Draw leaves Steelers in emotional limbo
PITTSBURGH – It wasn’t a loss, but it certainly didn’t feel like a victory. It may not necessarily hurt the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North race, but it probably won’t help them.
The Steelers don’t seem to know how to handle a tie, especially one in a game that already seemed won.
Even coach Bill Cowher was uncertain how to react after his team squandered a 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and was tied 34-34 Sunday by Atlanta, the NFL’s first tie in five years.
Normally, Cowher gives his players Monday off only when they win. But he gave them Monday off, anyway – perhaps because they didn’t lose.
The Steelers were in control 34-17 with eight minutes to play, only to have a fumbled Antwaan Randle El punt and consecutive three-and-out possessions lead to 17 quick Falcons points. The overtime ended with Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress clutching the ball only a foot from victory, but with time expired.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of things in sports, but I don’t know how to deal with a tie,” quarterback Tommy Maddox said. “It’s better than a loss.”
Not by much.
Maddox, in only his sixth Pittsburgh start, had the most prolific game by a Steelers quarterback. He threw for four touchdowns and 473 yards – the most yardage by an NFL quarterback this season, and 64 yards more than Bobby Layne’s 44-year-old club record.
That’s why there was considerable second-guessing of the Steelers’ play-calling and a decision to use their dime defense exclusively down the stretch, even as Falcons quarterback Michael Vick repeatedly ran through it or threw over it.
The Steelers went conservative early in the fourth quarter, giving the ball almost exclusively to Amos Zereoue, whose 37 carries were the second most in team history. The 5-foot-8 Zereoue once carried on seven straight plays, and was given the ball on first and second downs on both of the critical three-and-out possessions.
The Steelers often utilize this run-the-clock strategy when Jerome Bettis is healthy, but Zereoue is a cutback runner, rather than a straight-ahead power runner who wears down defenses like Bettis does. Bettis has played only a couple of downs in three weeks because of a strained knee.
“If we don’t fumble a punt, those (play-calling) questions aren’t being asked,” said Cowher, who won’t talk with the media again until Tuesday.
Some defensive players seemed to question why the Steelers kept using the extra defensive backs after effectively containing Vick with a more aggressive approach. Of Vick’s 294 passing yards, 114 came in the fourth quarter.
“When we were coming after him, he didn’t know where to go,” linebacker Joey Porter said. “Then we got in a situation where we were sitting back in a zone. He found some receivers, some running lanes opened up for him. … When we sat back, he took off.”
The Pittsburgh player who might be the most vulnerable because of the loss is kicker Todd Peterson, who missed a 40-yarder and an extra point before having a potential game-winning 48-yarder blocked in overtime.
Whether Peterson will be around when the Steelers (5-3-1) play Sunday at Tennessee (5-4) no doubt was a topic of considerable discussion Monday at the Steelers’ offices.
The week before, Cowher appeared to show a lack of confidence in Peterson by passing up several field goal opportunities in a 23-20 win at Cleveland. Of Peterson’s latest struggles, Cowher said, “I think he’s had better days.”
The Steelers can say the same thing.