PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers made a pair of surprise moves by re-signing safety Ryan Clark and bringing back wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

Clark agreed to a $14 million, four-year contract after the Steelers were unable to sign him before the free agency signing period began Friday. Clark reached terms after visiting [...]]]> Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers made a pair of surprise moves by re-signing safety Ryan Clark and bringing back wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

Clark agreed to a $14 million, four-year contract after the Steelers were unable to sign him before the free agency signing period began Friday. Clark reached terms after visiting the Miami Dolphins on Monday and talking with the Arizona Cardinals.

Randle El, who threw a TD pass on a gadget play during the Steelers’ Super Bowl win over Seattle in 2006, is returning after spending four seasons with the Redskins. He agreed to a three-year deal with Pittsburgh.

It’s been more than a month since the Pittsburgh Steelers resembled a Super Bowl champion, losing to some of the NFL’s worst teams. Now they must knock off one of the hottest just to maintain a reasonable chance at making the playoffs.

The Steelers will try to avoid their first six-game losing streak in 10 [...]]]> STATS LLC

It’s been more than a month since the Pittsburgh Steelers resembled a Super Bowl champion, losing to some of the NFL’s worst teams. Now they must knock off one of the hottest just to maintain a reasonable chance at making the playoffs.

The Steelers will try to avoid their first six-game losing streak in 10 years Sunday when they host the surging Green Bay Packers.

A five-game win streak featuring victories over San Diego, Minnesota and Denver appeared to show Pittsburgh would very much be in contention for a second consecutive Super Bowl title.

Instead, the Steelers (6-7) have followed that stretch with a stunning five-game slide that has included losses to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland — teams with a combined 9-30 record. They fell 13-6 to the AFC-worst Browns on Dec. 10, four days after allowing a touchdown with nine seconds to play in a 27-24 loss to the Raiders.

The surprising collapse has knocked the Steelers out of the AFC North race and has them battling seven teams for a wild-card berth.

Even if Pittsburgh performs a late turnaround by winning its remaining three games, the playoffs remain a longshot because the team is 4-6 in conference play — a potentially important tiebreaker. All nine AFC teams that aren’t below .500 own better conference records.

“People are going to question what has happened to this team, and I really can’t say,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “I don’t know. You are going to find out a lot about this team in the last three games. We will figure out who is going to quit and who is going to go out and continue to fight.

“We, as a group, have to come together and continue to go out and fight these last three games.”

Those games are all against playoff contenders, as the Steelers host Green Bay and Baltimore before ending the regular season at Miami on Jan. 3.

They’ve also claimed a dubious distinction, as only the second Super Bowl champion to drop five in a row the following season. The 1987 New York Giants used replacement players during part of that strike-interrupted season.

The Steelers haven’t lost six in a row since Nov. 14-Dec. 18, 1999. They’re 1-7 in games decided by seven points or fewer after going 7-2 in those contests last season, including the Super Bowl.

“In this league, there’s a very fine line between winning and losing,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “The line is not so fine when you’re playing dominant … But when you’re not playing dominant, we’ve got to find a way to make significant plays at correct moments.”

Protecting Ben Roethlisberger could help. He was sacked a season-high eight times by the Browns while completing 18 of 32 passes for 201 yards.

Roethlisberger has been sacked 38 times, among the most in the league.

Pittsburgh’s offensive line now has to deal with a key injury, as left guard Chris Kemoeatu will sit out the Green Bay game with right wrist and right knee injuries.

Injuries have been a burden all season, and Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu will miss a fifth consecutive game with a knee problem. He’s played three games this season — all wins.

The Packers (9-4) have won five in a row, including last week’s 21-14 victory at Chicago, to move atop the NFC wild-card race. They could clinch a playoff berth with a win Sunday.

“Seriously, we are focused on beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and getting to 10 wins,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “There are three games left. There are a lot of things that happen in the last three weeks of the season. The scenarios will change; they always do. Everybody is fighting to get in and that’s the type of game we are preparing for this week.”

Part of Green Bay’s success has come from keeping opponents away from Aaron Rodgers and improved play defensively.

Fourth in the NFL with a 102.5 passer rating, Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 47 times, but just four over the last three games.

On defense, Green Bay now has the top-ranked unit in the NFC, allowing 272.0 yards per game after holding Chicago to 254. The Packers have allowed an average of 14.2 points during their win streak.

They’ve also forced 33 turnovers, including nine interceptions over the last three games, to rank second in the league behind New Orleans.

The Steelers have won the last two meetings, 20-10 at Green Bay in 2005 and 27-20 at Pittsburgh in 1998.

