Pittsburgh, PA - Willie Parker rushed for 213 yards and two
touchdowns as three costly New Orleans fumbles, including one by Terrance
Copper at the Pittsburgh 25-yard line in the game's last minute, led to a
38-31 Steelers win over the Saints at Heinz Field.
Parker carried the football 22 times, while Ben Roethlisberger completed 17-
of-28 passes for 264 yards and three scores for the Steelers (3-6), who
snapped a three-game losing skid. Hines Ward had five catches for 86 yards and
a score.
Marques Colston continued a tremendous rookie campaign for the Saints (6-3),
with 10 catches for 169 yards. Drew Brees threw for 398 yards on 31-
of-47 passing with one touchdown.
Deuce McAllister had a quiet day on the ground, with 60 yards on 15 carries,
but did score twice for the Saints, who have lost two of their last three.
Copper's costly fumble came at the end of a 20-yard reception that would have
put the Saints in position to possibly tie the game, obscuring an otherwise
good day for the Saints wideout, who had six catches for 92 yards and a score.
McAllister brought the Saints back to within one score by scooping up a bad
snap and running it in from four yards out to make it 38-31 with 8:05 left in
the game. Saints center Jeff Faine's snap rolled through the backfield to the
single-set back McAllister, who alertly picked it up and ran it in.
After a Roethlisberger incompletion, Parker took the Steelers 80 yards all by
himself. Parker cut through the Saints defense and raced 76 yards down the
sideline to the New Orleans four-yard line, and followed that burst with a run
into the end zone to give the Steelers a 38-24 advantage with 9:55 left in the
game.
Parker had given the Steelers a 31-24 lead with a three-yard run that he
bounced outside to the right before diving into the end zone. Parker burst 72
yards through a wide-open hole in the Saints defensive line to set up his
score, accounting for 77 of the 78 yards on the drive.
A Reggie Bush fumble gave Pittsburgh the ball at the New Orleans 38-yard line
with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter. Roethlisberger cashed
in immediately for the Steelers, finding an uncovered Cedrick Wilson in the
back of the end zone for a 38-yard score, knotting the game at 24-24.
Jeff Reed had pulled a 35-yard field goal try wide left with 7:46 left in the
third quarter that would have cut the Saints lead to four. The miss wasted a
73-yard drive from the Steelers that started at their own nine-yard line, but
the Steelers defense quickly picked Reed up by forcing the Bush fumble.
'I thought they played with a lot of emotion and a lot of heart,' New Orleans
head coach Sean Payton said of Pittsburgh. 'They played like last year's Super
Bowl champion. It's frustrating when you get close like that with this team
and not get a win.'
Roethlisberger and the Steelers hit the ground running, cashing in on their
first drive to take a 7-0 lead barely three minutes into the game. Ward hauled
in a 37-yard strike from Roethlisberger to cap a six-play, 50-yard drive that
was set up by a 40-yard return on the opening kickoff by Najeh Davenport to
midfield.
New Orleans tight end Billy Miller spotted the Steelers great field position
with a fumble at the Saints 32-yard line on the ensuing Saints drive. The
Steelers cashed in on the opportunity with a two-yard touchdown pass from
Roethlisberger to Heath Miller to take a 14-0 lead with 6:49 left in the first
quarter.
The Saints quickly responded, though, with Michael Lewis returning the ensuing
kickoff 43 yards to the New Orleans 48-yard line. 12 plays and 52 yards later
it was a 14-7 game, after a short three-yard touchdown pass from Brees to
Copper.
A 20-yard John Carney field goal cut the Steelers lead to 14-10 at 8:22 of the
second quarter.
Bush gave the Saints their first lead of the game on the first offensive
touchdown of his career with 2:22 left in the half. Bush took the double-
reverse toss from Colston and ran 15 yards around the left end before vaulting
into the end zone to make it 17-14 Saints.
A 32-yard field goal by Reed tied the game at 17-17 with 1:20 left in the
first half.
Brees quickly marched the Saints back down the field, though, and connected
with Colston on a 29-yard gain that gave New Orleans 1st-and-goal at the
Pittsburgh four-yard line with 29 seconds left in the half. McAllister broke
two tackles on the next play, scoring to give New Orleans a 24-17 lead at
halftime.
'It kind of went our way in the second half,' said Parker. 'The first half we
really couldn't buy anything.'
Game Notes
Steelers safety Troy Palomalu left the game in the second quarter with a head
injury, he did not return, and neither did cornerback Deshea Townsend, who
suffered a left ankle injury and a mild concussion.
Parker was the first
player to record two runs of 70-plus yards in one game since Barry Sanders did
it on October 12, 1997.
© 2006 The Sports Network
USA
Your Talkback on this Story