from holder Adam Podlesh after booting a 25-yard field to beat Pittsburgh, 31-29.

GENE J. PUSKAR | Associated Press

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PITTSBURGH — Never in the Steelers' 75 seasons had a team beaten them twice in Pittsburgh in the same season. The Jaguars beat history — and the Steelers — despite a memorable fourth-quarter collapse that nearly cost Jacksonville its season.

Josh Scobee saved the game by kicking a 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining and the Jaguars came back after squandering an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat the Steelers, 31-29, last night in an AFC wild-card game that was wild in every sense of the word.

Jacksonville appeared to be done after Najeh Davenport's second 1-yard TD run of the game gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead with about six minutes remaining. But quarterback David Garrard, not a great runner, found a seam on a convert-or-else fourth-and-2 play and rambled 32 yards to the Steelers 11 with 1:56 left.

"Right before we went out, I pulled the guys together and said, 'Guys, you got to love it, this is what we're here for,' " coach Jack Del Rio said. "Now let's go out and make some plays and win it."

Garrard aided the Steelers' comeback by throwing two interceptions — one less than he had all season — only to come up with the play that may have saved the Jaguars' season.

Steelers linebacker Larry Foote argued emphatically after the game that Jacksonville's offensive line held on Garrard's run.

"I don't want to get fined, but watch the long quarterback sneak," Foote said. "Watch the middle of the defensive line and you'll see. You'll see it. Watch what happens in the middle of the field. ... You see a big old hole open up and you'll see the reason why."

Ben Roethlisberger (29 of 42, 337 yards) put the Steelers into a deep hole himself by throwing three interceptions before halftime, then got rolling after he began lining up in a shotgun formation. He threw touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes (37 yards) and Heath Miller (14 yards) in 4 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter to get Pittsburgh within 28-23.

"Ben is our leader, he's always going to be our leader. I'll ride or die with him any day," right tackle Willie Colon said.

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