PITTSBURGH — The Super Bowl champion Steelers are losing their confidence as fast as they’re losing leads and losing games. The Oakland Raiders? Suddenly, they’re winning like they did in the old days, with remarkable comebacks and surprise finishes.

Louis Murphy caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski with nine seconds remaining, his

Bruce [...]]]> Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — The Super Bowl champion Steelers are losing their confidence as fast as they’re losing leads and losing games. The Oakland Raiders? Suddenly, they’re winning like they did in the old days, with remarkable comebacks and surprise finishes.

Louis Murphy caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski with nine seconds remaining, his

Bruce Gradkowski #5 of the Oakland Raiders throws 3 TD's including the game winner with 9 seconds remaining.

second score in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Raiders scored three late touchdowns to stun Pittsburgh 27-24 on Sunday and deal the Steelers their fourth consecutive loss.

The Steelers (6-6), in danger of missing the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl for a second time in four seasons, went ahead 24-20 on Ben Roethlisberger‘s 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 remaining, only to have the Raiders (4-8) rally and win it.

For the two-touchdown underdog Raiders, it was a comeback win even better than their 20-17 upset over Cincinnati two weeks before. Then, Murphy caught a 29-yard touchdown pass and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 33-yard field goal in the final 33 seconds.

Overmatched against his hometown Steelers last season, Gradkowski became the first Raiders quarterback to throw three touchdowns in a fourth quarter since Ken Stabler during a 42-35 win over New Orleans on Dec. 3, 1979, when Oakland trailed 35-14.

Who does Gradkowski think he is, one-time Raiders comeback king George Blanda? Until Sunday, the Raiders had thrown only five touchdown passes all season.

Gradkowski, who completed only two passes and had a 1.0 passer rating during a 31-0 loss in Pittsburgh with Cleveland last December, finished 20-of-33 for 308 yards with a passer rating of 121.8.

“Our receivers coach [Sanjay Lal] gave us a message, and he brought up the Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out [Mike] Tyson, and things that were just unbelievable but the people that did it believed they could,” wide receiver Todd Watkins said.

Pittsburgh, 6-2 at midseason, has lost to two of the NFL’s worst teams in the last three weeks, the Chiefs (3-9) and the Raiders, to fall three games behind Cincinnati (9-3) in the AFC North.

“I can’t even describe how frustrating it is right now to be 6-6,” linebacker James Farrior said. “We thought we’d be doing a lot better at this point. But we are what our record says we are.”

It was the fifth time in six losses the Steelers couldn’t hold a lead in the fourth quarter. They led 10-6, 17-13 and 24-20.

“As a defense, you want to be dominant,” cornerback Deshea Townsend said. “The way to be dominating is when your team needs you to finish.”

After three quarters with little scoring, long stretches of inactivity and an unusually quiet crowd, the fourth quarter became a back-and-forth duel between revived offenses, with the lead changing five times in the final 8 1/2 minutes.

“We’d score, they’d score, we’d score,” Oakland’s Jon Condo said.

It all started when Gradkowski connected with Chaz Schilens on a 17-yard scoring pass with 8:21 remaining to give Oakland its first lead at 13-10.

The Raiders, held to 49 points in their first five road games and next to last in the NFL in offense, fell behind 17-13 on Rashard Mendenhall‘s 3-yard TD run one play after Roethlisberger’s 57-yard hookup with Santonio Holmes. Holmes earlier put Pittsburgh up 10-3 with a 34-yard scoring catch.

Oakland answered again when Murphy got behind Ike Taylor on a 75-yard touchdown pass that made it 20-17 with 5:28 to go, but it wasn’t nearly over.

Pittsburgh drove 80 yards in seven plays for Ward’s touchdown, but left enough time on the clock — almost three minutes — for Oakland to win it with the kind of drive it’s rarely mounted all season, much less three times in a quarter.

Gradkowski found Murphy for 19 yards to the Steelers 40 and 17 yards to the 23, and a late-hit penalty on backup safety Ryan Mundy gave Oakland a first down at the 11. Murphy then got free behind Mundy — playing only because Troy Polamalu (left knee) missed a third consecutive game — for the game-winner.

“That was so exciting, I can’t even put into words how I feel,” said Gradkowski, whose first two starts in Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2008 yielded three points, five interceptions and zero wins.

Playing 17 days shy of the 37th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the Steelers had one more chance. Roethlisberger threw into the end zone from the 50 on the final play, but Hiram Eugene knocked down a pass intended for Limas Sweed.

No miracle finish against Oakland this time.

