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Kansas City Chiefs running back Peyton Hillis (40) rushes the ball past Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark (25) and cornerback Keenan Lewis, bottom, in the second quarter of an NFL football game Monday in Pittsburgh. (AP photo / November 13, 2012) |
It nearly held up on a night the Chiefs had one touchdown called back due to a penalty and another overturned on replay.
Cassel completed 11 of 26 passes for 154 yards for Kansas City. But the team ranked last in the NFL in turnover margin saved its biggest mistake for overtime.
Pittsburgh came in riding a three-game winning streak that erased the sour taste of a 2-3 start, and the Steelers insisted all week they wouldn't look past the Chiefs toward a showdown against rival Baltimore next Sunday.
Funny, Pittsburgh certainly looked distracted at the start of a raw, soggy night at Heinz Field.
The Chiefs didn't take long to erase one bit of misery in their lifeless, luckless season, taking their first lead since New Year's Day during a spirited first half in which they avoided the kind of gaffes — turnovers, penalties, assignment breakdowns — that have plagued them all year.
With Charles gashing Pittsburgh's defensive line and Cassel avoiding mistakes, Kansas City raced in front 10-0. Cassel hit Tony Moeaki for 38 yards on the Chiefs' second drive, setting up a 12-yard touchdown run by Charles to give Kansas City its first lead since a 7-3 victory over Denver in the 2011 regular-season finale.
The lead grew to 10-0 after an Isaac Redman fumble deep in Pittsburgh territory led to a 22-yard field goal by Succop.
Like any brief flirtation with success for Kansas City, it didn't last.
The Steelers drew even before halftime. Working almost exclusively with his tight ends, Roethlisberger drove Pittsburgh to a 35-yard field goal by Suisham and tied it on Pittsburgh's next possession, when Mike Wallace atoned for an earlier drop by making a remarkable 7-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone. The ball slid through Wallace's hands, but he secured it with his legs — and controlled it — before rolling out of bounds.
There would be no second-half carryover, however. Whatever momentum the Steelers had vanished the second Roethlisberger trudged to the sideline holding his right shoulder.
In that moment all the chatter about Kansas City's visit and former Chiefs coach turned Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley's shot at revenge vanished.