• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Redman powers Steelers past Giants

Nov 5, 2012 - 2:23 AM East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Isaac Redman scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, as the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied past the New York Giants, 24-20, in a battle between two storied franchises that have combined to win four of the past seven Super Bowls.

With Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer sidelined due to injuries, Redman carried the ball 26 times for a career-high 147 yards for the Steelers (5-3), who have won three in a row.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 21-of-30 passes for 216 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Pittsburgh, which was forced to fly into Newark on Sunday morning due to the lack of hotel rooms in the New York-New Jersey area because of damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Eli Manning connected on 10-of-24 passes for 125 yards and an interception for the Giants (6-3), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

"We haven't been playing our best football offensively the last few weeks. Tonight, it finally caught up with us," Manning said.

Of course, Manning and Roethlisberger were both drafted back in 2004. Manning was selected No. 1 overall by the San Diego Chargers and was traded to the Giants. Since then, Manning has been Super Bowl MVP twice. Roethlisberger has also won a pair of Super Bowl rings since being selected by the Steelers.

Andre Brown carried the ball seven times for 20 yards and a score. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries.

The Steelers were down 20-10 after Lawrence Tynes made a 23-yard field goal with 1 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh used the speed of Mike Wallace to start the comeback. Faced with a 3rd-and-5 near midfield, Roethlisberger threw a pass to Wallace over the middle of the field. The speedy Wallace made his way toward the left sideline before sprinting 51 yards for a touchdown.

Following a three-and-out from the Giants, Emmanuel Sanders returned a punt 63 yards to the New York 12-yard line. However, the Steelers were stopped on 3rd- and-1 from the three. Pittsburgh sent the field goal unit on the field in an attempt to tie the game. Instead, Drew Butler took the snap and tossed the ball to Shaun Suisham. The kicker was stopped for a loss of one yard.

"I took a shot and the guys backed my play like I knew they would," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I appreciate that. They overcome bad coaching sometimes. That's on me."

Pittsburgh's defense was able to force another three-and-out. The Steelers started at their own 49-yard line this time around. Heath Miller caught a 14- yard pass on the second play, moving the ball to the 33. A few plays later, the visitors had a 3rd-and-7 shortened down to 3rd-and-2 due to a defensive offside penalty. Redman ripped off an 8-yard run before finding the end zone from one yard out, making it 24-20 with 4:02 to play.

Once again, the Giants went three-and-out on offense. Pittsburgh took over at its own 28 with 2:52 left. Sanders caught a 16-yard pass on third down and Redman recorded a 28-yard run to seal the victory.

"We've got big time respect for what the Giants are capable of in the fourth so hopefully this is a big step for us in terms of trying to be the football team we desire to be. We'll enjoy it tonight," Tomlin said.

Following a pair of punts from each team to start the game, Manning was picked off by Ike Taylor. Roethlisberger then led an 11-play, 58-yard scoring drive that Redman started with a 17-yard run. On 3rd-and-4 from the New York 23, Roethlisberger found Will Johnson for a gain of five yards. Sanders capped the march with a 4-yard TD catch in the back of the end zone, making it 7-0 with 12:09 left until the half.

The Giants responded with a touchdown of their own. A 41-yard defensive pass interference call on Keenan Lewis set up New York at the Pittsburgh 20. Bradshaw gained four yards on 3rd-and-2 to make it 1st-and-goal from the eight. The Giants faced another third down, but this time a personal foul penalty on Ryan Clark gave the home team a fresh set of downs. After Taylor dropped an easy pick in the end zone, Clark made a hard hit on Victor Cruz. Clark was called for a blow to the head despite Cruz hurting his ribs. Brown rumbled into the end zone on the next play to tie the game.

Another controversial call swung in favor of the Giants on the ensuing Steelers possession. On 2nd-and-5 from the New York 32, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass and had the ball stripped by Osi Umenyiora. Michael Boley picked up the ball and raced 70 yards the other way for a touchdown. The fumble was upheld upon review despite Roethlisberger's arm appearing to come forward with the ball still in his hand, which would constitute the tuck rule. Instead, New York led 14-7 with 5:11 remaining.

Pittsburgh took over at its own 41 after Tynes missed a 51-yard field goal. With 31 seconds to work with, Roethlisberger completed passes of 24 and 23 yards to Jerricho Cotchery and Miller, respectively. Suisham made a 30-yard field goal to make it 14-10 at the break.

Tynes made a pair of field goals in the third stanza to extend New York's lead. He was good from 50 yards out on the Giants' first possession of the second half.

After Roethlisberger was picked off by Corey Webster, New York moved the ball to the 2-yard line. However, Brown lost three yards on second down and Manning's pass to Rueben Randle fell incomplete on third down. Tynes made a 23-yarder this time around to make it 20-10 with 1:32 left.

Game Notes

Since 2000, Pittsburgh is 37-14 against NFC teams during the regular season ... Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown injured his left ankle in the first half and running back/returner Chris Rainey left late in the third quarter with a rib injury. Pittsburgh came into the game without safety Troy Polamalu (calf), offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) and linebacker Stevenson Sylvester (hamstring) ... Wallace had three catches for 66 yards ... Cruz hauled in five passes for 67 yards.