LOOKING AHEAD
Steelers vs. 49ers, 9 p.m. next Monday, 3Com Park, San Francisco. TV: WTAE. Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and Steelers Radio Network
WHO'S HURTING
Jerome Bettis, Steelers RB, left late in the second quarter with a right shoulder injury but returned early in the third.
Lee Mays, Steelers WR, left in the third quarter with a possible concussion and did not return.
Emmanuel McDaniel, Cardinals CB, left in the second quarter with a concussion and did not return.
Dexter Jackson, Cardinals FS, left in the second quarter with a bruised hip but returned.
Cameron Spikes, Cardinals G, left in the third quarter with a rib injury and did not return.
NEWS & NOTES
Steelers RB Jerome Bettis had lost just one fumble in 981 carries before he lost one in Denver on Oct. 12. Counting that one, he lost three fumbles in his next 43 carries. He lost one against St. Louis Oct. 26 and he lost another one yesterday, just before halftime. His right shoulder was injured on that play, although after X-rays showed no bone damage, he returned in the third quarter. He had his longest run of the season, 16 yards, to help set up the first score of the game, a 9-yard pass from Tommy Maddox to Chris Doering in the second quarter. Bettis finished with 54 yards on 18 carries with two longer runs called back because of penalties. It was his most carries of the season, one more than last week in Seattle. He had 10 carries for 47 yards in the first half. "I felt good, got some holes there early and got a chance to get up in there," Bettis said. "They did some things in the second half to really clog us up." He said his shoulder "feels all right. I've been there before. I took a good shot, it's kind of numb there but I'll be all right."
For the second consecutive game, the Steelers had five sacks with Jason Gildon getting three to take the team lead at five. Joey Porter had one to give him four and Deshea Townsend had his first of the season. Those 10 sacks in the past two games came after they recorded just 13 in their first seven games. Porter had an explanation for the increase in sacks: More blitzing. "What have we been doing last couple weeks?" Porter asked. Blitzing? "There you go. They've been blitzing before I got here, they're just doing what we normally do. Pressure. I mean, you have guys who know how to go get the quarterback. That's our defense, no matter how you look at it that's what we do best. When we get after people, it's even better for us when we have the lead. We go into the fourth quarter with a lead, let the dogs go and go get him." But defensive coordinator Tim Lewis said they did not blitz more than normal against Arizona. "Not so much this game," he said. "Seattle, we brought it pretty hard; we brought it almost every opportunity we had, but not this one."
Steelers TE Jay Riemersma, who missed the past two games with a knee injury, started yesterday and caught one pass for 6 yards.
Steelers WR Plaxico Burress caught just one pass for 6 yards. After he caught one pass for 6 yards in the previous home game, he complained that he was open and not getting the ball thrown to him. That wasn't the case yesterday. He admitted dropping two passes, one that would have gone for a touchdown, and was called for pass interference for pushing off after he caught a 38-yard pass in the first quarter. Burress two weeks ago promised that he would push off more often since the officials were not calling pass interference penalties by defensive backs he said were mugging him. Yesterday, he admitted those words might have come back to haunt him. "I know it. I can't really get upset about it," Burress said. "I'm not even going to fight the referee."
Steelers K Jeff Reed missed a field-goal try for only the third time this season, sending a 23-yard attempt wide left in the first quarter. He's now 14 of 17. "I have no explanation," Reed said of why he missed such a short attempt. "I just totally missed it. I'm glad it didn't end up costing the team. I had a flashback to Cincinnati, it was similar to that kick." Reed missed a 24-yarder, wide right, in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, the last time the Steelers won before yesterday.
Doering's 9-yard TD reception in the first quarter was his first with the Steelers and the third of his career. He was acquired in the off-season after he was released by Washington. Doering, who also caught a 53-yard pass in the first quarter, said the Cardinals did not use the cover-2 defense they've seen so often this season, allowing them to go deep more often. "They played a little bit different coverage than a lot of teams played us this year. They didn't play the 2-high safety as some other teams did and we felt like we had a chance to isolate some receivers and throw more than we have in the past few games."
The Steelers players were rewarded for their victory by getting only their second Monday off during the season. The other time came Oct. 13 entering their off weekend. They do not play again until next Monday night in San Francisco. "It's off, but everybody will be in there," Porter said. "Even though we have a day off, guys will come in and watch film, check on their mistakes, see what happened in the game. We're still 3-6, it's not like that one win was worth eight wins."
Arizona coach Dave McGinnis was 1 for 2 on replay challenges. The first was a nondescript appeal of a spot in the third quarter, but the second turned into a multifaceted drama. WR Bryant Johnson appeared to catch a touchdown pass on fourth down with 10:29 left, but officials ruled initially he had come back across the goal line before gaining control of the ball. Officials added that they knew Johnson had been pushed out of bounds earlier in the play but ruled he had returned legally. The Steelers were given the ball at their 1. McGinnis threw out the red flag. After the review, officials reversed course on the catch and ruled Johnson had control in the end zone. But they flagged the Cardinals for an illegal touch of the ball, as per the NFL rule which prohibits a player who goes out of bounds and returns from being the first to touch the ball. The down was replayed, and Blake was sacked. "I've seen everything," McGinnis said. "I've been in the league 18 years. I've seen everything with a capital 'E.' And that was one of everything." "Why didn't they say it the first time?" QB Jeff Blake said. "It should have been a replay of fourth down the first time." Because the officials had acknowledged Johnson was pushed out of bounds before coming back for the ball, the main issue after the game was whether or not the Steelers should have been flagged for illegal contact, as the contact came more than 5 yards downfield. But referee Jeff Triplette explained that officials ruled the way they did because Blake was rolling out of the pocket. "It is legal contact at that point because the quarterback is rolling," Triplette said.
INACTIVE LISTS
Steelers: LT Marvel Smith (neck), LB Alonzo Jackson, DT Chris Hoke, RB Dante Brown, OT Barrett Brooks, TE Matt Cushing, and WR Freddie Milons.
Cardinals: RB Emmitt Smith (shoulder), WR Jason McAddley (hamstring), LB Gerald Hayes (shoulder), PK Bill Gramatica (back), G Raleigh Roundtree, DT Derrick Ransom and DE Fred Wakefield.
FOR THE RECORD
LB Jason Gildon became the Steelers' all-time sacks leader, passing L.C. Greenwood with his 74th, by wrapping up Cardinals QB Jeff Blake at the Arizona 3 early in the third quarter. Greenwood had 731/2. Gildon finished the game with three sacks, giving him 76.
Antwaan Randle El's punt return in the third quarter was his second of the season, tying the Steelers' record shared by Ray Mathews in 1952 and Louis Lipps in 1985. Randle El and the Chiefs' Dante Hall are the only two players in the NFL this season with two punt returns for scores.
NUMBERS
QB Tommy Maddox's 53-yard pass to WR Chris Doering in the first quarter was the Steelers' longest completion of the season.
By ending their five-game losing streak, the Steelers avoided tying the longest skids in 33 years - the six-game streaks of 1988 and '99.
WR Chris Doering's 9-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was his first with the Steelers, his third in the NFL.
CB Deshea Townsend's forced fumble in the third quarter was the first of his NFL career.
The Cardinals have lost nine in a row on the road.
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Steelers Report: 11/10/03