By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

 

The Steelers jumped out to an early lead, fell behind and tied it late. But it wasn't enough as Jason Elam came on for the Broncos to kick a game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock, as the Steelers fell 31-28 on the road.

 

The loss drops the Steelers to 4-2, but they still remain in first place in the AFC North.

 

“It was a very disappointing loss for us this evening, especially when our guys fought so hard to overcome the adversity,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “The reality is, you need to give credit to Denver. They really made the critical plays when they needed to and that won them the ball game. We accept what we put on tape and we accept when we fall short. It was a tremendous effort, but not enough to get the win tonight.”

Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 35 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions and a fumble, which the Broncos returned for a touchdown.

 

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler completed 22 of 29 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions.

 

The Steelers started the game with excellent field position when Todd Sauerbrun's opening kickoff went out of bounds at the two-yard line, resulting in the penalty and giving the Steelers the ball at the 40-yard line for their first drive.

 

Everyone expected the Steelers to run early, but Roethlisberger came out throwing. After an incompletion to Santonio Holmes he came back with a short completion to Heath Miller. On third-and-seven Roethlisberger looked deep to Nate Washington, who beat Nick Ferguson and pulled in a 40-yard reception over the right shoulder to the Broncos 17-yard line.

 

Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for a six-yard gain and Miller for four-yards, giving the Steelers first and goal at the four-yard line. Parker got the call and carried it three yards to the Broncos one. It was back to the air with Roethlisberger hitting Miller for the touchdown, giving the Steelers an early 7-0 lead.

 

It didn't take long for the Broncos to erase the lead. Jay Cutler hit Tony Scheffler for a 26-yard gain and found Brandon Stokley for a 12-yard gain. Travis Henry had three straight carries for a combined nine yards. The Broncos were faced with third-and-nine from the 15-yard line and Cutler went back to Stokley for the touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

 

The Steelers didn't have as much success on their next two possessions. They went three-and-out on their second possession, forcing the punt. The defense held the Broncos, but it wouldn't take long for them to get the ball back. Roethlisberger went deep to Holmes but Dre Bly stepped up for the interception at the Broncos 37-yard line.

 

In a first half when the team's seemed to mirror the others actions early on, the Steelers defense would be next to step up big. Cutler looked for Brandon Marshall in the end zone, but Anthony Smith timed it right and came up with a big interception.

 

The Steelers stayed on the ground on their next drive. Parker opened it with a four-yard carry to the 24-yard line. Parker broke free off of left tackle on the next carry for a 27-yard gain. Najeh Davenport went up the middle for three-yards, and it was back to Parker for a three-yard carry. But the Steelers weren't able to convert on third down and were forced to punt.

 

It was a strong defensive stand for the Steelers on the next drive, forcing the Broncos to go three-and-out.

 

The ball was put back into Parker's hands, but he couldn't go anywhere, getting knocked for losses on consecutive carries. On third-and-14 Roethlisberger got the Steelers out of trouble when he hit Holmes for a 16-yard gain. Ward appeared to pull in a big first down catch, but the ball hit the ground and after the challenge the incomplete ruling was upheld. Roethlisberger looked for Ward again, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by linebacker D.J. Williams at the Denver 39-yard line.

 

This time, the Broncos made the Steelers pay for the mistake. Cutler came up with a huge play when he scrambled and then broke free for a 31-yard run to the Steelers 15-yard line. Troy Polamalu made the tackle, but was called for unnecessary roughness, tacking on eight yards. Henry took it to the six-yard line, but was stopped for no gain from the one-yard line. The Broncos would not be denied when Cecil Sapp caught the one-yard scoring strike to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead.

 

The Steelers were looking to answer, but instead it was the Broncos who came up big again. Roethlisberger took a low snap from center Sean Mahan, and with the Broncos coming at he fumbled. Rookie defensive end Tim Crowder recovered and returned it 50-yards for a touchdown, extending the Broncos lead to 21-7.

 

Roethlisberger got one more chance to put points on the board before the half, but the offense just couldn't get going. Alvin McKinley sacked Roethlisberger for a four-yard loss on the first play of the drive. Ward came up big with an 18-yard reception, followed by a nine-yard catch. Ward pulled in another 18-yard catch to the Broncos 31-yard line. A holding call on Kendall Simmons would negate a 12-yard reception by Ward and then Roethlisberger was sacked for a six-yard loss.

 

Jeff Reed attempted the impossible, trying a 65-yard field goal, but it was short, sending the Steelers into the locker room at halftime down 14 points. 

 

Cutler started off strong in the second half, opening with a 13-yard completion to Marshall. Henry had two short carries to give the Broncos third-and-three. Cutler hit Marshall for a five-yard gain and the first down. It was then up to the Steelers defense to turn things around. Larry Foote intercepted Cutler's pass and returned it 14 yards to the Broncos 41-yard line.

 

It was the Steelers turn to make the Broncos pay for their mistake. Roethlisberger scrambled for an 11-yard gain and Parker rattled off a 15-yard carry. Parker added a four-yard gain, but when his number was called on the next play he was knocked for a four-yard loss. Roethlisberger put it in the air and Holmes pulled in the 13-yard touchdown reception, pulling the Steelers within a touchdown at 21-14.

 

The Broncos got the ball at their own 20-yard line and Cutler went to work. He completed a pass to Marshall for 19 yards, and later in the drive found Selvin Young for a 16-yard gain. LaMarr Woodley sacked Cutler for a 14-yard loss, forcing a fumble, but the Steelers missed a golden opportunity when they couldn't come up with the recovery and Marshall fell on the ball. Cutler made the most of it, hitting Stokley for a 17-yard gain. He capped the 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to Scheffler, regaining their 14-point lead at 28-14.

 

Allen Rossum fielded the kickoff at the three-yard line and had nowhere to go, stopped after just gaining three yards to the six-yard line. Roethlisberger got them out of the hole fast with a 10-yard completion to Holmes and a 15-yard personal foul call against John Lynch for a late hit out of bounds. Roethlisberger found a wide open Parker for a 22-yard gain and then Parker took it on the ground for a 24-yard gain off of right tackle. Roethlisberger was under pressure and took it up the middle for eight yards. On third-and-two Parker was stopped for a one-yard gain at the Broncos 14-yard line. The Steelers went for it on fourth-down and Roethlisberger got the first down on the second effort. On the next play Roethlisberger found a wide open Matt Spaeth in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, once again cutting the lead to a touchdown at 28-21.

 

The defense came up with a big stop and put the ball back in the hands of the Steelers offense. Roethlisberger completed a nine-yard pass to Holmes and went back to him for a two-yard gain and a first down. Parker had two one-yard carries, forcing the Steelers into a huge third-and-eight. Roethlisberger found Ward for a 16-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Roethlisberger was then sacked, putting them back in a hole. They came through on another key third down when Roethlisberger hit Cedrick Wilson on a slant pass for a 12-yard gain. Roethlisberger capped the drive when he connected with Miller for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the score at 28-28.

 

Cutler got the ball back in his hands one more time and moved the Broncos into Steelers territory. Elam came on with just two seconds on the clock and hit a 49-yard field, to win the game for the Broncos 31-28.