National Football League
Pittsburgh 25, Arizona 13
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 18, 2015
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Temperature: 45°
Head Official: Ed Hochuli
Attendance: 63846

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers third-string quarterback Landry Jones had never played in an NFL game before Sunday. He never dressed for a game during his first two seasons in the league and the only reason he was dressed against the Arizona Cardinals was because starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed his third consecutive game with a knee injury.

When backup quarterback Mike Vick exited Sunday's game early in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, the Steelers turned to the former Oklahoma Sooner, and Jones delivered four second-half scoring drives to lead the Steelers to a 25-13 victory at Heinz Field.

After Vick completed only 3 of 8 passes for 6 yards, he was replaced by Jones, who was 8-for-12 for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including an 88-yard pass to Martavis Bryant with 1:58 remaining that put the contest out of reach.

"It's a whirlwind," Jones said afterward. "I still can't believe I got in the game and got to play. I'm still kind of reeling from it."

Jones threw an 8-yard touchdown to Bryant on only his second NFL pass attempt. That touchdown came after Steelers linebacker James Harrison forced a fumble by wide receiver John Brown at the Arizona 32-yard line.

Jones' second drive ended in more points when Chris Boswell booted a 51-yard field goal. Boswell's third field goal of the game gave the Steelers a 15-10 lead with 2:32 left in the third quarter.

After Arizona cut the lead to 15-13 with a Chandler Catanzaro 39-yard field goal, Jones led a 13-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Boswell's 28-yard field goal.

"He's totally different (from Vick)," Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. "They went back to some things. They threw the ball downfield to some guys. He played very well. My hat is off to him. He won the football game."

Bryant had six receptions for 137 yards and two scores in his first game of the season. He served a four-game suspension to begin the season and sat out last week with a knee injury.

His second touchdown came on a second-and-8 play after safety Mike Mitchell intercepted a pass from Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer in the end zone.

"When your number is called you have to go out there and execute the game plan," Bryant said. "I'm not surprised by it. It comes from hard work in practice. Coach (Mike Tomlin) is big on running after the catch in practice."

The Cardinals entered the game averaging 38 points per game. The 190 points through five games were the seventh-most in the history of the NFL.

Against the Steelers, however, the Cardinals committed three turnovers and could not do much damage to a Steelers defense that played without three starters due to injury.

Palmer threw for 421 yards in a losing effort, and Brown had 10 receptions for 196 yards.

"I am disappointed in the loss," Arians said. "I thought we had what it took to win on the road. We had a great week of preparation. We played OK in the first half, and then in the first five minutes of the third quarter, we didn't come out and set the tempo. We gave up points and turned the ball over. That's not how you want to start the second half on the road."

Arizona took a 10-3 lead into halftime after Catanzaro made a 31-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Michael Floyd gave the Cardinals a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter when he caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Palmer, completing a six-play, 47-yard drive that started in Steelers territory after Jordan Berry's 31-yard punt.

Boswell accounted for the only points of the half for the Steelers when he made a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter. On that scoring drive, the Cardinals committed a personal foul penalty and were called for offsides, aiding an otherwise ineffective offense that managed just 6 yards passing in the first two quarters under the direction of Vick.

The Cardinals outgained the Steelers 279-59 in the first half.

NOTES: Steelers LT Kelvin Beachum left the game with a left knee injury in the second quarter. He was helped off the field and later carted to the locker room for further examination. He tore his ACL, according to coach Mike Tomlin. ... LB Lawrence Timmons became the ninth Steelers linebacker to record 10 career interceptions since the merger in 1970. ... Cardinals TE Darren Fells left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Arizona   Pittsburgh
Chris Johnson Player Le'Veon Bell
14 Attempts 24
40 Yards 88
2.9 Avg Yards 3.7
0 Touchdowns 0
11 Long 22
Receiving
Arizona   Pittsburgh
John Brown Player Martavis Bryant
10 Receptions 6
196 Yards 137
19.6 Avg Yards 22.8
0 Touchdowns 2
45 Long 88
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Arizona 469 55 414 1 2 0 1.0 0
Pittsburgh 310 141 169 2 4 2 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Kansas City. The Steelers have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Baltimore. The Cardinals have a W/L % of .600 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
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