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Falcons Top Steelers In Ot; Roethlisberger Hurt

(Sports Network) - Morten Andersen missed a 52-yard field goal in the final minute of regulation, but hit a game-winning 32-yarder with 8:04 left in overtime, as the Atlanta Falcons outgunned the Pittsburgh Steelers, 41-38, at the Georgia Dome.

"Game winners are always fun and are a product of hard work of the whole team," said Andersen. "It is one of those wins that you put in the bank and it will help us down the road."

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was carted off the field after being hit in the head on a helmet-to-helmet hit from defensive end Chauncey Davis in the third quarter and was replaced by Charlie Batch.

Michael Vick completed 18-of-30 passes for 232 yards with a career-high four touchdowns and was intercepted twice for the Falcons (4-2), who beat the Steelers for just the second time in the last 11 meetings.

Roethlisberger shredded the Falcons' secondary, completing 15-of-20 passes for 235 yards and three TDs in the first half. He racked up 238 yards on 16 completions before leaving the game, as the Steelers (2-4) lost for the fourth time in five games.

Batch was 8-of-13 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Hines Ward had eight receptions for 171 yards and three scores.

"I thought Charlie played very well," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.

On Roethlisberger, Cowher commented, "Ben is sore. I don't have any official diagnosis. We will have a full update as the week goes on. I don't have a lot of information right now."

Atlanta tight end Alge Crumpler caught six balls for 117 yards and three scores, and Ashlie Lelie had four receptions for 58 yards. Warrick Dunn backed that up with 69 yards on 26 carries, while Jerious Norwood gained 64 yards on eight carries.

With 6:24 left, a 25-yard Andersen field goal upped Atlanta's lead to 38-31. Then, with just 3:19 remaining in regulation, Batch and Ward connected a second time from 17 yards out to forge a 38-38 tie. The Steelers drove from their own 21, converting one third down, with the big play coming on a 49-yard connection from Batch to Nate Washington.

On the ensuing drive, the Falcons got within field goal range with less than a minute left. Back-up kicker Michael Koenen's first 56-yard attempt was good, but the Steelers contended they called timeout before the play. Koenen's second chance fell short, but a roughing the kicker penalty on Troy Polamalu gave the Falcons another chance. However, Andersen's attempt fell just under the crossbar with 25 seconds left.

Batch completed a 25-yard pass to Ward on the next play to move the ball to the Atlanta 33, but with eight seconds left Washington was called for a false start, triggering an automatic 10-second run-off and the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Falcons won the coin toss and kept the ball until the 46- year-old Andersen booted the game-winner. The monumental play came on 3rd- and-9 from the Atlanta 45 when Vick hit Crumpler for a 26-yard gain. Dunn then ran four straight times before Andersen kicked on third down.

"That was crucial," said Crumpler. "We did not want to give those guys the ball; they had been making a lot of plays. We did not want to give them a chance to convert and make a play."

Roethlisberger was hurt with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter. He was hit by Davis after passing the football, then remained on the field for a few minutes before being taken off on a cart.

"It was a good hit," said Davis. "I don't think that I put my helmet into it. I mean, I'll just have to watch the film to see what happened."

The Falcons struck first off a Steeler miscue. Kick returner Santonio Holmes fumbled a punt, giving the Falcons the ball at the Pittsburgh 22 less than two minutes into the game. Vick dropped back and found Crumpler for a five-yard touchdown pass.

On the ensuing kickoff, Holmes took the ball all the way to the Pittsburgh 42 yard line. That set up an 11-play, 48 yard drive which culminated in a Jeff Reed 28-yard field goal, cutting the Falcon lead to 7-3.

The Steelers led for the first time after Polamalu picked off an errant Vick pass, setting up the offense. Nine plays later, Roethlisberger hit a wide-open Ward from 11 yards out for a 10-7 advantage.

Pittsburgh upped the lead just over five minutes into the second quarter, when Heath Miller hauled in a one-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger.

The Steelers then gave Atlanta a prime opportunity when Roethlisberger botched a snap, giving the Falcons the ball at the Pittsburgh 25. Crumpler caught his second TD pass of the half, this time a four-yard strike from Vick with 4:46 left in the half.

With a little trickery, the Falcons reclaimed the lead at 21-17 with 2:04 remaining in the second. Atlanta surprised the Steelers with a successful onside kick, and a short time later wide receiver Michael Jenkins made an incredible over the shoulder catch in the left corner of the end zone.

The scoring frenzy concluded as Pittsburgh struck back just before the end of the half as Roethlisberger connected with Washington on a 10-yard TD pass with 58 seconds left.

In the second half, Atlanta struck first again, with 5:44 left in the third quarter. Jonathan Babineaux stripped the ball from Steelers running back Willie Parker at the Pittsburgh 26, and four plays later, Dunn took it in from the one for a 28-24 contest.

Just 1:33 after Atlanta took the lead, the Steelers stole it back behind Batch with a 70-yard strike to a streaking Ward.

Atlanta turned around and grabbed yet another lead, at 35-31 when Crumpler and Vick hooked up for a 31-yard TD strike.

Game Notes

Cowher fell to 3-1-1 versus Atlanta...Jim Mora picked up his first win in his first game as a head coach against Pittsburgh...Atlanta is the only team to register any first-quarter points against the Steeler defense in 2006...Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 11-2-1.

Source: www.intwebnews.com

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Falcons Top Steelers In Ot; Roethlisberger Hurt

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