“We played poorly at a critical time, so you lose when you do that,” coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the last team to miss the playoffs after winning the previous Super Bowl. If they don’t find a way to right their ship quickly, they may be headed down the same path once again.

The expected return of their quarterback should help.

Ben Roethlisberger‘s absence last week due to a concussion stirred [...]]]> STATS LLC

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the last team to miss the playoffs after winning the previous Super Bowl. If they don’t find a way to right their ship quickly, they may be headed down the same path once again.

The expected return of their quarterback should help.

Ben Roethlisberger‘s absence last week due to a concussion stirred up some locker room controversy, but he’s likely to be back under center Sunday as the Steelers look to avoid their first four-game losing streak in five years when they host the hapless Oakland Raiders.

Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL in February 2006, but finished 8-8 the following regular season, missing out on the playoffs in coach Bill Cowher’s final year.

It took Mike Tomlin just two seasons to lead Pittsburgh (6-5) to a Super Bowl, but his 2009 club seems to be dealing with a similar hangover — something receiver Hines Ward cautioned wouldn’t happen during training camp.

“It’s different this time,” Ward said. “Coach Tomlin, he won’t let us have a down year.”

Pittsburgh has lost three straight since a 6-2 start, and its third-ranked defense has blown fourth-quarter leads en route to consecutive overtime losses. The Steelers let Kansas City drive 91 yards to a tying touchdown Nov. 22 in a game the Chiefs won 27-24 in overtime.

Then last Sunday night in Baltimore, after backup quarterback Dennis Dixon had given Pittsburgh a lead, the defense allowed the Ravens to march 84 yards for a tying field goal before winning 20-17 in the extra session.

With Cincinnati holding a two-game lead plus the head-to-head edge in the AFC North, Pittsburgh’s hopes of repeating as division champions are all but gone. The Steelers are one of seven AFC teams either one game above or below .500 fighting for the conference’s final wild-card berth.

“We will not go gently,” Tomlin said. “We will unleash hell in December because we have to. We won’t go in a shell. We’ll go into attack mode, because that’s what’s required.”

Tomlin’s primary concern may be restoring harmony to his locker room. Ward suggested during a televised pregame interview that the Steelers were split 50-50 whether Roethlisberger should play in Baltimore despite suffering the fourth concussion of his career in Kansas City.

Ward apologized this week, saying he didn’t mean to create an unnecessary distraction.

“I just think we need to get that taste of winning back,” said Ward, tied for sixth in the league in receptions (66) and seventh in yards (845). “In the course of losing three games in a row, we just need to get back on a winning track. Winning solves everything.”

Roethlisberger practiced fully Wednesday and is expected to face the Raiders (3-8), though he was expected to play against the Ravens until the team changed course late last week.

All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu, meanwhile, is likely to miss a third straight game with a sprained PCL in his left knee after sitting out four games earlier because of a sprained MCL. The Steelers are 4-1 when he plays.

Though Pittsburgh’s secondary has struggled without him, it doesn’t figure to have much trouble stopping Oakland’s league-worst passing offense (146.4 yards per game).

The Raiders have moved the ball somewhat better through the air since benching JaMarcus Russell for Pittsburgh native Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oakland to a 20-17 upset of Cincinnati on Nov. 22, then had 200 yards and a TD to rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey at Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

Oakland’s defense, however, gave up a season-high 494 yards in the 24-7 loss to the Cowboys.

“Trying to win two games for us has been like trying to climb Mount Everest,” All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. “We haven’t been able to get any momentum going.”

Asomugha voiced more displeasure with the Raiders’ defense Wednesday, calling its schemes too simple.

“We’re a team that chooses to be who we are regardless of who we’re playing against and regardless of the matchups or the things that the other team is going to present,” Asomugha said. “We’ve got one way of doing it and that’s what we do, and teams can get us into some tough situations.”

The Raiders have allowed an NFL-worst 54 plays of at least 20 yards, with 15 coming on the ground and 39 through the air.

The Steelers haven’t lost four straight since dropping five in a row Sept. 28-Nov. 2, 2003, and haven’t faced the Raiders since losing 20-13 in Oakland on Oct. 29, 2006 — part of a stretch of six losses in seven games.

The Raiders gained 98 total yards in that game, winning largely due to Roethlisberger’s four interceptions — one of which Asomugha returned for a touchdown.

Gradkowski has five interceptions in two career starts in his hometown.

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their high-flying offense hit a big stumbling block in their latest game, but have reason to believe it will bounce back at Arrowhead Stadium.

Pittsburgh tries to get its offense recharged Sunday by taking advantage of the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, who look to win consecutive games for the first time [...]]]> STATS LLC

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their high-flying offense hit a big stumbling block in their latest game, but have reason to believe it will bounce back at Arrowhead Stadium.

