Jeff Reed kicked a 40-yard field goal with six seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 24-22 win over the San Diego Chargers on Monday. But any joy in the Steelers camp will be tempered by the fact that they may have to make do without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for some time.
He was hit on the knee as he completed a pass to set up the dramatic finale.
"Big Ben" then watched from the sidelines as Reed silenced the home crowd with his game-winning kick.
"It looked bad from what I saw," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said of his star's injury.
"I heard ooohs and aaahs and people told me it didn't look good."
Reed has now hit 24 straight field goals from inside the 50-yard line, the longest active streak in the NFL. Pittsburgh improved to 3-1 with the win, while San Diego dropped to 2-3.
Running back Jerome Bettis scored a touchdown for the Steelers and rushed for 54 yards in his first game of the season, including two big carries when reserve QB Charlie Batch had to replace Roethlisberger.
"I feel fresh, I feel great and officially, I am back," Bettis said.
After a scoreless first quarter, Roethlisberger scored on a seven-yard run and Bettis on a one-yard run to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead.
Two-point failure
The Chargers got on the scoreboard just before the first half ended on an 11-yard TD pass from Drew Brees to Antonio Gates.
Nate Kaeding kicked two field goals in the third and another in the fourth to give the Chargers their first lead of the game, 16-14.
But a 16-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Heath Miller put the Steelers ahead again.
A two-yard touchdown run by LaDainian Tomlinson with 4:42 left made it 22-21 San Diego, but a failed two-point conversion attempt turned out to be a key moment, as Reed's field goal was then enough to win the game.
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I feel fresh, I feel great and officially, I am back
