TJ Watt and his defense kept hope alive, Kenny Pickett and his offense finally thanked him!
Los Angeles Rams (3-34) – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2): 17-24
Trailing at the start of the fourth quarter and once again harmless, the Steelers snatched an unexpected victory against the Rams.
Helped by the defense, Pittsburgh’s attack finally showed signs of life in the last quarter. With 2 touchdowns in their last 2 offensives, the Steelers can hope to have found the key in attack.
It was Kenny Pickett (17/25, 230 yards) who ensured the victory with a gain of 1 yard (disputed) on a 4th attempt. Behind the Rams did not see the ball again and therefore lost 24 to 17.
Explosive (6 receptions of +20 yards) and with a gala Puka Nacua (8 rec, 154 yards), Los Angeles can regret the 7 points missed on the foot by Brett Maher.
Los Angeles at the buzzer
The first half is that of defenses. Neither team manages to get into rhythm and the attacks quickly break their teeth against the defensive curtains.
After 3 punts and a missed field goal by the Rams, it was the Steelers who opened the counter first with a kick (0-3). But even there it’s complicated offensively… In this series, the Steelers only gained 22 yards and owe their points to a good starting position on the field.
The Rams finally found the beginnings of a solution during the 2nd quarter. After a field goal to equalize (3-3), Los Angeles did better on its very last offensive of the half.
Indeed, it was in the final minutes that Matthew Stafford (14/29, 231 yards, 1TD, 1INT) and his teammates found the fault. Los Angeles goes back 88 yards in 3 minutes and ends with a touchdown (9-3, another miss from Maher).
The Rams quarterback made the difference on two long passes: one of 36 yards for Puka Nacua and one of 31 yards for Tutu Atwell (1rec, 31 yards, 1TD) who caught the leather in the endzone for the touchdown.
Pittsburgh does not have time to respond and returns to the locker room with only 91 yards gained… Once again, the Steelers’ offense is bad.
The Pittsburgh Awakening
Returning from the locker room, Pittsburgh can rely on a well-known recipe: TJ Watt. The defender reads the game perfectly and manages to intercept Matthew Stafford. Watt even offers his attack the luxury of going back to the Rams’ 7 yards.
An offering that attack cannot spoil. The quarterback scores the team’s first touchdown on a run on 3rd down. The Steelers then go back in front (9-10).
The locals are not giving in, however. In the series that followed, Los Angeles once again showed its explosiveness. Two deep receptions from Nacua make the difference for McVay’s men. In a good position, it is then the returning Darrell Henderson who enters the endzone for the touchdown (17-10 with the successful 2-point conversion).
After another missed field goal, the Rams see the Steelers come back on them. First through Jaylen Warren on a 13-yard run (17-17). Then Pittsburgh confirms its very good 4th quarter with one of the most successful offensive series of its start to the season.
The attack goes back 80 yards in 10 plays and almost 5 minutes. Between races and some big gains from Pickett on the pass. It’s Najee Harris (14 races, 53 yards, 1TD) who punctuates this series with a touchdown on the ground (17-24).
Then the Californians will be forced to punt and will see Mike Tomlin’s men keep the ball long enough to win.
