Steelers Defeat Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers Backed up and fed up, Ben Roethlisberger provided a vivid reminder to his critics and the Detroit Lions of just how dangerous he and his suddenly surging team remain. Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns, Pittsburgh Steelers including two in the final 5 minutes as the Steelers rallied to beat the Lions 37-27. Pittsburgh Steelers The victory capped a contentious week in which Roethlisberger refuted speculation he may seek a trade in the offseason and rumors the franchise would like him to take a more "cerebral" approach to the game. Pittsburgh Steelers He responded by calling most of the plays against an aggressive but immature defense as Pittsburgh put together its most productive offensive day in more than two years. Pittsburgh Steelers "It feels awesome to win it the way we did," Roethlisberger said mounting the 31st comeback victory of his 10-year career. Roethlisberger led the Steelers 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown after the Lions botched a fake field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, hitting Will Johnson for a 1-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh up 30-27 with 4:46 remaining. Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh safety Will Allen picked off Matthew Stafford on Detroit's next possession and returned it to the Lions 30. Five plays later Roethlisberger lobbed a 20-yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery to extend the cushion to 10 points as the Steelers (4-6) won their second straight to keep the Lions (6-4) winless in Pittsburgh for 58 years and counting. Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores and Pittsburgh's defense rebounded from a horrific second quarter to hold high-powered Detroit in check during the second half. Stafford threw for 362 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, surpassing Bobby Layne's team record for career passing yards in the process. Calvin Johnson hauled in six passes for 179 yards and both scores, but Detroit's two stars disappeared over the final 30 minutes. The Steelers limited Stafford to just 3 of 16 passing after halftime, while Johnson was shut out. "We knew they'd make plays and get yards," Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark said. "We just wanted to make plays and stop them when it counted and we were able to do that." Still, the Lions entered the fourth quarter with the lead thanks to a 27-point deluge in the second quarter. Detroit had a chance to push the advantage to a touchdown. But rather than have David Akers attempt a short field goal, the Lions opted to run a fake. Holder Sam Martin, however, fumbled while fighting for the necessary 5 yards and the Steelers recovered. "I got hit by a 350-pound man," Martin said. "I don't think I had the first down, but regardless, that guy made a great play." The Lions appeared to take control of the NFC North with a win on the road at Chicago last week but let the momentum vanish during a meek second half in which they appeared rattled by soggy conditions at Heinz Field and their own mind-boggling success during the highest-scoring second quarter in franchise history. "We just didn't execute," Stafford said. "That's what it boils down to." Detroit's collapse was hard to imagine following a dazzling 15 minutes in which Johnson and Stafford did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said last week he couldn't wait for the chance to go "mano-a-mano" with the NFL's best receiver. Like nearly every player who has lined up across the line of scrimmage from Johnson over last three years, the matchup looked like a mismatch. At least, for a while. Detroit spotted the Steelers an early 14-0 lead and just 6:37 to set a franchise record for points in a quarter. Johnson, as he tends to be, was right in the middle of it. He started the onslaught with an impossibly easy 79-yard touchdown, taking a heave from Stafford at the Pittsburgh 40 and then practically jogging into the end zone to make it 14-10. Pittsburgh Steelers Johnson was at it again the next time the Lions had the ball, beating the coverage to the inside for a 19-yard score to tie the game at 17. Pittsburgh Steelers Taylor became so frustrated that at one point he was flagged for holding and pass interference on Johnson on consecutive plays late in the first half, though the penalties served their purpose. Pittsburgh Steelers Rather than get a last-second touchdown to go up by 10 at the break, the Lions were forced to kick a field goal and settle for a 27-20 lead. Just as abruptly as the eruption began, Pittsburgh Steelers it stopped. Detroit did little in the second half while the Steelers stoked for another week at least whatever flickering hopes they have of getting back to . Pittsburgh Steelers 500 and perhaps beyond. "We've got to keep this thing going," Cotchery said. "Our margin for error is nonexistent right now. We feel good about this team and we're going to keep grinding." Game Notes: Pittsburgh Steelers Stafford now has 16,005 career passing yards to blow past Layne's club record of 15,710. Pittsburgh Steelers Stafford's first touchdown pass to Johnson was the 100th of his career. Pittsburgh Steelers He reached the plateau in his 55th career game, the fourth-fastest in NFL history. Pittsburgh Steelers Johnson has gone over 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers tying Herman Moore's club record. Cotchery has a career-high seven touchdowns, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Plaxico Burress signs with Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers January 23, 2005 was the last time that Plaxico Burress suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh Steelers It was a 27-41 loss in the AFC Conference Championship game against the New England Patriots, and Burress had three receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown. Pittsburgh Steelers Following that game Burress eventually signed with the New York Giants, wound up in jail for two years, and played all of 2011 as a member of the New York Jets. Since his contract with the Jets expired, several teams looked at him, including the Patriots, but no one was willing to take a chance on him until now. After losing to the Ravens on Sunday night with Antonio Brown missing his second straight game, and possibly losing Jerricho Cotchery to an ankle injury, the Steelers remaining receivers consisted of a bunch of unknowns, which is not a good problem to have when Charlie Batch is expected to start on Sunday against the Browns. With all that being said, the Steelers brought in Plaxico Burress for a workout, and impressed Mike Tomlin enough to earn a contract for the remainder of the season. Burress will likely be given an abbreviated playbook with limited routes, but he will be expected to make an impact on Sunday when the Steelers travel to Cleveland. Let’s hope that Burress still has some gas left in the tank to last until Antonio Brown returns to the field, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers Plaxico Burress  is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft and later played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets  before returning to the Steelers on November 21, 2012. He played college football at Michigan State, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers team pratice

