Le’Veon Bell spent the previous two Januarys watching helplessly while the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to make a deep post-season run without him. The slippery running back made up for lost time on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
So did Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, the other members of Pittsburgh’s “Big Three,” together in the playoffs for the first time.
Pounding away relentlessly at a defense that hardly seemed interested in stopping him at frigid Heinz Field, Bell ran for a franchise post-season record 167 yards and two scores as the Steelers overwhelmed the beaten-up and mistake-prone Miami Dolphins 30-12 on Sunday.
Photo: AP
“We wanted to go out there and make a statement,” Bell said.
Bell, Brown and Roethlisberger, who wore a walking boot on his right foot afterwards, more than wiped away the bitter taste from a 30-15 whipping at the hands of the Dolphins in mid-October.
Given a shot at redemption, Pittsburgh did not let it go to waste. The Steelers (12-5) led by two touchdowns before the game was 10 minutes old on long touchdown passes from Roethlisberger to Brown. Miami never got closer than 11 points.
“Le’Veon was beastly,” said Brown, who finished with five receptions for 124 yards and the two scores. “All day, controlling the line of scrimmage, just running guys over and finding a way to put the ball in the end zone. Any time he’s playing like that, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”
Certainly, at least, teams like the Dolphins (10-7).
Given a chance to prove their first playoff berth in eight years was not a fluke, despite being outgained and outscored during the regular season, Miami never found a rhythm. The problem was not the single digit wind chill or a vicious hit absorbed by quarterback Matt Moore in the second quarter as much as it was the Steelers.
Pittsburgh sacked Moore five times, forced turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the middle of the game and never really let the Dolphins up off the deck.
“It’s hard to win when you turn the ball over,” said Moore, who completed 29 of 36 passes for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “In the playoffs, you can’t make mistakes and that’s on me.”
Pittsburgh ran off their eighth straight victory to set up a visit to Kansas City (12-4) on Sunday. The Steelers rolled by the Chiefs 43-14 on Oct. 2.
“We have to understand the same passion and dedication that we put in this week to beat Miami, that’s how Kansas City is going to try to beat us,” Bell said.
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