The Pittsburgh Steelers somehow managed to come from behind and beat the Los Angeles Rams, 24-17, in a game that T.J. Watt once again helped spark Pittsburgh.
The Steelers won the toss and elected to receive, and RB Godwin Igwebuike opened the game as Pittsburgh’s kick returner. The opening kickoff was a touchback, and the Steelers opened with a three-and-out. P Pressley Harvin III’s punt traveled 35 yards to the Rams 37, and that’s where they’d start their first drive.
On second down, RB Darrell Henderson Jr. ran for 16 yards, and he followed it up with a six-yard run. On 3rd and 4, former Steelers OG Kevin Dotson was flagged for a hold, and on 3rd and 14, QB Matthew Stafford was sacked by DL Larry Ogunjobi. Pittsburgh’s drive would start at its own 21 following a six-yard punt return by WR Calvin Austin III.
The Steelers picked up a first down after OG Isaac Seumalo recovered RB Najee Harris’ fumble, and then two plays later WR George Pickens gained 17 yards on a reception. But two plays after that, Harris lost five yards on a carry and the Steelers faced a 3rd and 9 from the Rams’ 47-yard line. Pickett went after his former teammate in CB Ahkello Witherspoon, but Pickens caught the ball out of bounds and the Steelers had to punt. Harvin pinned the Rams at their own 6-yard line.
The Rams drive got going on a 30-yard catch-and-run on a crosser by WR Puka Nacua. On the next play, RB Royce Freeman gained 11 yards to the Pittsburgh 40, but Los Angeles wouldn’t get much else on the drive and K Brett Maher missed a 53-yard field goal. The Steelers would take over at their own 43.
Penalties set the Pittsburgh drive back after they got into Los Angeles territory, and Pickett was incomplete on 3rd and 17 to RB Jaylen Warren. K Chris Boswell put the Steelers on the board with a 53-yard field goal and the Steelers led 3-0 with 14:51 left in the first half.
The Rams drive would start at their own 25-yard line, and on 3rd and 11, Stafford went to WR Cooper Kupp for a gain of 24 yards. Intentional grounding followed by a holding penalty would set Los Angeles up with a 2nd and 30 though, and on 3rd and 29 they gained just five yards on a completion to TE Brycen Hopkins. Rookie P Ethan Evans pinned the Steelers at their own 19. Pittsburgh would go three-and-out, and the Rams took over at their own 39 following a 41-yard punt by Harvin.
OLB Nick Herbig got his first career sack on the drive, after a defensive holding penalty by CB Chandon Sullivan gave the Rams a first down. But on 3rd and 11 a few plays later, Nacua gained 22 yards on a reception. The Rams’ drive stalled out, but Maher was good from 41 yards and the Rams tied the score at 3-3 with 5:56 left in the half.
On 2nd and 9 of Pittsburgh’s next drive, Pickens gained 20 yards on a pass from Pickett, but the Steelers wouldn’t cross midfield after Pickett was forced to throw it away on 3rd and 7 and was flagged for intentional grounding. The 16-yard loss made it harder for the Steelers to pin the Rams deep with 3:54 left in the half, but Harvin was still able to unleash one and pin the Rams at their own 12-yard line after a 57-yard punt.
On 3rd and 3, it was Nacua coming through again, as he gained 36 yards on a catch-and-run, beating CB Levi Wallace off the line of scrimmage. After a couple of good runs by RB Darrell Henderson, Stafford chucked one up after escaping pressure and found WR Tutu Atwell for a 31-yard touchdown. Atwell beat Wallace for the score. Maher missed the extra point, but the Steelers still trailed 9-3 with 17 seconds left in the half. Pittsburgh took a knee upon getting the ball back and went into the half with just three points.
The Rams got the ball to start the second half, and once again it was Watt turning the tide of the game. On the first play of the second half, Watt intercepted Stafford and was tackled at the Los Angeles 7-yard line. After a run and a reception by Harris had the Steelers down inside the one-yard line, Pickett sneaked it in, and the Steelers took a 10-9 lead with 13:19 left in the third quarter.
The Rams had a three-and-out negated by Watt lining up in the neutral zone on 3rd and 4, and the Rams made the Steelers pay on the next play with a 32-yard gain to Nacua. Nacua had another 20-yard gain later in the drive, and the Rams punched it in on a one-yard run by RB Darrell Henderson. The Rams converted the two-point conversion on a pass from Stafford to Kupp, and the Rams took a 17-10 lead with 8:57 left in the third quarter.
The Steelers proceeded to go three-and-out, the Rams taking over at their own 29 following Harvin’s punt. Freeman ran for 15 yards to open up the drive, and on 3rd and 6, Stafford went to TE Tyler Higbee for a gain of seven and a first down. After a neutral zone infraction by OLB Alex Highsmith made a 3rd and 12 into a 3rd and 7, Stafford scrambled for eight yards and a first down. But after six consecutive third-down conversions, the Steelers finally got a stop and the Rams brought out Maher for a 51-yard try and he was wide left. The Rams still led 17-10 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
After two plays gained just two yards, the third quarter ended and on 3rd and 8 to open the fourth quarter, Pickett hit WR Diontae Johnson for a 39-yard gain to the Los Angeles 18-yard line. RB Jaylen Warren ran for five yards on the next play and followed that up with a 13-yard touchdown run and the Steelers tied the game up at 17-17 with 13:49 left in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers defense then forced a three-and-out. Evans’ punt was a touchback, and the Steelers took over with 12:36 left in the fourth quarter tied 17-17. A taunting penalty by WR George Pickens negated an 18-yard gain, but on 3rd and 1, Pickett was able to pick up a first down. Pickens then gained 21 yards on a catch down the sideline, and Harris ran for 10 and then five yards on back-to-back plays. Johnson picked up 11 yards down to the Rams’ 19 on the next play. After a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty against Los Angeles, TE Connor Heyward picked up 11 yards and then RB Najee Harris plunged in his first rushing touchdown of the year from three yards out. The Steelers led 24-17 with 7:20 left.
The Rams got the ball back with 7:20 left, and an illegal contact penalty against CB Patrick Peterson gave the Rams five yards and a new set of downs on the first play of the drive. A four-yard run by Freeman on 2nd and 1 gave the Rams another first down, but they faced a 3rd and 10 at the Los Angeles 43-yard line. Stafford’s pass was incomplete, and the Rams had to punt. They took over at their own 14-yard line.
On 3rd and 3 from the Pittsburgh 21, Pickett went to Pickens for a 31-yard gain down to the Los Angeles 48 with 4:03 left to play. On 3rd and 8, former Steelers CB Ahkello Witherspoon was flagged for defensive pass interference against WR Diontae Johnson, and Johnson was flagged for taunting. On the third-down replay, the Steelers gained just seven yards and on 4th and 1, the Steelers kept their offense on the field. Pickett’s QB sneak somehow got the first down, and due to the Rams being out of timeouts, they couldn’t challenge the spot. The Steelers were able to knee the rest of the game out and take home a 24-17 win.
The Steelers improve to 4-2 with the victory, and they’ll take on the Jacksonville Jaguars next week at Acrisure Stadium. The win improved Mike Tomlin’s post-bye week record to 13-4.
