Colts steal a crucial win in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in his fifth season. That doesn't mean he still can't learn a valuable lesson from Peyton Manning: Sometimes, inaccuracy beats impatience.

Manning took advantage of Roethlisberger's fourth-quarter interception to find Dominic Rhodes out of the backfield on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining for Indianapolis's only lead, and the Colts rallied in a virtual must-win game to beat the Steelers, 24-20, yesterday.

Manning also hit Reggie Wayne on a 65-yard touchdown pass on a tipped ball that wasn't well thrown and found Dallas Clark for a 2-yard scoring pass six seconds before halftime following an unnecessary interception by Roethlisberger, helping end the Colts' 40-year losing streak in Pittsburgh.

"Coach [Mike] Tomlin told us all week they are a team that likes to score before the half and at the end of the game," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. "That's what happened to us."

The Colts (5-4) had dropped their last 12 in Pittsburgh counting the postseason, dating to a 41-7 win in 1968 when the Steelers played at now-demolished Pitt Stadium.

"They certainly are tough to get here in Pittsburgh," Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

Except by teams quarterbacked by Mannings.

Pittsburgh (6-3) lost to a Manning-led team at home for the second time in three weeks despite leading, 20-17, on Jeff Reed's 24-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. They were beaten by Eli Manning's Giants, 21-14, Oct. 26, again after a fourth-quarter comeback.

The Steelers had a chance to win at the end, but Roethlisberger's pass into the end zone on the final play - with Nate Washington open briefly - was intercepted by Melvin Bullitt.

The first matchup between the teams since Pittsburgh's stunning win over the top-seeded Colts in the AFC divisional playoffs in January 2006 followed the pattern of that game as the Steelers opened an early double-digit lead, then tried to hold on.

In this one, a lucky tip and Roethlisberger's haste to try to get points when Pittsburgh wasn't in position to score late in the first half helped get the Colts back into the game after Pittsburgh led, 7-0 and 17-7. All three of Roethlisberger's interceptions were pivotal.

"You'll never hear me say 'I' anything, but I lost this game," said Roethlisberger, who played despite a separated shoulder that kept him out of practice until Friday. "I take it on myself. I let the guys down on offense and defense. It hurts, but we'll learn from it."

The Colts avoided going down by five games to Tennessee (9-0) in the AFC South and stayed on the fringe of the wild-card race.

"We definitely needed the game as far as confidence," Rhodes said.