| Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall (left) looked strong in his return, but Sunday's 16-14 win over the Eagles still proved costly for Pittsburgh on other fronts. (US Presswire) |
Rashard Mendenhall, in his first game since New Year’s Day, enlivened a Steelers ground game that allowed the Steelers to prevail over cross-state rival Philadelphia 16-14 Sunday at Heinz Field.
Just when they figured they were returning to health, the lingering injury bugaboo revisited the Steelers -- and in lingering places.
Star safety and former defensive player of the year Troy Polamalu, after just 19 plays following a three-week hiatus (two missed games and the bye week), aggravated his right calf and limped off the field. It’s doubtful he’ll be healthy enough to play Thursday in Tennessee. If he misses that game, he will have played just 4¼ quarters through five games.
“Troy’s a great player,” DE Brett Keisel said, “and we’re a great defense with him out there. Guys go down and guys step up. That’s what good teams do.”
Also doubtful for Thursday is OLB LaMarr Woodley, who also left in the first half. The severity of his right hamstring injury wasn’t known, but a hamstring injury that was considered mild effectively scratched him from the last half of the 2011 season.
Bookends Woodley and James Harrison, who played his first game of 2012 on Sunday after knee surgery, haven’t started and finished a game together because of injuries in 17 regular-season and postseason games dating to September 2011. Polamalu and fellow Pro Bowl safety Clark haven’t started and finished together over the past five regular-season and postseason games.
With Ryan Mundy (five tackles) subbing for Polamalu and Jason Worilds (three tackles, a sack and two hurries) replacing Woodley, the Steelers (2-2) endured despite yielding touchdowns on two of the Eagles' (3-2) final three possessions -- drives of eight plays, 50 yards and 17 plays, 79 yards resulted in touchdowns and a 14-13 lead with 6:33 remaining. The Pittsburgh offense, behind Mendenhall, did the rest.
As a whole, the defense allowed the Eagles only 246 yards total -- more than half of that coming on their final two drives -- and just 78 yards rushing (3.4 yards per carry). The wet field in a second-half-long mist seemed to bother Steelers offensive players more than Philadelphia’s, so scratch that excuse.
“Coaches did a good job of preparing us well,” said ILB Lawrence Timmons, who muffed chances at a sack and a fourth-down stop, yet finished with a team-high nine tackles, two tackles for losses, two hurries and a forced fumble.
The defense held Eagles QB Michael Vick to 20 of 30 for 175 yards and he committed three fumbles. “We got some good pressure on him," Keisel said. "I don’t know if we did contain him.”
Mendenhall motors: To finish with 101 all-purpose yards, and 81 of that on 14 carries, constituted the best performance by a Pittsburgh back this season. But for one who hadn’t played in a game this season and practiced for barely a month? Mendenhall’s effect on the team in his season debut, after last January's ACL surgery, was profound from start to finish -- he had 31 yards of the 64-yard drive to Shaun Suisham’s game-winning, 34-yard field goal as time expired.
“It felt great, but there is a lot more work to be done, and a lot more to come,” Mendenhall said.
Unlucky No. 7: Vick fumbled three times, losing two in the first half and bringing his unmagical number to 11 turnovers through five games this season. One such fumble, into the end zone in the first quarter, proved to be critical.
“That red-zone turnover, we wouldn’t be sitting here with a win without it,” Keisel said. “We wanted to get some turnovers today, and those were huge factors in the game.”
Eagles coach Andy Reid: “The turnovers early hurt us. You can’t do that in a good place in a stadium on the road against a good football team. You just can’t do it. We put ourselves in a position to win the game.”
Why are the turnovers still coming? “I wish I could tell you,” Vick said, “but I don’t have any explanation.”
What they said about Mendenhall:
- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger -- “He looked great. Made some big plays.”
- Guard Ramon Foster -- “Yes, I think [the Todd Haley offense] has helped us all. Rashard ... ran it exactly where it was meant to be.” The Steelers rushed for a season-high 136 yards Sunday.
- Nose tackle Steve McLendon -- “I knew he was going to do well today ... he looked even better in practice. He’s stronger. He has been light on his toes.”
Numbers you should know: Roethlisberger, a 68-percent passer entering Sunday, went 21 for 37 for 207 yards in a game where he was either off target or passes clanged off hands -- Antonio Brown dropped one in the end zone, and he and Mike Wallace combined for at least four drops. ... Roethlisberger noted how he was zero for his past three fourth-quarter comeback attempts (Denver in the playoffs, and Denver and Oakland to start this season), but Sunday represented his 25th career successful comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime -- his first since Sept. 25, 2011 at Indianapolis. He was 4 for 5 for 50 yards on the game-winning drive. ... Roethlisberger’s home record vs. NFC teams is 14-1, losing only to the Giants in 2008. ... Mike Tomlin’s record is 5-1 after a bye week.
Injury update: Polamalu and Woodley left for the Steelers and didn’t return; the Eagles’ Bryce Brown (shoulder) and Mychal Kendricks (ankle) returned to play, and Reid considered them “fine.”
Moving forward: The Steelers have a short week before playing Thursday night in Tennessee (1-3 heading into its late Sunday game with Minnesota).
The Eagles return home to Lincoln Financial Field to face Detroit (1-3) next Sunday. The Lions have a bye this weekend.
Follow Steelers reporter Chuck Finder on Twitter @CBSSteelers and @cfinder