Running back Le’Veon Bell had a huge night as the Pittsburgh Steelers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome a plucky Tennessee Titans 27-24 on Monday.
Bell ran for 204 yards and a touchdown, and tacked on 18 receiving yards for good measure as he helped the Steelers out of a 24-13 hole.
The result pushed Pittsburgh to 7-4 this season, keeping them just half a game behind the American Football Conference North leading Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1), while the Titans remain a distant third in the American Football Conference South at 2-8.
Photo: AFP
“The offensive line did a great job opening holes, and I was just able to get to the second level and make a couple of guys miss, keep my feet moving and try to get first downs and hold onto the ball,” Bell told reporters. “When we were down 11 we didn’t want to get away from our game plan. We ran the ball all the way down the field, converted it to a touchdown. We went out there and did what we were supposed to do tonight.”
Expected to get the job done, the Steelers had jumped to a 10-0 lead from an early field goal and an interception return on Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s first throw of the night, but the home side scored through Bishop Sankey’s nine-yard run and the teams traded field goals to set up a 13-10 Pittsburgh lead.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger then marched his side into a scoring position late in the half, only to make a critical error.
The two-time Super Bowl champion threw an end-zone interception inside the final minute, and then Mettenberger turned around and connected with Nate Washington on an 80-yard touchdown to flip the momentum and give the home side a 17-13 halftime lead.
Titans tight-end Chase Coffman then grabbed his first career touchdown late in the third quarter and an upset was on the cards at 24-13, but Bell refused to let the game go.
His five-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter capped off a long drive of heavy involvement and then he continued to forge ahead to allow Antonio Brown to grab a 12-yard pass for the go-ahead score with nine minutes left.
Bell then passed the 200 yard mark with some critical late runs to run out the clock.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis running back Ahmad Bradshaw is likely out for the remainder of the season after breaking his leg in the fourth quarter of his side’s 42-20 loss on Sunday, the Colts said on Monday.
Bradshaw, who is the NFL’s leading rusher this season, fractured his left fibula on a short run early in the final quarter of the defeat to New England, the Colts said.
Head coach Chuck Pagano revealed the diagnosis during a press conference, adding that Bradshaw would visit a specialist before the team decides whether or not to place him on the injured reserve list.
Bradshaw sustained the injury when being stopped just short of the goal-line. The veteran running back was later seen on crutches with his left leg in a protective boot following the game.
The two-time 1,000-yard rusher was limited to just three games last season by a neck problem which required surgery.
Bradshaw was having a strong season for the Amercian Football Conference South-leading Colts this year, compiling a team-best 425 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 90 carries.
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