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Pittsburgh then twice opted to go for it on fourth down in Baltimore territory in overtime rather than send Scobee out for a long attempt into the tricky wind at the open end of Heinz Field. Michael Vick, starting in place of injured Ben Roethlisberger, was stopped on fourth-and-2 at the 39 and later overthrew Antonio Brown on fourth-and-1 from the 33.
Vick threw for 124 yards and a score and Le'Veon Bell ran for 129 yards and a touchdown by the Steelers.
For most of the night, it appeared Pittsburgh would survive with Roethlisberger relegated to a sweatsuit after spraining his left knee last week against St. Louis.
Scobee, acquired from Jacksonville in August after injuries to Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley, saw a 49-yard attempt sail wide with 2:24 to go. Pittsburgh forced a four-and-out only to watch Scobee flutter another one wide left with a minute left.
Pittsburgh signed Vick in late August when longtime backup Bruce Gradkowski was lost for the season with a hand injury. Making only his fourth start in the last 23 months, Vick needed time to get going. His first pass sailed well over tight end Heath Miller's head and he took a sack early in the second quarter that pushed the Steelers out of field goal range.
As Associated Press sports writer Will Graves noted, once Vick's legs — the ones that made him the NFL's most unique talent in his prime — got going, so did Pittsburgh's offense. Twice he darted for positive yardage on an eight-play, 67-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, a march that ended with Bell running to his left before cutting back to his right.
Vick provided the block that sprung Bell to finish off an 11-yard zig-zag into the end zone that helped the Steelers take a 13-7 halftime lead.
But as ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler suggested, the decision in overtime to throw the ball on fourth-and-1 will leave Steelers fans feeling queasy for a while.
They have Bell. They needed one yard. They were at the 33-yard line but didn't trust Scobee after the two missed attempts. Instead of those options, the Steelers asked Vick to throw the quick out to Brown by the sideline, with Vick throwing way over Brown's head. ...
Darrius Heyward-Bey is emerging as a reliable No. 3 receiver, scoring a touchdown in two of his last three games. This game showed the timing between Brown and Vick will take time to develop.
As previously noted, wide receiver Markus Wheaton suffered a right ankle injury but returned. ... (Get complete game stats HERE)