Joe Haden, Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt each recovered a fumble, Watt recorded 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits and Joe Schobert had an interception as the Pittsburgh Steelers defense starred to frustrate the Tennessee Titans. Ben Roethlisberger finished, 16 of 25 for 148 yards
Sunday 19 December 2021 21:45, UK
The Tennessee Titans were made to pay for sloppy second-half turnovers as they suffered a 19-13 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers to miss out on the top seed in the AFC.
Three giveaways in 10 second-half plays were punished by three straight field goals from Chris Boswell to put the hosts on top at Heinz Field having trailed 13-3 at the half.
Having contributed a diving fumble recovery earlier on in Pittsburgh's comeback trail, Joe Haden iced the game when he stuffed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine short of the first down marker on fourth-and-six with 34 seconds to play.
The win saw the Steelers advance to 7-6-1 to keep their own playoff hopes alive in a competitive AFC North, while the Titans fall to 9-5.
Ryan Tannehill's seventh rushing touchdown of the year from a yard out saw the Titans head into the break with a 13-3 advantage having dominated possession for over 21 minutes in contrast to the Steelers' 8.41.
Ben Roethlisberger moved the Steelers within three at 13-10 in the third quarter with his first quarterback sneak in three years, before Pittsburgh took the lead for the first time on the day when Joe Schobert intercepted a pass tipped by Taco Charlton to set up Boswell's 46-yard kick.
Boswell's decider came inside the final five minutes after a relentless TJ Watt pounced on a loose snap to add a fumble recovery to his 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.
D'Onta Foreman battled for every yard on the ground as he finished with 109 from 22 carries, while rookie Steelers running back Najee Harris was limited to a team-high 18 yards from 12 touches.
The Titans lost wide receiver Julio Jones to a hamstring injury before Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth was later ruled out in the second half due to a concussion.
Titans
Steelers
After trading three consecutive punts it was the Titans who struck first when Tannehill bundled over from one-yard out after Jeremy McNichols had broken tackles to convert on third-and-eight. Chester Rogers had kickstarted the drive with a 55-yard punt return to eventually set Tennessee up at the 25 following an added illegal block penalty against the Steelers.
Randy Bullock's 26-yard field goal extended the lead to 10 points at the end of an 11-play, 45-yard drive, before Boswell split the posts from 36 yards after Minkah Fitzpatrick had recovered the loose ball knocked from the hands of tight end Anthony Firkser by Arthur Maulet on third-and-five.
The Titans were made to settle for a 32-yard field goal after a 19-play, 64-yard series lasting over 10 minutes late in the half, Cam Heyward's sack capping the redzone stand on third down.
Kevin Byard saw an interception on Roethlisberger scratched off due to an offside penalty against Naquan Jones, before Terrell Edmunds missed out on one of his own as the ball flew through his hands while covering Firkser downfield.
Roethlisberger dove in from one-yard out at the second time of asking to reduce the deficit to 13-10 in the third quarter after Watt's 17th sack on the year had derailed Tennessee's previous drive.
The Steelers regained possession late in the third quarter when Racey McMath's looping fumble forced by a Cam Sutton tackle was collected by a superb diving effort from Haden.
Schobert was on hand to deliver another turnover when he intercepted Tannehill's deflected pass to help set up Boswell's 46-yard go-ahead field goal with 7.20 remaining. Watt's fumble recovery on a botched snap was then turned into a 48-yard Boswell field goal for a 19-13 lead with 4.29 on the clock.
Foreman kept the Titans final drive alive when powered his way to the yard needed on fourth-and-one at the two-minute warning, but the Steelers defenses stood strong to round off a frustrating afternoon for Mike Vrabel's side.
The Steelers head to Arrowhead to face the AFC's No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs on Boxing Day, while the Titans are due to host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.
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