Pittsburgh tries to get its offense recharged Sunday by taking advantage of the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, who look to win consecutive games for the first time in more than two years.

The Steelers (6-3) had the NFL’s fifth-ranked offense (403.7 yards per game) through six weeks, with Ben Roethlisberger‘s passing attack averaging 315.5 yards — second behind Indianapolis. The next two weeks saw Pittsburgh’s rushing game take over, averaging 140.0 yards behind the emerging Rashard Mendenhall in wins over Minnesota and Denver.

But neither the ground attack nor Roethlisberger could get untracked last Sunday, when the Steelers failed to score a touchdown in an 18-12 home loss to Cincinnati. They were limited to a season-low 226 total yards and held under 27 points for the first time since Week 3, giving the Bengals a one-game lead in the NFC North and a season sweep of the Super Bowl champions.

“There was just something missing all day, I don’t know what it was,” said Roethlisberger, who was 20 of 40 for 174 yards and an interception. “We weren’t good in the red zone, we weren’t good in the run, we weren’t good in the pass. … It hurts. But how can we rebound now?”

Visiting Kansas City (2-7) could be a good way to do it. The Chiefs have allowed averages of 443.3 yards and 30.0 points in losing their last three at Arrowhead, and they are 0-4 at home for the first time since opening 0-6 in 1976.

They’ve given up an average of 152.3 rushing yards in the last six games overall, and that bodes well for Mendenhall after he was held to 36 yards on 13 carries last week.

However, perhaps the Steelers’ two biggest problems against Cincinnati had nothing to do with their lackluster offense.

Troy Polamalu left with an injury to his left knee in his fourth game back after previously missing four games with an MCL sprain in that knee. While this injury wasn’t initially considered as serious, the All-Pro safety was ruled out of this game Friday by coach Mike Tomlin.

Defensive end Travis Kirschke will miss his third consecutive game due to a torn left calf muscle.

The Steelers also need to shore up their special teams, which allowed a kick return for a touchdown for the third time in four games. It was the seventh straight they allowed a TD via defense or special teams.

Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed a league-low 11 touchdowns, but a season after having the league’s best kickoff coverage unit (19.1 yards per return), it’s 29th (25.9 ypr) in 2009.

“They’re all head-scratchers. … It’s detail, it’s about shedding blocks and making tackles and being schematically sound,” Tomlin said. “We’re in the process of looking at all elements of that unit.”

No team has allowed four kickoff returns for TDs in a season since the 1998 Vikings. The Chiefs haven’t had one since Dante Hall did it in 2005.

Kansas City was happy to get any sort of touchdown in Oakland last Sunday. Jamaal Charles had a 44-yard TD — the Chiefs’ first on the ground this season — in a 16-10 victory, less than a week after Larry Johnson was released.

“We talked about that before the game, that one of the running backs had to go and make something happen,” said Charles, who rushed for 103 yards. “It turned out to be me, and I’m blessed to be in that position.”

Kansas City hasn’t won back-to-back games since Oct. 14-21, 2007.

The positive feelings from the win in Oakland were dimmed Tuesday, when leading receiver Dwayne Bowe was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy against performance-enhancing substances. Bowe, who had 466 yards and four touchdowns, took a diuretic for weight loss, according to his agent.

“It’s no different than injuries,” coach Todd Haley said. “When somebody goes down, somebody has to step up and that’s all part of the process of us becoming a good team.”

Haley has ties to Pittsburgh — he was a ball boy for the Steelers when his father, Dick, was their director of player personnel and the architect of four Super Bowl winners in the 1970s.

He also was Arizona’s offensive coordinator last season, when the Cardinals scored 16 fourth-quarter points before Pittsburgh rallied to win its sixth championship, 27-23.

“I know the Super Bowl was a surreal experience, having to play of all the teams, the Steelers,” Haley said. “Now we get to play them again and I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”

The Chiefs and Steelers haven’t met in Kansas City since 2003. Roethlisberger was 16 of 19 for 238 yards and two TDs in a 45-7 win in Pittsburgh in 2006.

DENVER — Safety Ryan Clark got his wish: replacement Tyrone Carter took one to the house and Clark got to fly home with his teammates this time.

Carter started in place of Clark as a precaution Monday night and made the big play that sparked the Steelers to their Pittsburgh_Steelers_Safety_Tyrone_Carter

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Tyrone Carter, [...]]]> Associated Press

DENVER — Safety Ryan Clark got his wish: replacement Tyrone Carter took one to the house and Clark got to fly home with his teammates this time.

