Electric finish: Steelers win with last-second TD
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell scores the game-winning touchdown against the San Diego Chargers on the final play Monday night in San Diego.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (26) pivots after getting past San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers, right, during the first half Monday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mike Vick throws a pass during the first half against the San Diego Chargers, Monday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton runs on his way to a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the second half Monday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake runs on his way to a touchdown off an interception while playing the San Diego Chargers during the second half Monday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates hauls in a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
SAN DIEGO – Football is a game of 60 minutes.
That was a good thing for the Steelers Monday night. They needed all 60.
The Mike Vick-led Pittsburgh offense sputtered for most of his second consecutive game at quarterback. But with the game on the line, Vick threw a 72-yard TD to Markus Wheaton, then led the Steelers to a last-second touchdown as Pittsburgh stunned San Diego, 24-20, on a Le’Veon Bell touchdown run as time expired.
“That was the most meaningful (touchdown) of my career for sure,” said Bell, who scored off of a direct snap in a Wildcat look. “To have a game-winner on the last play of the game, that’s something you always dream about.”
For much of the game, the Steelers (3-2) played in a dream-like state, at least offensively. But the defense did a good job of keeping the Chargers (2-3) out of the end zone to allow Bell a chance to win it.
“We’ve got to run the ball there,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “We’ve got Le’Veon Bell. We’re on the road in the hostile environment. We’ve got to play to win and that’s what we did.”
Josh Lambo made a 54-yard field goal with 2:56 remaining in the game to put San Diego ahead, 20-17. But Vick threw a pair of passes to wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, scrambled for 24 yards up the middle and then found tight end Heath Miller at the goal line to set up Bell’s game-winning score.
“We had two run plays called,” said Steelers receiver Antonio Brown. “Coach (Mike Tomlin) said if we didn’t score on the first one, we had a timeout left and we were going to run again.”
They only needed one, which was a good thing since Bell scored as time expired.
“I didn’t realize it took that long, said Bell, who finished with 111 yards on 21 carries. “I was just doing everything I could to get into the end zone.”
The Steelers didn’t get into the end zone until late in the third quarter. And it came on a score by the defense. Antwon Blake stepped in front of a Phillip Rivers pass at the Pittsburgh 30, scooted up the Steelers’ sideline and then cut back to the middle of the field, eluding tacklers – including Rivers at the goal line – to put the Steelers shead 10-7.
But San Diego rebounded from the play to tie the score at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter on a 40-yard field goal by Lambo.
After the Chargers forced a Pittsburgh punt, Rivers, who passed for 365 yards, threw a 32-yard completion on first-and-20 to tight end Lardarius Green to the Steelers’ 27-yard line with just under 11 minutes remaining.
On third-and-10, Rivers threw an 11-yard completion to tight end Antonio Gates to the 16. Rivers then threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Gates, this one from 12 yards, to put the Chargers ahead 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
On the first play following the Chargers’ score, Vick, who had struggled to that point, threw a 72-yard bomb to Wheaton for a touchdown to tie the score at 17-17. Pittsburgh did not have a first down in the second half until Wheaton’s touchdown.
“That play really got us going,” said Heyward-Bey. “In that two-minute drill, Mike Vick did it perfect. The only person who could have done it better was Ben (Roethlisberger).”
San Diego made things look easy on its first possession of the game after forcing a Pittsburgh punt, driving 84 yards in just five plays. Three of the plays on the drive went to Gates, who was returning from a four-game suspension for PED use. The former All-Pro tight end had three catches for 34 yards in the drive, including a 12-yard TD catch that made it 7-0.
The Steelers’ defense limited the Chargers to only 73 yards over the remainder of the half, but Pittsburgh’s offense failed to take advantage despite Bell gaining 89 yards on 14 carries. It was the most rushing yards by Bell in the first half of a game in his career.
Bell broke a 25-yard run midway through the second quarter, taking the ball to the San Diego 28. However, he was stopped for a five-yard loss on first down and then a loss of four yards on second down on a direct snap out of the Wildcat formation.
Vick’s third-down pass of eight yards to Bell put the Steelers back in field-goal range and placekicker Chris Boswell, who was signed just over a week ago, made his first career NFL field goal, from 47 yards, to cut the San Diego lead to 7-3.
Vick, subbing for an injured Roethlisberger for the second consecutive game, completed 13 of 26 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He scrambled just once, on the game-winning drive.
“He’s got a 15-year résumé,” Tomlin said of Vick. “He’s seen all the game has to offer. He’s got unique abilities that you can’t coach. That scramble play, that’s indicitive of what he’s capable of. He’s got a career of highlights like that, delivering those type of plays. That’s why he’s our quarterback for the time being.”
The Steelers have until 4 p.m. today to activate wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the 53-man roster. Bryant returned last week from a four-game suspension for violation of the NFL drug policy but suffered a minor knee injury last Monday. … Strong safety Will suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. He was replaced by Robert Golden. … Jones had a sack in the first half, his first of the season, and rookie Bud Dupree had a sack in the third quarter, his third. … Blake’s interception was the first of his career. … Safety Ross Ventrone suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.