Week 1: Sept. 11 vs. Tennessee, 34-7 W
Willie Parker made his first start and ran for 161 yards as the Steelers extended their regular-season winning streak to 15 games dating to the 2004 season.
Key stat: Ben Roethlisberger became the 32nd quarterback in NFL history to post a perfect passer rating (158.3, 9-for-11, 218 yards, two TDs).
Week 2: Sept. 18 at Houston, 27-7 W
Roethlisberger enjoyed his second consecutive strong start, passing for 254 yards and two TDs and Parker runs for 111 yards.
Key stat: The defense sacked Texans QB David Carr eight times.
Week 3: Sept. 25 vs. New England, 23-20 L
In a rematch of the AFC championship game, the Steelers rallied to tie the score, 20-20, with 1:21 to play on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward. But Tom Brady marched the Patriots into field-goal range, where Adam Vinatieri connected from 43 yards with 1 second to play.
Key stat: Steelers went 3-for-13 on third downs.
Week 4 Bye
Week 5: Oct. 10 at San Diego, 24-22 W
Down 22-21 on a Monday night in San Diego, Roethlisberger drove the Steelers into field-goal range, where Jeff Reed connected from 40 yards out with six seconds to play. The downside of the win: Roethlisberger’s left knee was injured on the final drive.
Key stat: The defense held Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson to 62 yards.
Week 6: Oct. 16 vs. J’ville, 23-17 OT L
Tommy Maddox started for injured Roethlisberger and threw three interceptions, including one Rashean Mathis returned 41 yards for a winning touchdown in overtime.
Key stat: The Steelers averaged just 2.4 yards per carry.
Week 7: Oct. 23 at Cincinnati, 27-13 W
The Bengals took the opening kickoff and drove the field but had one TD pass overturned by review, another dropped and a field goal missed, which took the wind out of the Bengals. Roethlisberger returned from his knee injury, but it was the Steelers’ ground game that stepped up after the ugly loss to Jacksonville. Parker ran for 131 yards and the team gains 221.
Key stat: Roethlisberger threw his first interception of the season.
Week 8: Oct. 31 vs. Baltimore, 20-19 W
The Ravens played better than their record and forced the Steelers to struggle to pull this one out on a Halloween Monday night. Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:36 to play to rally the Steelers, who again lost Roethlisberger to injury – this time to his right knee.
Key stat: Ravens backup QB Anthony Wright threw for 246 yards.
Week 9: Nov. 6 at Green Bay, 20-10 W
Duce Staley emerged from nearly a year away because of injury and inactivity to run for 76 yards and one TD on 15 carries in support of QB Charlie Batch, who made his first NFL start since 2001 while with Detroit.
Key stat: The Steelers’ offense takes just one snap – a kneel down by Batch to end the first half – from the 9:57 mark of the second quarter to the 7:21 mark of the third.
Week 10: Nov. 13 vs. Browns, 34-21 W
Ward caught eight passes for 124 yards and one TD – becoming the Steelers’ all-time receptions leader; Batch seemed to be more comfortable in his second start, completing 13-of-19 for 150 yards. However, Batch’s hand was broken on a 1-yard touchdown run late in the half and the Steelers were forced to turn to Maddox (4-for-7, 22 yards) in the second.
Key stat: The defense held the Browns to 61 yards on the ground.
Week 11: Nov. 20 at Baltimore, 16-13 OT L
The Roethlisberger-less offense managed just 69 yards in the first half. Still, the Steelers bounced back to tie the score, 13-13, on a pass from Maddox to Parker with 5:15 to play. They could do nothing in overtime, though, and lost on Matt Stover’s 44-yard field goal – beginning a three-game funk.
Key stat: The loss ended the Steelers’ 11-game road winning streak.
Week 12: Nov. 28 at Indianapolis, 26-7 L
Peyton Manning hit Marvin Harrison with an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Colts’ first play from scrimmage, and the Steelers never recovered despite the return of Roethlisberger. The Steelers got within 10-7 after a Troy Polamalu INT set up a Roethlisberger TD pass to Ward, but the Colts kicked a field goal before halftime to extend the lead to 16-7.
Key stat: Obviously affected by the raucous RCA Dome crowd, the Steelers were flagged for five false-start penalties.
Week 13: Dec. 4 vs. Cincinnati, 38-31 L
Roethlisberger had a career day, throwing for 386 yards (29-for-41), but also threw three INTs. The Steelers also fumbled four times. What kind of day is it? After tying the score, 24-24, they handed the advantage back to the Bengals by allowing Tab Perry to return the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to the Steelers’ 3, from where Rudi Johnson gave the lead back to the Bengals and with it the inside track to the AFC North title.
Key stat: Perry had 197 return yards vs. the Steelers.
Week 14: Dec. 11 vs. Chicago, 21-9 W
Had the season ended after Week 13, the Steelers – at 7-5 – would not have made the playoffs. They went back to the basics – rushing and defense. They ran for 190 yards (101 by Jerome Bettis, two TDs) and kept the Bears out of the end zone until late.
Key stat: The ground game allowed the Steelers to possess the ball for 37:19.
Week 15: Dec. 18 at Minnesota, 18-3 W
The defense stepped up again, forcing three turnovers, recording four sacks and holding the Vikings to 25 yards after halftime. It helped offset a sluggish day for the offense, which mustered only 275 yards and one TD.
Key stat: The Vikings finished with just 185 total yards.
Week 16: Dec. 24 at Cleveland, 41-0 W
The Steelers got big days from the offense and defense. The defense pitched its first shutout in more than five years and five players scored a touchdown on offense.
Key stat: The Steelers had allowed 12 points in their past 12 quarters.
Week 17: Jan. 1 vs. Detroit, 35-21 W
After falling behind, 14-7, Bettis – playing what was likely his final game at Heinz Field – scored three consecutive TDs to clinch the wild-card spot. Parker enjoyed his second consecutive 100-yard game with 135 on 26 carries.
Key stat: Roethlisberger finished just 7-for-16 with two INTs.
Playoffs
Wild card, Jan. 8 at Cincinnati, 31-17 W
After falling behind 17-7, the Steelers scored 24 unanswered points against the Bengals, who lost QB Carson Palmer on their first series. Roethlisberger (14-for-19 and 208 yards) passed for all three touchdowns.
Key stat: Little-used WR Cedrick Wilson has 104 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown.
Division playoff, Jan. 15 at Indianapolis, 21-18 W
Listed as a 10-point underdog, the Steelers went into the RCA Dome, where they had been beaten in late November, and scored TDs on two of their first three possessions – both Roethlisberger TD passes – to take the crowd out of the game. Still, Manning rallied the Colts and the win was not secure until The Fumble, The Tackle & The Miss played themselves out in the final 1:20.
Key stat: The Steelers sacked Manning five times.