Carter started in place of Clark as a precaution Monday night and made the big play that sparked the Steelers to their Pittsburgh_Steelers_Safety_Tyrone_Carter

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Tyrone Carter, left, celebrates with teammates after his second quarter interception touchdown against the Denver Broncos.

fifth straight win, taking the first of his two interceptions 48 yards for a touchdown in Pittsburgh‘s 28-10 win over the Denver Broncos.

Clark nearly died following a game in Denver two years ago because of a rare blood disorder that is aggravated by playing in high altitude, so Steelers coach Mike Tomlin decided to hold him out of the game.

He said he didn’t want to risk Clark’s health or burden his teammates and family members with worry.

“Ryan likes to play. He’s probably hacked off at me that I didn’t play him,” Tomlin said. “But he will get over it.”

He already is, apparently.

“My goal for this trip was to go back with the team on the plane,” Clark said. “Last time I came out, I didn’t make it back with them.”

Clark was hospitalized in Denver in October 2007 when complications from sickle-cell trait prevented oxygen from flowing into his spleen. He later needed operations to remove his spleen and gall bladder, and he lost more than 30 pounds before he finally began feeling better more than two months later.

He missed the second half of that season, but recovered and resumed his career last season, when the Steelers won the Super Bowl.

Carter capped his night with his second interception with 15 seconds left, and Clark, dressed in charcoal sweats and a smile on the sideline, jumped up and down in celebration, then clicked the heels of his tennis shoes as he exited the field.

“I was excited for him,” Clark said. “It was a big win. He did an awesome job. His first interception really put us in the game.”

“I might be like Wally Pipp,” he added with a chuckle. “I’d better get back fast.”

Hines Ward caught two short touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger, including one in which he hauled in a pass in the flat and hurdled cornerback Champ Bailey on his way into the end zone, a final indignity for Denver that capped the scoring with 1:22 remaining and emptied the stadium.

Rashard Mendenhall rumbled over the Broncos for 155 yards on 22 carries as the Steelers (6-2) handed Denver its second straight loss after the Broncos opened the season 6-0 under rookie coach Josh McDaniels.

Carter’s first interception return gave Pittsburgh a 7-3 halftime lead even though the Steelers had generated just three first downs and were outgained 183-54 in the first half.

An ecstatic Clark was among the first players to swarm Carter, the first defender to pick off a Kyle Orton pass all season. His only interception before throwing three Monday night was a Hail Mary that Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss pulled down in a game last month.

“I’ll tell you, Ryan is like a brother to me. We’ve been in this thing together for a long time,” Carter said. “The bond is so tight between all of us. But to know that he can’t play today and knowing that he wanted to be out there, I just wanted to make sure that I went out there and played for him, and let him know I’m there for him, that we were still going to be all right.”

With the Steelers clinging to a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter, safety Troy Polamalu snared another Orton pass, this one at the Broncos 25-yard line, leading to Roethlisberger’s 25-yard TD toss to rookie Mike Wallace.

Denver scored on its opening drive for the first time this season. But the Broncos had to settle for Matt Prater’s 40-yard field goal after cornerback William Gay broke up a pass at the 10 to Eddie Royal, who had three receptions for 47 yards on the 56-yard drive.

The Broncos’ defense retaliated for Carter’s pick-six on the opening drive of the second half when Kenny Peterson swooped in and punctuated his first sack of the season by punching the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands. Rookie linebacker Robert Ayers scooped it up and rumbled 54 yards for a touchdown that gave Denver a 10-7 lead.

It didn’t last long.

Roethlisberger, who was 21 for 29 for 233 yards, drove the Steelers 80 yards in four plays, hitting Ward with a 3-yard strike over the outstretched right arm of linebacker D.J. Williams to put Pittsburgh ahead for good, 14-10.

Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to the Denver 15 on the Steelers’ next possession, but he threw behind Ward in the end zone and cornerback Andre’ Goodman picked it off — Big Ben’s first red-zone interception since 2007.

The Steelers dominated the second half by going no-huddle with three-wide receiver sets, which kept Elvis Dumervil, the NFL co-leader with 10 1/2 sacks, on the sideline much of the time.

“We didn’t stop anybody once they started going no-huddle,” McDaniels said.

Clark was one of three Steelers defensive starters sitting out, joining defensive end Travis Kirschke (calf) and linebacker Lawrence Timmons (ankle). It hardly mattered as Denver managed just 59 yards on six second-half drives.

As Denver self-destructed in the second half for the second straight week, Invesco Field became a sea of yellow Terrible Towels and thousands of empty blue seats, orange giveaway pom-pons littering the aisles.