The offense and defense traded big plays Wednesday in the Pittsburgh Steelers' second minicamp practice of the week. Ben Roethlisberger threw long touchdown passes to Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton during a two-plus hour practice, but the Steelers' defensive backs also had their moments on a hot and humid day that it made it feel like training camp. Starting cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen each intercepted Roethlisberger. Allen had a pair of picks while inside linebacker Sean Spence returned an intercepted Landry Jones pass for a touchdown. Practice concluded with rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant showcasing his speed by blowing past the Steelers' defensive backs and hauling in a long touchdown pass from Jones. That play, free safety Mike Mitchell said, ultimately allowed the offense to get the better of the defense, though it was close. "They ended with a high note," Mitchell said. "It would have been nice to knock that ball down but we're battling. I think we've been playing really good in the secondary as a unit. We're all kind of learning each other's strengths and what each other likes to do. We're getting better." Also of note from Wednesday: Justin Brown continues to get work with the first-team offense, and the 2013 sixth-round pick stood out during a 7-on-9 pass drill. Brown caught a long pass from Roethlisberger and then capped the drive with a short touchdown reception. Roethlisberger is optimistic Dri Archer will help the offense but he isn't sure how the Steelers will deploy the fleet-footed rookie. Archer, Roethlisberger said, has been splitting time between playing running back and wide receiver. The third-round draft pick has also been among the players who have fielded punts during offseason practices. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers are hoping to get more out of Archer than they did Chris Rainey, a fifth-round pick in 2012 who lasted just one season in Pittsburgh. "Is he a better runner than Rainey?" Roethlisberger said. "We won't really know until we get some pads on and get on the field." Outside linebacker Jason Worilds, who practiced on a limited basis of a lingering calf injury, is a good example of how much younger the Steelers have gotten on defense in recent years. Worilds turned just 26 in March, but he is one of the more experienced players on the Steelers' defense. "I'm one of the elders in the room now," Worilds said. Pittsburgh Steelers "It's an interesting role to be in. Pittsburgh Steelers I'm just helping some of the younger guys, making sure they know how to go about being a professional and taking care of themselves." Pittsburgh Steelers

Brown shows his strength

Begin this it. Steelers wide receiver Justin Brown has been working with the first team offense and his improvement from his rookie season could come at the expense of his friend and former Penn State teammate Derek Moye. Moye and Brown are among the Steelers wide receivers who will likely battle for one roster spot at training camp. The same thing happened a year when Moye, a former undrafted free agent, emerged as one of the preseason surprises for the Steelers and played his way onto the 53-man roster. Brown spent all of last season on the Steelers’ practice squad, and if organized team activities are any indication, the 2013 sixth-round pick made good use of his time learning from wide receivers like Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Brown has stood out during OTAs, which wrap up Thursday at Steelers’ headquarters. And if the 6-3, 209-pounder builds on what he has done in the offseason practices he will be tough for Moye to hold off this year. Not that Brown looks at it as a competition between the two. “We’re all out here competing, we’re all out here trying to get better,” Brown said. “Derek’s my boy so there’s no hard feelings at all. We’re always trying to help each other out with our games.” What is interesting about the battle for the final spot at wide receiver is that whoever wins it could play significant snaps in 2014. Rookie Martavis Bryant, a fourth-round pick, may not be ready to contribute much this season so there is an opportunity for a player such as Brown to not only to make the Steelers but also to play in some sort of rotation at wide receiver. Judging by the snaps he has gotten with the first-team offense -- and what he has done with them -- Brown could push for a more prominent role. Brown, who played his final season at Oklahoma after transferring from Penn State, has already received praise from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and it’s easy to see why. Brown caught a touchdown pass in traffic from Roethlisberger on Wednesday. He also broke up a pass in the end zone when an underthrown Roethlisberger pass could have resulted in an interception. The way he fought for the ball on both plays hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaches, who have given Brown a long look during the Steelers’ offseason practices. “It’s definitely good getting some reps with the ones,” Brown said. “It definitely is encouraging. I’ve just got to keep working hard.” That is because the competition for Brown and the other wide receivers trying to make the team won’t really start until July 25, the day the Steelers report to training camp. “I think we’ve got a lot of good younger receivers,” said Moye, who caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown last season. “It’s going to be a good competition. At the same time we’re out there helping each other out, making sure we all push each other to be better.”