Late in the game, on the road, losing to yet another inferior team, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley turned the keys to his offense over to second-year running Le’Veon Bell.
Bell responded by rambling to a career-high 204 yards on 33 carries, the fourth-highest total ever for a Steelers running back, and he lead the team to a come-from-behind 27-25 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bell stretched his left arm out to just barely break the plane of the endzone on a five-yard carry. The play capped off an eight-play, 72-yard drive. Bell was responsible for 52 of them.
After the Steelers defense forced a three and out, Bell went right back to work, gaining 38 more yards and setting up a Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown touchdown 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Steelers the lead for good.
The Steelers defense held the Titans to 20 yards in the fourth quarter, and after another punt, Bell took over yet again. With 6:58 remaining, the Steelers went Bell’s way on eight of nine plays to run the clock out and seal the victory.
The defense also stepped up in the fourth quarter, after allowing Titans rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger plenty of time to complete 15 of 24 passes on the night for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
The night started well for the black and gold defense, as William Gay intercepted Mettenberger’s first pass and returned it 28 for a touchdown. The play would give the Steelers an early 10-0 lead.
Mettenberger then settled in, and the Dick LeBeau’s defensive unit seemed to be able to do very little to make him uncomfortable. On the next Titans drive, aided by a short field, Mettenberger went two for two and fellow rookie Bishop Sankey rushed for 15 yards including a nine yard touchdown run.
The teams traded field goals, and with the Steelers leading 13-10, Ben Roethlisberger lead the two-minute offense deep into Titans territory before being intercepted in the endzone by Titans cornerback Jason McCourty.
On the ensuing possession, Mettenberger hit former Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington for an 80-yard touchdown pass. Washington beat Gay on the play.
Mettenberger added another touchdown pass late in the third quarter, a four-yard strike to Chase Coffman to push the Titans lead to 24-13.
