Jones leads Steelers to victory
Andrew Baugh
Pittsburgh quarterback Landry Jones (3) celebrates a touchdown to wide receiver Martavis Bryant with tight end Matt Spaeth (89) and offensive coordination Todd Haley during Sunday’s game against Arizona at Heinz Field.
Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) finds the open hole in the line during the game against the Cardinals at Heinz Field.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) struggles to fend off Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) during the game against the Cardinals at Heinz Field.
Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake (41) upends Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) during the game against the Cardinals at Heinz Field.
Steelers quarterback Landry Jones (3) throws a pass in the fourth quarter during the game against the Cardinals at Heinz Field.
Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake (41) breaks up the pass to Cardinals wide receiver John Brown during the game against the Cardinals at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH — Landry Jones was probably the last person anybody though would save the day for the Steelers against Arizona on Sunday.
But it was Jones, subbing for an injured Michael Vick, who rallied the Steelers to a 25-13 win over the Cardinals.
In his first real game action since his college days at Oklahoma, Jones completed eight of 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, both to Martavis Bryant. Jones compiled a passer rating of 149.3.
Bryant finished the day with 168 receiving yards on eight catches. Le’Veon Bell finished with 88 yards on 24 carries. Antwon Blake finished with 12 tackles, while Mike Mitchell had a hand in two of Pittsburgh’s three turnovers, with a fumble recovery and an interception.
Basically, Jones did what nobody, not even the most loyal of Steelers fans, thought he could do. What did he do to prove everybody wrong?
“I don’t know,” Jones said. “I went out there and played the way I am capable of playing. I made some throws, I missed some throws. There is always room for improvement.
“It has been such a long road from those days at Oklahoma. I am just so thankful and just blessed to get in there and finally play the game again.”
Jones got there the old-fashioned way, according to coach Mike Tomlin.
“Landry probably played more preseason snaps than anybody in the history of the National Football League this year,” Tomlin said. “We played in five preseason games. We had injuries at the position and Landry took advantage of it. He got better and it was displayed today. He had the opportunity to contribute in a big way. I know that is something he has been working tirelessly for.”
Arizona wasted no time setting a tone when Carson Palmer passed to John Brown for 45 yards on the first play from scrimmage. But the Cardinals next few plays included a fumbled handoff that an offensive lineman recovered and a dead ball personal foul penalty that turned a long field goal attempt into a punt.
After a three-and-out, Arizona got into the end zone. Palmer converted a third down with a 28-yard pass play to Andre Ellington. That play went to Pittsburgh’s 7-yard line and a few plays later, Palmer passed to Michael Floyd for a 3-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Arizona lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter.
“What was it, their second possession when they got the touchdown?” Cameron Heyward asked. “We knew we had to shut them down quickly after that. We didn’t want them getting too comfortable.”
The Steelers got a break when Lawrence Timmons intercepted a Palmer pass intended to Jermaine Gresham. The ball was tipped by Vince Williams and pulled in by Timmons, but the Steelers couldn’t convert the turnover into points.
Chris Boswell finally got the Steelers on the scoreboard 6:06 before halftime with a 47-yard field goal. The kick capped a 5-play, 34-yard drive that featured a Michael Vick run for 8 yards. But Vick was injured on the play and Jones handed off to Le’Veon Bell on third-and-2 just before the kick.
Boswell’s field goal cut Arizona’s lead to 7-3, but the Cardinals got the three points back on a 31-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro with 47 seconds left in the second quarter. The kick, which extended Arizona’s lead to 10-3, capped a 13-play, 68-yard drive.
Vick played poorly even before his injury. Vick managed to get his passing yards above zero before halftime and drove the Steelers 31 yards on seven plays to open the third quarter.
Boswell converted a 48-yard field goal attempt to close Arizona’s lead to 10-6 with 11:14 on the third quarter clock.
Vick completed 3-of-7 passes for 6 yards in the first half. He was sacked once for a 5-yard loss, so Pittsburgh’s net passing total in the first half was 1 yard. He attempted only one pass in thee second half and finished the game with 47 rushing yards on five carries.
James Harrison and Mike Mitchell combined to get a turnover on Arizona’s next possession. Harrison tackled John Brown and forced a fumble that Mitchell recovered.
Jones replaced Vick at quarterback and four plays later Pittsburgh had a 12-10 lead. Bell ran the ball to the Cardinals 8-yard line and Jones passed to Bryant from there for the touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
It was announced that Vick was being evaluated for a right hamstring injury, but Jones came back in on Pittsburgh’s next possession and played the rest of the game.
Jones got the Steelers in position for a 51-yard field goal by Boswell that stretched Pittsburgh’s lead to 15-10 with 2:32 left in the third. The drive covered 26 yards on seven plays.
Catanzaro capped a 6-play, 61-yard drive for Arizona with a 39-yard field goal that closed the gap to 15-13 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
But Jones brought the Steelers right back, completing passes to both Bryant and Antonio Brown on the same drive. Later in the same drive, Jones also hit Heath Miller. But the drive stalled and Boswell booted a 28-yard field goal to boost Pittsburgh’s lead to 18-13 with 7:19 remaining. The 13-play drive covered 68 yards.
Mitchell ended Arizona’s last attempt to reclaim the lead with an end zone interception. It was Pittsburgh’s third turnover of the game.
Just for good measure, Jones passed to Bryant for 88 yards and a clinching touchdown with 1:58 remaining. That made the score 25-13, which became the final score.
“Tremendous effort from everyone in the room,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, we needed contributions from everyone. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but the state that we’re in, we’re not expecting perfection. We just need to do what’s required for us to win and stand and fight. Guys did that.”