Fourth-quarter fumble proves costly to Steelers
Pittsburgh wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, left, pushes off Denver free safety Bradley Roby during the first half Sunday in Denver.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, top, is sacked by Denver outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware during the fourth quarter Sunday in Denver.
Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, left, recovers a fumble by Pittsburgh Steelers running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, right, during the second half Sunday in Denver.
DENVER – Last weekend in Cincinnati, the Steelers won a playoff game because they didn’t quit for 60 minutes.
Sunday in Denver, they lost a playoff game because they didn’t control the game for that same period of time.
The Steelers controlled play through the first three quarters, then saw Denver come alive in the final 15 minutes to pull out a 23-16 victory at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in an AFC Divisional Playoff game.
The Broncos advanced to next Sunday’s AFC Championship, which they will host against New England. The Steelers, meanwhile, will have a whole offseason to think about how they let this one slip out of their grasp – literally.
Third-string running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, forced into action because of injuries to Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, lost a fumble at the Denver 31-yard line with the Steelers clinging to a 13-12 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“When you lose a turnover battle in a hostile environment versus good people, it’s going to cost you,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “It cost us.”
The fumble ruined what was an otherwise solid game for Toussaint. He scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter to give the Steelers a 7-6 lead and did a nice job of picking up blitzes.
But Denver cornerback Bradley Roby fought through a block and poked the ball loose, with teammate DeMarcus Ware recovering.
“It’s very tough,” said Toussaint, who began the season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. “I hate losing, definitely hate fumbling the football, especially in a position like that. You have to protect the ball.”
Despite the fumble, the Steelers’ defense had multiple chances to get off the field, but Denver’s offense went 65 yards on 13 plays, scoring on a third-and-1 run by C.J. Anderson and then Peyton Manning threw to Demaryius Thomas for a two-point conversion to give the Broncos a 20-13 lead with three minutes remaining.
Included on that scoring drive was Denver, which had converted just one third down to that point, moving the chains on a third-and-12 when Manning threw a 31-yard catch-and-run to Bennie Fowler, who working against cornerback Brandon Boykin. Manning was 21 of 37 for 222 yards.
“They got the run going a little bit, then I think we had them in a (third-and-12) and we couldn’t get off,” said Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. “Then they tried to hurry us up, but we’ve just got to make the tackle. I’m not sure what happened there. We had some good opportunities to get off or at least give up a field goal instead of a touchdown. As a defense, we relish those moments where it’s all on our backs. We just didn’t come up big.”
Linebacker James Harrison, who had seven tackles, including three for a loss and Pittsburgh’s lone sack of Manning, agreed.
“It was a turnover, yeah, but it was deep in our territory,” Harrison said. “We still had time and room to put a stop to it, we just weren’t able to. They were able to extend their drives.
“We’re sitting on the outside looking in now.”
Pittsburgh got the football back but turned it over on downs as Ben Roethlisberger was sacked on fourth down to give set Denver up for a 45-yard Brad McManus field goal – his fifth of the game – with 53 seconds remaining to give the Broncos a 23-13 lead.
The Steelers benefitted from a pass interference penalty against Denver safety T.J. Ward to gain 22 yards, and Roethlisberger connected with Martavis Bryant for passes of 7 and 22 yards to the Denver 29, before Tomlin elected to have Chris Boswell kick a 47-yard field goal to make it 23-16 with 19 seconds remaining.
The Steelers, however, failed to recover Boswell’s onside kick, touching off a celebration for the Broncos, the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
“We found a way to win,” said Denver head coach Gary Kubiak. “They’re a great football team, a great organization. They played really well. I’m just glad we found a way to hang in there and got it done.”
For three quarters, it appeared it might be New England hosting the sixth-seeded Steelers in the AFC Championship.
Despite being without top receiver Antonio Brown, who was out with a concussion suffered last week in Cincinnati, and Roethlisberger playing through a shoulder separation, the Steelers controlled the play.
Roethlisberger was 24 of 37 for 339 yards and hit several big plays, including completions that went for 58 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey, 52 yards to Bryant and 37 to rookie Sammie Coates.
Bryant also had a 40-yard run on an end around and finished with nine receptions for 154 yards.
But a 42-yard punt return in the first quarter and a 27-yard punt out of his own end zone by Jordan Berry gave Denver great field position in the first quarter, which the Broncos turned into a pair of McManus field goals.
Despite dominating the first half, the Steelers led by only 10-9 at the break. The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, setting the stage for Denver’s comeback.
“It’s not on him,” said Roethlisberger of Toussaint. “It’s on all of us. Fitz, he’s one of the reasons we got here.”
Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats left in the first quarter with a pectoral injury and did not return. … Pittsburgh was 2-for-12 on third downs. Denver was 3-for-15. … The Steelers outgained the Broncos 396-324. … Roethlisberger’s 339 passing yards were a career playoff high. … Roethlisberger moved past Terry Bradshaw (3,833) for the most passing yards in Steelers postseason history, with 4,052.