Oct 23, 2006 By Mike Ciarochi 5 min read

ATLANTA – It came down to a Morten Andersen kick, but to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it felt more like a kick in the gut than a game-winning field goal. Andersen booted a 32-yarder in overtime to lift the Atlanta Falcons over the Steelers, 41-38 Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The loss left the Steelers at 2-4 and lifted the Falcons to 4-2. Pittsburgh fell another game behind (4-2) Cincinnati, which beat Carolina.

“It’s a tough loss,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “But we left everything on the field. We dug a hole for ourselves, but I know the character of this football team.”

The Steelers fought back to tie the game late in regulation and had a chance to win it, but Nate Washington was called for a false start with eight seconds remaining. That penalty in that situation calls for a 10-second run-off and the teams were forced into overtime.

“All I will say about that call at the end of regulation is that they called a flinch on No. 85, Nate Washington,” Cowher said. “I don’t want to say anymore about it.”

The key play of Atlanta’s game-winning possession was a 26-yard pass play from Michael Vick to tight end Alge Crumpler. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu had a bead on Vick, but the quarterback eluded his tackle and completed the pass.

“It was totally my play,” Polamalu said. “I made a mistake. I missed the tackle.”

Leading up to the end, there was plenty of good football o both sides of the ball. What was expected to be a low-scoring game burst into a pointsfest right from the beginning.

Special teams mistakes were costly to the Steelers, as they fumbled away one return and allowed Atlanta to recover an onside kick. The Steelers offense also lost two fumbles, one each by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Willie Parker.

The Steelers made the game’s first mistake and Atlanta pounced on it to take an early 7-0 lead. Santonio Holmes fumbled a Falcons’ punt on a hit by Samari Rolle. Adam Jennings recovered at the Pittsburgh 22-yard line.

On the ensuing play, Vick passed to Crumpler for a 22-yard score with 13:12 remaining in the first quarter.

Holmes atoned somewhat by returning the ensuing kickoff to the Atlanta 42-yard line, but he was tripped up by Atlanta kicker Michael Koenen, who was the only person between Holmes and the end zone.

The Steelers, nonetheless, drove for a 28-yard Jeff Reed field goal to cut Atlanta’s lead to 7-3 with 8:46 remaining in the first. Pittsburgh converted two third downs on the drive with pass plays to Cedric Wilson and Washington.

Polamalu got the ball back for Pittsburgh with an acrobatic interception along the sideline. The Steelers then marched 66 yards on 9 plays, the last an 11-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward that put the Steelers ahead, 10-7, with 2:22 remaining in the first.

Roethlisberger passed to Heath Miller for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Steelers ahead, 17-7. The score capped a 9-play, 88-yard drive.

But Roethlisberger gave the ball back to Atlanta when he mishandled a snap and Michael Boley recovered for the Falcons at Pittsburgh’s 25-yard line. Vick capped the 6-play drive with his second TD toss to Crumpler and Atlanta crept to within a field goal, 17-14, 4:46 before halftime.

Atlanta reclaimed the lead when Vick passed to Michael Jenkins for 17 yards and a touchdown 2:04 before halftime. The touchdown put the Falcons ahead, 21-17, and capped a 7-play, 51-yard drive that was set up by an onside kick that Jerious Norwood recovered.

The Steelers took it right back, 24-21, when Roethlisberger marched the team 80 yards on 6 plays. He capped the drive with a 10-yard scoring pass to Washington with 58 seconds remaining in the half. Holmes caught a 36-yard pass along the sideline to set up the score.

Washington was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating his touchdown catch and Reed’s kickoff was returned 51 yards. Plus, Reed tripped return man Allen Rossum and the Falcons took over at the Pittsburgh 33-yard line. But Vick’s pass to Dunn was tipped and James Farrior intercepted and the Steelers ran out the clock.

At halftime, the Steelers clung to a 24-21. Without Atlanta’s scoring drives, all of which came after turnovers, the Falcons had mustered only eight yards of offense.

Disaster struck in the third quarter, when Roethlisberger was hit attempting to pass. He left the game under his own power after suffering a blow to the head. He was taken to the locker room for evaluation. Charlie Batch replaced him with 7:40 on the third-quarter clock and got a first down, but Willie Parker fumbled on the next play and Jonathan Babineaux recovered for Atlanta.

Vick went right to work and hit Crumpler for 23 yards to the Steelers’ 3-yard line. Warrick Dunn capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run to put Atlanta ahead, 28-24, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter.

Batch came right back, however, and got the Steelers back on top. He hit Ward in the right flat for about 10 yards, but Ward kept going. He lost his shoe at the 28-yard line on his way to the end zone for a 70-yard scoring play that put Pittsburgh ahead, 31-28, with 4:11 still to go in the third quarter.

But back came Vick and the Falcons. The quarterback passed to Ashley Lelie for 28 yards and to Crumpler for 31 and a touchdown with 1:10 remaining in the third to put the Falcons ahead, 35-31.

Norwood then delivered what could have been the knock-out blow with a 36-yard run, but the Falcons settled for Morton Andersen’s 25-yard field goal to make it 38-31 with 6:23 remaining.

Batch struck back with a 44-yard pass to Washington and a 17-yard scoring strike to Ward to tie the score, 38-38, with 3:19 remaining.

“Charlie played very well,” Cowher said. “It’s just a shame we don’t have anything to show for it. You score 38 points and it’s usually enough to win any ball game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win this one.”