New England 27-24 Pittsburgh: Patriots clinch AFC West division with dramatic win
Monday 18 December 2017 06:23, UK
Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted in the endzone with five seconds left as the New England Patriots rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 in a thrilling finish to their Sunday night match-up.
Dion Lewis scored on an eight-yard touchdown run - with Tom Brady finding Rob Gronkowski for a successful two-point attempt - with 56 seconds remaining, to put the Patriots up by three.
Within two plays, it appeared Pittsburgh had then themselves retaken the lead, with Roethlisberger seemingly finding tight end Jesse James for a 10-yard touchdown after a stunning 69-yard catch and run by JuJu Smith-Schuster.
But, the scoring play was overturned on review, with official Tony Corrente saying the ball did not "survive" the completion of the catch, meaning James failed to maintain control of the football as he dived for the endzone.
Without the TD, with the clock running out and no timeouts left, Roethlisberger hurried to the line and, rather than spike the ball, to set up a short field goal that would have sent the game to overtime, the Steelers QB tried to win it, but threw an interception.
His pass to Eli Rogers was batted into the air, and New England safety Duron Harmon came down with it. One kneel down later the Patriots had their fifth-straight victory over the Steelers.
The Patriots (11-3) too gained the edge over Pittsburgh (11-3) for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs by ending their eight-game winning streak.
Brady threw for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while top target, tight end Rob Gronkowski, back following a one-game suspension, finished with nine receptions for 168 yards, including four on the game-winning drive.
The Steelers, meanwhile, had to play most of the game without leading wide receiver Antonio Brown, who left the field with an injured calf early in the game and now appears to be out until the playoffs, at least.
Roethlisberger completed 22 of 30 for 281 yards with two touchdowns and the pick, while Le'Veon Bell ran for 117 yards and a TD, as well as adding another 48 receiving.
Pittsburgh received an early emotional jolt when cameras cut to injured linebacker Ryan Shazier sitting in a private box less than two weeks removed from spinal stabilisation surgery, having left a Monday night victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher following a hit on wide receiver Josh Malone.
But, the emotional boost of Shazier's surprise cameo faded quickly as Brady took the Patriots right down the field, connecting with Brandin Cooks for a 43-yard gain that set up Rex Burkhead's opening one-yard touchdown.
The Steelers answered immediately on an 18-yard lob from Roethlisberger to Rogers. Pittsburgh then took its first lead over the Patriots since 2011 early in the second quarter on a Chris Boswell field goal.
Martavis Bryant made a pretty one-handed touchdown catch late in the first half that put Pittsburgh up 17-10 at the break, but Brady found Cooks for a four-yard TD on New England's opening possession of the second half.
A failed extra point attempt meant the Steelers kept the lead, one they held right up until the final dramatic minute of the game.
Elsewhere, in the other late games in the NFL....
Rams 42-7 Seahawks
Todd Gurley (21 carries, 152 yards) ran for three touchdowns and caught one as the Rams (10-4) took control of the NFC West with a heavy beating of the Seahawks (8-6), opening up a two-game lead with two games remaining.
Titans 23-25 49ers
Robbie Gould's sixth field goal of the day, a 45-yarder on the final play of the game gave San Francisco (4-10) their third-straight win since promoting Jimmy Garoppolo to starting quarterback. The Titans' (8-6) playoff hopes, meanwhile, take a hit.
