2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise ' s 77th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . They were coming off a season in which they compiled a 12 – 4 regular season record and capped the season by winning the franchise ' s record sixth Super Bowl . The team ' s coaching staff remained the same for the third consecutive year . As the defending champions , the Steelers opened the season by hosting the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday , September 10 , 2009 , which was an overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans . The team compiled a 6 – 2 record over the season ' s first half , but then began a five game losing streak which included losses to all three division opponents . Three late wins led to a 9 – 7 record , but the team failed to qualify for the playoffs . This was the third straight time the team has missed the playoffs following a Super Bowl victory ; 1980 and 2006 being the previous two . Off season activity . The front office ' s major goals coming into the off - season were to retain the bulk of the team ' s own free agents and to look to add talent primarily through the draft rather than free agent acquisitions . This has been the team ' s primary philosophy since Chuck Noll took over as head coach in 1969 . The other major item on the team ' s agenda was to extend the contracts of a few of the players who were coming into the final year of their contracts — chief among these were linebacker and 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year , James Harrison , tight end Heath Miller , and tackle Max Starks . Management completed the highest - priority item on its off - season checklist by reaching agreement with Harrison on a six year , $ 51 . 175 million contract , which includes $ 20 million in guaranteed money . The team was also successful in extending the contracts of Starks ( four years , $ 26 . 3 million ) and Miller ( six years , $ 35 . 3 million ) both of whom were potential free agents after the season . Additionally , contract extension were completed with receiver Hines Ward ( five years , $ 22 . 1 million ) , guard Chris Kemoeatu ( five years , $ 20 million ) , center Justin Hartwig ( 4 years , $ 10 million ) and defensive end Brett Kiesel ( 5 years , $ 18 . 885 million ) . The team ' s primary needs coming into the 2009 season were considered to be shoring up the offensive line and improving performance on special teams , primarily at kick returner . In addition , they were forced to address the loss through free agency of two key contributors : starting cornerback Bryant McFadden and number three wide receiver Nate Washington . The front office and coaching staff also had to focus on uncovering for eventual replacements for some aging cogs : defensive end Aaron Smith and cornerback Deshea Townsend , who were 33 and 34 respectively at the start of the season . ESPN ' s Matt Williamson ranked the team ' s pre - draft needs as ( in order ) , defensive end , offensive tackle , wide receiver and cornerback . Free agents signed . " Players from the 2008 team who have signed new contracts with the Steelers : " " Players not with the 2008 team who have been signed for 2009 " " Players who signed with the team in 2009 , but did not make the 53 - man roster " Practice squad players . " 2008 practice squad players who made 2009 53 - man roster : " " 2008 practice squad players who signed new reserve contracts , but didn ' t make final 53 - man roster : " 2009 NFL Draft . The 2009 NFL Draft was held on April 25 and 26 , 2009 , at Radio City Music Hall in New York City . In addition to their own draft picks , the team also had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seventh - round selection ( # 226 overall ) which they received in a trade prior to the 2008 season for offensive lineman Sean Mahan and a compensatory pick at the end of the 5th round . During the draft , the Steelers traded their second - round ( # 64 overall ) and fourth - round ( # 132 ) picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Denver ' s third - round ( # 79 ) and Chicago ' s third - round ( # 84 ) picks . Schedule . Preseason . The Steelers opened their preseason schedule on August 13 with a re - match of Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football . Regular season . The Steelers ' opponents for the 2009 season are based on the NFL ' s predetermined scheduling formula . The combined 2008 record of the Steelers ' 2009 opponents was 110 – 144 – 2 ( . 