Nov 13, 2006, 1:05 GMT
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.
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
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