PITTSBURGH — There had never been a game like this in NFL history.
The bizarre 11-10 final score was fitting because the Chargers still haven’t had the regular-season finish they want in Pittsburgh: a winning one.
Ben Roethlisberger stayed away from the mistakes that cost the Steelers their previous two home games, Willie Parker ran for 115 yards and Jeff Reed’s third field goal won it — a 32-yarder with 11 seconds remaining — as Pittsburgh rallied to beat the Chargers on a snowy Sunday.
The first such score in 12,837 NFL games was in jeopardy when Troy Polamalu returned an errant lateral 12 yards for an apparent touchdown on the final play. The play was overturned on review — it was called an illegal forward pass — and the 11-10 final was restored, dropping the Chargers two games behind the Broncos in the AFC West.
After the game, referee Scott Green said the officials realized afterward that the touchdown should have counted, though it wouldn’t have affected the result.
“It was weird,” Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. “We definitely have to work on our offense. But this game is about wins and losses, and we won.”
The only thing perfect on a snowy, frigid day when the weather and the offenses were equally awful was San Diego’s regular-season record in Pittsburgh. Make it 0-13.
“I like playing on grass, mud, anything that slows down an offense,” said linebacker James Harrison, who made a series of key plays.
Nate Kaeding put San Diego (4-6) up 10-8 with a 22-yard field goal with 6:41 to play. Pittsburgh is 7-3.
Kaeding’s miss came at Heinz Field’s open end, where breezes blowing off the nearby three rivers cause tricky kicking conditions. Reed made his decisive kick at the same end following a 13-play, 73- yard drive in which Roethlisberger was 6-of-6 for 49 yards.
“I hit that one the best, and I knew it right away,” Reed said.
The Steelers outgained the Chargers 410-213.
“It’s just frustrating when you know that that’s not the San Diego Chargers,” tight end Antonio Gates said. “The Pittsburgh Steelers have a great defense, but that’s not how we play football offensively.”