434 winning percentage ) . By this measure the Steelers have the fourth easiest schedule in the league — only the Packers , Vikings and Bears opponents have a worse cumulative 2008 winning percentage . It should be noted that the Packers , Vikings and Bears play two games each against the Lions , who finished 0 – 16 in 2008 . As the defending Super Bowl champion , the Steelers hosted the kickoff game for the 2009 season on Thursday , September 10 , at 8 : 30 p . m . EDT . Their opponent for the kickoff game was the Tennessee Titans . The Pittsburgh Steelers won the first game of the 2009 season in overtime over the Tennessee Titans on September 10 , 2009 at 11 : 48 pm EST with a fieldgoal . Standings . The 2009 season was the Steelers ' eighth as members of the AFC North Division . Pittsburgh attempted to defend their division title from the 2008 season , which they obtained by finishing with the division ' s best record . Regular season results . Week 1 : vs . Tennessee Titans . With their Super Bowl title to defend , the Steelers began their season at home in the annual kickoff game against the Tennessee Titans . After a scoreless first quarter , Pittsburgh would get their first score of the season as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 34 - yard touchdown pass to Super Bowl XLIII MVP wide receiver Santonio Holmes near the end of the second quarter . The Titans would respond with quarterback Kerry Collins completing a 14 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gage . Just prior to halftime , pro - bowl safety Troy Polamalu went to the locker room after suffering a knee injury . He would not return to the field and it would later be revealed that he strained his MCL . After a scoreless third quarter , Tennessee would take the lead in the fourth quarter as kicker Rob Bironas got a 45 - yard field goal . Pittsburgh would tie the game as kicker Jeff Reed made a 32 - yard field goal . With time running out , the Steelers drove down the field again , and lost the ball to a rare Hines Ward fumble , allowing the Titans to run the game into overtime . In overtime , the Steelers won the cointoss and never relinquished the ball . In the end , Pittsburgh emerged victorious as Reed nailed the game - winning 33 - yard field goal . With the win , the Steelers began their season at 1 – 0 . This also marked the first time that the Steelers were able to win against Collins . Week 2 : at Chicago Bears . Coming off their season - opening win over the Titans , the Steelers flew to Soldier Field for a Week 2 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears . In the first quarter , Pittsburgh struck first as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth . However , in the second quarter , the Bears answered with quarterback Jay Cutler completing a 6 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis . Pittsburgh would regain their lead in the third quarter as Roethlisberger got a 2 - yard touchdown run , but in the fourth quarter , two missed field goals from kicker Jeff Reed would lead to Cutler ' s 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Johnny Knox and kicker Robbie Gould ' s 44 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Steelers fell to 1 – 1 . Week 3 : at Cincinnati Bengals . Following a tough road loss against the Bears , the Steelers flew to Paul Brown Stadium for a Week 3 AFC North duel with the Cincinnati Bengals . Pittsburgh would strike first in the first quarter with kicker Jeff Reed ' s 19 - yard field goal and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ' s 27 - yard touchdown pass to running back Willie Parker . The Steelers would add onto their lead in the second quarter as Reed made a 34 - yard field goal . The Bengals would close out the half with kicker Shayne Graham ' s 34 - yard field goal . Cincinnati would creep closer in the third quarter as cornerback Johnathan Joseph returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown ( with a failed PAT ) , yet Pittsburgh answered with Roethlisberger ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . However , in the fourth quarter , the Bengals took the lead with running back Cedric Benson ' s 23 - yard touchdown run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) and quarterback Carson Palmer ' s 4 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell ( with a successful 2 - point conversion pass to running back Brian Leonard ) . The Steelers tried to rally , but Roethlisberger ' s last - second hail mary pass was intercepted , preserving the defeat . With the loss , Pittsburgh fell to 1 – 2 . This would also become the team ' s first 1 – 2 start since 2006 . Wide receiver Hines Ward ( 4 receptions , 82 yards ) would become the 21st player in NFL history to surpass 800 career receptions and 10 , 000 receiving yards . Week 4 : vs . San Diego Chargers . Hoping to snap a two - game losing skid , the Steelers went home , donned their throwback uniforms , and prepared for a Week 4 Sunday night duel with the San Diego Chargers . Pittsburgh got off to a fast start in the opening half with running back Rashard Mendenhall ( filling in for the injured Willie Parker ) helping out the cause on a 1 - yard touchdown run in the first quarter , followed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ' s 19 - yard touchdown pass to running back Mewelde Moore . The Steelers would carry their fast start into the second quarter as Mendenhall got a 2 - yard touchdown run . In the third quarter , Pittsburgh picked up where they left off with Roethlisberger