Steelers Throwback Thursday: Forced fumble sets up ‘Big Ben’ bomb against Saints

Steel City Underground presents “Steelers Throwback Thursday” featuring plays from recent seasons which you may have forgotten about! Now we’re “bringing them back!”

During the 2006-07 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were coming off of a win in Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks after marching through the playoffs and beating the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos. They started their new season slow and with little success, entering the ‘Battle of the Black and Gold’ with the New Orleans Saints with a 2-6 record. The Saints were 6-2.

In what would become a back-and-forth affair between two of the best gunslingers in the NFL between Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees, the Steelers and Saints went into the locker room with Pittsburgh ahead 21-20. Although the Steelers ruled the first quarter, the Saints were far from down-and-out by the time the clock wound down in the second quarter.

Both teams came back on the field determined to be the victor, with the teams’ fan-bases debating whose “gold” was the best. What killed the momentum for New Orleans became a boon for Pittsburgh – fumbles. One forced fumble from an unexpected source paid big dividends as it set Roethlisberger up to throw a bomb of a pass for a touchdown.

In the middle of the third quarter, Brees took the snap from center and handed the ball off to Reggie Bush; the rusher had already given the Saints a touchdown in the first half of the game by going up-and-over defenders for a flip into the end zone. Bush, sprinting towards the right sideline, was hit by Tyrone Carter – who was only in the game at the time due to an injury to Troy Polamalu. Carter knocked the ball out of Bush’s hands and Ryan Clark grabbed the loose ball. (Clark would earn two fumble recoveries on the day.)

As the Steelers offense took over, ‘Big Ben’ wasted no time in capitalizing on the turnover. He took the snap and faked the handoff to Willie Parker as he watched his receivers streaking down the field. After one of his famous pump-fakes, Roethlisberger unleashed right into the hands of a wide-open Cedrick Wilson for the touchdown that tied the game at 24-all after a successful PAT by Jeff Reed.

The play would be the longest pass-for-a-touchdown thrown in the game by either quarterback. Roethlisberger had thrown a 37-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to open the game. The Steelers earned two rushing touchdowns from Parker in the fourth quarter and limited Brees’ ability to get into the end zone via his receivers. In the end, Carter, James Farrior, Larry Foote, and Clark Haggans would all force fumbles, three of them recovered by the Steelers (Clark and Brett Keisel). Tight end Heath Miller scored a receiving touchdown in the game as well as Pittsburgh handed New Orleans a 38-31 loss at Heinz Field.