In a game that had more ups and downs than the Thunderbolt at Kennywood Park, Steelers coach Bill Cowher was cautious in celebrating too early in this eventual 21-18 victory over Indianapolis in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. That's why he tried to remain poised when the Steelers, holding a 21-10 lead, got the ball back on downs at the Colts' 2 with 1:20 remaining. "I remember Duce ( Staley , running back) was ready to shake my hand and I said, 'No, not till we score this touchdown.' And that's when Jerome ( Bettis ) fumbled." Bettis' fumble, which was returned to the Colts 42, had the Steelers holding their breath until Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt badly missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. "
On Nov. 28, the Steelers dropped a 26-7 decision to the Colts at the RCA Dome, where the deafening noise forced them into five false-start penalties. After a week of preparation in which they added a significant number of loud speakers to their practice facility, they were not assessed a false-start penalty yesterday. The Steelers used a silent count to avoid such infractions. "I don't know if we had a better plan (in dealing with the noise), I just don't think we had a very good plan the last time we were here," Cowher said.
The Colts lost yesterday after having a bye in the first round. Cowher was asked if he dealt with similar circumstances last year when the Steelers were the AFC's top seed. "We didn't lose after the bye last year," Cowher said. "But that's all right. I get enough losses around here, so I just try to make sure I get credit for some of the wins."
When the Steelers jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead yesterday, it was a pretty good bet that they would win. Cowher is 100-1-1 in regular-season games when he's ahead by 11 or more.
After the game, Colts QB Peyton Manning took a shot at his offensive line, saying, "I'll give Pittsburgh credit for their blitzes and their rush, but we did have some protection problems." Manning was sacked five times for minus-43 yards and nearly was thrown for a safety. On the Colts' second-to-last possession, Manning was sacked twice (Steelers LB Joey Porter got credit for 1 1/2 and James Farrior had a half), including on fourth-and-16 that gave the Steelers the ball at the Colts' 2.
Manning's record in playoff games dropped to 3-6. He is the biggest-name passer among current quarterbacks never to play in a Super Bowl. "All I'm going to do -- and I'm getting tired of saying it -- is keep working," Manning said. "I think we put ourselves in a good position with the bye, but we just weren't able to take that next step, and I'm disappointed. It's hard to swallow."
Despite playing back-to-back stellar games in this year's playoffs, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger feels like he owes his teammates something after last year's playoff meltdown. He threw five interceptions in two games, including three in the AFC final "I did everything I could to lose the Jets game (last year)," he said. "Luckily, we won it. And then the Patriots game, not playing well. My thing this year is just come out and play smart football. I got some good advice (from CBS analyst Dan Dierdorf ) the other day, that every drive that ends in a kick is a good drive." Roethlisberger 28 of 43 in the postseason with 405 yards
Tackle Tarik Glenn , a Pro Bowl selection in 2004, committed two false start penalties, one of which might have cost the Colts six points at the end of the first half. The Colts faced third-and-goal from the 1 when Glenn's quick start pushed the ball back to the 6. A neutral zone infraction against the Steelers' Aaron Smith put the Colts three yards closer to the goal line, but Edgerrin James was stopped after a 1-yard gain. Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 20-yard field goal and the high-powered Colts offense came away with just three points in the first half. "Things just weren't clicking," Glenn said. "When you make mistakes and don't do what you're supposed to be doing, you're going to look like we did in the first half."
Colts coach Tony Dungy dismissed rust as a factor for quarterback Peyton Manning's slow start. Manning began the game 2 for 9 before finishing 22 of 38 for 290 yards and one touchdown. With the Colts wrapping up home-field advantage so early, Manning played only three series over the final two regular-season games, and that was followed by a first-round bye for the Colts. "I said before that we practiced well," Dungy said. "I attribute it to Pittsburgh really coming in and playing inspired football. They got after it early."
