The Pittsburgh Steelers first played the Rams in the thirties when they were in Cleveland. It took eleven games and nearly two decades before the Steelers won a contest and that was after the Rams had moved to Los Angeles. The best the Steelers could manage before that 1956 victory were two tied games before the NFL introduced overtime.
The Steelers have a poor record on the road against the Rams, but one of their three wins was the Super Bowl XIV 31-19 victory.
Mike Tomlin became the Steelers head coach in 2007 when he inherited a team led by three-year veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The team was coming off a disappointing 8-8 season but had improved under their new coach.
At the beginning of December, they were 9-3 and top of the division, two games in front of Cleveland. During a win over the Bengals, Hines Ward became the Steelers all-time leader in touchdown receptions.
Two weeks and two defeats later the Steelers were facing a must win situation when they traveled to St. Louis. After winning their last two games, Cleveland was now tied with the Steelers with two games remaining.
After their loss to the Jaguars at Heinz Field, when they gave up 225 yards on the ground, the Steelers had a short week before traveling for their Thursday night game.
The Rams main threat was running back Steven Jackson who was ranked eighth in the NFC in rushing despite missing four games through injury.
The (9-5) Steelers at the (3-11) Rams; December 20, 2007
On the Steelers first play from scrimmage, Ben Roethlisberger completed a pass of 83 yards to Santonio Holmes that gave the Steelers a first down on their opponents’ 13. The next play saw them lose Willie Parker when he fractured his right fibula, and he was gone for the season. Two plays later, Roethlisberger found Nate Washington with a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Steelers in front.
St. Louis’ Marc Bulger tied the game on the Rams’ subsequent drive after a 43-yard kick return set them up for a 6-play scoring drive. Bulger found Steven Jackson with a touchdown pass of 12 yards.
The first play of the second quarter saw Jeff Reed kick a 21-yard field goal to edge the Steelers back in front.
A Rams kick return of 49 yards produced another scoring drive this one finished by Isacc Bruce with a touchdown completion of 12 yards.
The Rams were surprisingly 14-10 ahead, but Najeh Davenport was finally going to make his mark on Steelers’ football. Davenport contributed 25 yards on three runs during a 5-play drive of 65 yards that finished with a 33-yard touchdown catch by Nate Washington. The Steelers were back in front 17-14.
The Steelers’ next drive saw Davenport add 36 yards on the ground before he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass extending the Steelers lead. Davenport had caught his sole touchdown for the Steelers against Carolina the previous season and he had now doubled his total.
After the Rams replied with a 52-yard field goal, the Steelers took a 24-17 advantage into the locker room at half time.
On their first drive of the second half, Roethlisberger led his team on a 10-play drive of 69 yards that ended with Davenport’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Playing before their home fans, the Rams replied with a 11-play drive of 81 yards. Bulger found Drew Bennet with a 23-yard touchdown pass to encourage the expectations by the fans of a comeback.
Those fans would be disappointed when the Steelers took a seven-point lead into the final period and didn’t give the impression they would concede their advantage.
After Reed added a field goal from 29 yards, the Steelers’ defense restricted Bulger to incomplete passes. Ike Taylor finally sealed Pittsburgh’s triumph with an interception he returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
Gus Frerotte replaced Bulger for the Rams, but the Steelers’ dominant defense kept him to 27 yards on 7 attempts and the Steelers took the victory they needed to stay top of the division.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 41 at the St. Louis Rams 24
Ben Roethlisberger’s three touchdown passes set a new team record for touchdown passes on a season with 32.
Najeh Davenport gained his second 100-yard game of his NFL career. “I took it upon myself to put the offense on my back and carry it,” he said. He would finish the season with a career best 499 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The Steelers would lose the season finale in Baltimore but a Browns loss to the Bengals had already seen the Steelers win their eighteenth division title.
The Steelers would host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wildcard game. Although they fell behind early, they would eke out a one point lead with six minutes remaining. A last minute Josh Scobee field from 25 yards saw the Jaguars leave Pittsburgh with the win.
