PITTSBURGH — The Steelers couldn’t have designed a more Pittsburgh-perfect day for an important December home game. They enjoyed everything a warm-weather opponent wouldn’t want: snow, swirling winds, chilly temperatures and a marshy field.
Somehow, the weatherproof Jacksonville Jaguars shrugged off the bad weather and the Steelers, too, in a stadium where no opponent had won in a year.
Fred Taylor scored a decisive touchdown on a 12-yard run in the final two minutes while gaining 147 yards, and the Jaguars (10-4) withstood Pittsburgh’s fourth-quarter comeback for a 29-22 victory Sunday that put them on the verge of making the AFC playoffs.
“The outsiders didn’t believe we could come in here with the elements on the road, in a hostile territory against a team like Pittsburgh, and win the game,” said Taylor, who has 381 yards in his past two games in Pittsburgh. “We were the only ones that believed.”
The Steelers (9-5), previously 7-0 at home, were outgained 421-217 overall and 224-111 in rushing yards while falling into a tie with the Browns for the AFC North lead. Pittsburgh, which could have clinched the division, owns the tiebreaker going into its final two games: Thursday at St. Louis and Dec. 30 at Baltimore.
“The Jaguars are the Pittsburgh of the South,” the Steelers’ Willie Parker said. “The weather was kind of bad, and they came in like they’ve been playing in it for a while.”
The Steelers were down 22-7 after David Garrard threw three touchdown passes and looked beaten after getting nothing going offensively in the second half, only to tie it by scoring twice in 7 1/2 minutes with the help of two missed extra points by Jacksonville.
“Great comeback, a lot of heart, but a loss is a loss,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who shook off a sore shoulder and five sacks to throw three TD passes and improvise for first downs on broken plays.
Taylor is the first opposing back to run for 100 yards in Pittsburgh since Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson gained 123 yards on Oct. 3, 2004, a span of 30 games. Taylor hadn’t played there since running for a Steelers opponent’s record of 234 yards in Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.
Pittsburgh’s last chance ended when tight end Heath Miller came a half-yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-7 play from the Jacksonville 45 in the final minute.
