Steelers.com

The Steelers first preseason game was not what they had hoped for, losing on the road to the Arizona Cardinals, 21-13.

"From an execution standpoint we have a long way to go and I think that was very evident tonight," said head coach Bill Cowher.

Ben Roethlisberger started at quarterback, completing three of four passes for 29 yards.

"He looked fine," said Cowher of Roethlisberger.  "I liked the way he was out there. He looked good in the pocket. He made some plays. It was good he had the chance to get hit a couple of times. I told him in the future though I would rather he go down than fight to get free. That's what happens. You get out there and don't think about those things. It was good for him to get out there and just play. From that perspective I am glad we got that out of the way."

Kurt Warner looked sharp for the Cardinals, completing nine of 13 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers scored on field goals by Jeff Reed and Mark Brubaker and rookie quarterback Omar Jacobs found rookie tight end Isaac Smolko in the closing minutes for the Steelers only touchdown of the day.

"I was impressed with him coming in," said Cowher. "He got out there and did a nice job at the end and made a nice throw to Isaac for the touchdown."

"I thought Shane (Boyd) did some good things. He handled the one minute at the end of the first half very well."

Rookie safety Anthony Smith was a bright spot for the Steelers with two interceptions.

"Anthony Smith is a good football player. He is a natural safety," said Cowher. "He is the one kid I thought really showed up today."

One thing that did disappoint Cowher was the allowing the Cardinals to convert on eight of 13 third downs.

"Our third down was atrocious on defense."

Quarterback Stats:

GAME SUMMARY

The Steelers started the game on offense with Roethlisberger leading the way for the black and gold. Willie Parker came out running, with gains of two and five yards, and then Roethlisberger hit Verron Haynes for an 11-yard gain. Roethlisberger found Parker for a seven-yard gain and Nate Washington went around left end for a 10-yard gain on the reverse.

Roethlisberger found himself under pressure from strong safety Adrian Wilson, but escaped and completed an 11-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller. Parker was the go-to guy again for a five-yard gain, but Roethlisberger's first incompletion of the game left the Steelers with a tough third-down situation from the Arizona 26-yard line. Roethlisberger, lining up in the shotgun, couldn't escape the pressure and was sacked by Bertrand Berry and Antonio Smith for a 10-yard loss.

Kicker Jeff Reed was called upon, but his 54-yard field goal was wide left.

The Cardinals came out on offense with something to prove in their new state of the art stadium. Quarterback Kurt Warner moved the offense down the field, completing passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson. J.J. Arrington had a reception and was called upon in the ground game as the Cardinals moved the ball to their own five-yard line. Warner then hit Johnson for a five-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.

As was the plan going into the game Charlie Batch came in on the second series for the Steelers offense. Batch came out firing on his first snap, completing an 18-yard pass to Cedrick Wilson. Duce Staley came in at running back, carrying the ball four times for 12 yards on the drive.

Rookie Santonio Holmes had his first catch in a Steelers uniform, reaching up and pulling in an eight yard reception.

Batch was able to move the Steelers to the Cardinals 30-yard line, but the drive stalled there and Reed came back on, this time hitting a 48-yard field goal to close the lead to 7-3.

Both teams exchanged possessions, before Warner went back to work for the Cardinals. Warner hit Anquan Boldin for a 15-yard gain. On a third-and-nine, Warner found Johnson for a 20-yard gain. Running back Marcel Shipp had four straight carries for 12 yards and then Warner went back to Boldin for a nine yard gain. Warner then capped off the drive by connecting with Obafemi Ayanbadejo for a 15-yard touchdown, to extend the lead to 14-3.

The Steelers saw their third quarterback of the first half when Shane Boyd came into the game. Boyd's first pass was incomplete over the middle to Washington. On third down Boyd lined up out of the shotgun and was forced to scramble, gaining only three yards and forcing the punt.

The defense stepped up big for the Steelers on the next drive. Rookie safety Anthony Smith, a third-round pick out of Syracuse, intercepted John Navarre's pass and returned it 10-yards to the Cardinals 35-yard line.

Boyd got his first work under pressure taking over with just 1:08 on the clock. Boyd hit rookie wide receiver Willie Reid for eight yards and then six yards. He then completed a seven-yard pass to Holmes and a 13-yard pass to Quincy Morgan. Rookie kicker Mark Brubaker then hit on a 24-yard field goal to close the lead to 14-6 at the half.

The Cardinals got the first shot on offense to start the second half. Damien Anderson came in at running back and had a four-yard gain. The Cardinals got a first down when Navarre found LeRon McCoy for six yards. The Cardinals managed another first down before the defense got stringy, stopping Anderson for gains of just one and two yards. Navarre's pass to McCoy over the middle was short and the Cardinals were forced to punt.

Boyd continued to lead the offense and on third-and-four he scrambled out of the pocket for an 11-yard gain. The offense managed another first down courtesy of a Cardinals penalty, but they sputtered and couldn't go anywhere.

It was time for the defense to step it up and it was Smith again making the big play. On first down, Navarre was looking for McCoy, but Smith went for it and came down with his second interception of the game.

Boyd completed an 11-yard pass to Holmes, but then had two fall incomplete. An illegal contact call against the Cardinals gave the Steelers a first-down and new life. After two incomplete passes, Boyd hung in the pocket and fired a bullet to Reid for a 12-yard gain. But a few plays later, Boyd's pass for Holmes was intercepted by Gerald Hayes and returned eight yards to the Cardinals 22-yard line.

The Cardinals made the interception count. Navarre hit Carlyle Holiday for six yards and then McCoy for 19 yards. It was then Diamond Ferri who went to work, with four carries for 15 yards and then capped it with a five-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-6.

Rookie Omar Jacobs came into the game in the fourth quarter, but didn't find much success in his first drive. Jacobs first pass was incomplete to Sean Morey, then he came back and connected with Morey for two yards. On third down his pass was incomplete to Walter Young.

The defense shut down the Cardinals on their next drive, giving Jacobs another shot. He got rid of the first drive jitters, settled down and completed the first pass of the drive to Morey for eight yards. John Kuhn went off right tackle for 11 yards and then Jacobs connected with Morey again for 12 yards. It was back to Kuhn, who went off left tackle for nine yards.

Jacobs had a short dump off pass to Cedric Humes, who caught the pass around the Cardinals 43-yard line and then broke free down the sideline for a 33-yard gain to the Cardinals seven-yard line. An encroachment call against the Cardinals gave the Steelers the ball at the three-yard line. Humes pounded up the middle for a two-yard gain. The Steelers got a break when on the next play Humes fumbled, and it was recovered by Willie Colon in the end zone, bringing it back to the line of scrimmage.

It was then pay dirt for Jacobs and the offense, as he hit rookie free agent tight end Isaac Smolko for one yard and the touchdown in the corner of the end zone, closing the lead to 21-13, but with little time on the clock.

The Steelers tried the onside kick, but the Cardinals recovered and ran out the clock.