completing a 6 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller . The Chargers would get on the board with quarterback Philip Rivers ' 3 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates . In the fourth quarter , San Diego began to play catch - up with a special teams play . Fullback Jacob Hester would strip return specialist Stefan Logan of the ball and go 41 yards for a touchdown . The Steelers came right back with a trick play , as Moore completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to Miller . However , the Chargers would slash away at the Steelers ' lead with Rivers completing a 30 - yard touchdown pass to Gates and a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Chambers . Pittsburgh would answer the call with kicker Jeff Reed booting a 46 - yard field goal , followed by linebacker James Harrison causing a sack and a fumble . It would allow linebacker James Farrior to recover the fumble and secure the victory . With the win , not only did the Steelers improve to 2 – 2 , but they also extended their regular season home game winning streak over San Diego to 13 - straight . Mendenhall would have a career night with 29 carries for 165 yards , in addition to his two rushing touchdowns . Week 5 : at Detroit Lions . Following a close victory over the Chargers , the Steelers traveled to Ford Field for a Week 5 interconference duel with the 1 – 3 Detroit Lions . Despite the Lions getting the opening score of the first quarter with a 46 - yard field goal from kicker Jason Hanson , Pittsburgh would answer with running back Rashard Mendenhall ' s 7 - yard touchdown run . Afterwards , Detroit closed out the opening period with Hanson making another 46 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Steelers would deliver a big strike with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 15 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller . Even though the Lions came right back with cornerback Williams James returning an interception 38 yards for a touchdown , Pittsburgh effectively replied with Roethlisberger ' s 17 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward . In the third quarter , the Steelers would add onto their lead as Roethlisberger threw to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 47 - yard touchdown pass . Detroit tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Daunte Culpepper found wide receiver Dennis Northcutt on a 25 - yard touchdown pass , but Pittsburgh ' s defense made a crucial stand with three - straight sacks ( courtesy of linebacker LaMarr Woodley , cornerback William Gay , and linebacker Lawrence Timmons ) , followed by cornerback Ike Taylor swatting away the Lions ' last hope from a hail - mary pass . With the win , the Steelers improved to 3 – 2 . Week 6 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Coming off their road win over the Lions , the Steelers went home for a divisional match with the Cleveland Browns . After a scoreless first quarter , Pittsburgh came out striking in the second quarter as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed an 8 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller and a 52 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward . The Browns immediately struck back as wide receiver Joshua Cribbs returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown . Pittsburgh would close out the half with a 32 - yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed . Cleveland tried to catch up as quarterback Derek Anderson completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Lawrence Vickers , yet the Steelers answered with a 2 - yard touchdown run from running back Rashard Mendenhall . Pittsburgh would then close the game out in the fourth quarter with Reed kicking a 39 - yard field goal . With their 12th - straight win over the Browns , the Steelers improved to 4 – 2 . Week 7 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . Coming off their divisional win over the Browns , the Steelers stayed at home for a Week 7 interconference duel with the 6 – 0 Minnesota Vikings . Pittsburgh got the game ' s opening score late in the first quarter with kicker Jeff Reed nailing a 39 - yard field goal . The Vikings would answer in the second quarter with a 2 - yard touchdown run from running back Adrian Peterson , yet the Steelers struck back with Ben Roethlisberger completing a 40 - yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace . Both teams would swap field goals in the third quarter , with Reed booting a 27 - yard field goal and Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell making an 18 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Pittsburgh defense came up with a huge play as defensive end Brett Keisel forced a fumble off of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre , allowing linebacker LaMarr Woodley to return the fumble 77 yards for a touchdown . However , Minnesota immediately struck back as wide receiver Percy Harvin returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown . The Steelers ' defense came up big again as linebacker Keyaron Fox returned a Favre interception 82 yards for a touchdown . With the win , Pittsburgh went into their bye week at 5 – 2 while Minnesota dropped to 6 – 1 . Week 9 : at Denver Broncos . Coming off their bye week , the Steelers flew to INVESCO Field at Mile High for a Week 9 Monday night duel with the Denver Broncos . Pittsburgh would trail in the first quarter as the Broncos closed out the game ' s opening drive with kicker Matt Prater booting a 40 - yard field goal , yet the Steelers would answer in the second quarter as safety Tyrone Carter ( who filled in for safety Ryan Clark ) returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown . Denver would answer in the third quarter as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked by defensive end Kenny Peterson , which caused a fumble . The ball would be picked up by linebacker Robert Ayers and returned 54 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , Pittsburgh would answer with Roethlisberger completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward . In the fourth quarter , the Steelers would pull away as Roethlisberger connected with rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 25 - yard touchdown pass , followed completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to Ward . With the win , Pittsburgh improved to 6 – 2 . Week 10 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Coming off their impressive Monday night road win over the Broncos , the Steelers went home for a divisional rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals with first place in the division on the line . In the first quarter , Pittsburgh would deliver the game ' s first strike with a 28 - yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed . However , the Bengals would immediately answer as running back Bernard Scott returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown ( with a failed PAT ) . The Steelers would regain the lead in the second quarter as Reed got a 33 - yard and a 35 - yard field goal . Cincinnati would respond in the third quarter as kicker Shayne Graham made a 23 - yard and a 32 - yard field goal . Pittsburgh would tie the game in the fourth quarter with Reed nailing a 34 - yard field goal . However , the Bengals would pull away as Graham booted a 32 - yard and a 43 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Steelers fell to 6 – 3 . Week 11 : at Kansas City Chiefs . After the loss to the Bengals , the Pittsburgh Steelers journeyed to Arrowhead Stadium for a match with the Chiefs . At the start of the first quarter Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles returned a kickoff from their own 3 - yard line to the Steelers ' endzone for a touchdown . In the second quarter Pittsburgh rallied as PK Jeff Reed made a 36 - yard field goal , then QB Ben Roethlisberger made an 8 - yard touchdown pass to WR Hines Ward , and then Roethlisberger passed to TE Heath Miller 10 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter the Chiefs tied the game when QB Matt Cassel made a 21 - yard touchdown pass to TE Leonard Pope , and then kicker Ryan Succop made a 22 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter Pittsburgh took the lead as QB Ben Roethlisberger made an 8 - yard touchdown pass to RB Rashard Mendenhall , until the Chiefs came back to tie the game as QB Matt Cassel made a two - yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Charles to put the game in overtime . Afterwards , it was Kansas City that took the win when kicker Ryan Succop made a 22 - yard field goal . With the overtime loss , the Steelers fell to 6 – 4 . Week 12 : at Baltimore Ravens . Following a shocking loss to the 3 – 7 Kansas City Chiefs the previous week , the Steelers traveled to M & T Bank Stadium for another divisional game . Ben Roethlisberger , who suffered a concussion in the previous week ' s overtime loss , was the designated 3rd ( emergency ) quarterback . Backup Charlie Batch also was hurt in that game , which left 2nd - year QB Dennis Dixon , who previously had one pass in his NFL career , to start . The Steelers received the opening kickoff , but went three - and - out . On the ensuing possession , the Ravens drove down the field with ease , capping off their drive with a touchdown run by Willis McGahee . In the second quarter , Dixon hit WR Santonio Holmes on a play - action pass for a 33 yard TD , tying the game . The Ravens answered on the following drive , with a 52 - yard strike from Joe Flacco to Mark Clayton , setting up a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason . In the third quarter , on the Ravens opening possession , Mark Clayton made a 9 yard reception but fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Tyrone Carter . The Steelers drove , but were held to a field goal by Jeff Reed . Later in the 4th quarter , Joe Flacco was sacked by Lawrence Timmons and fumbled the ball , recovered by the Steelers near midfield . The drive resulted in a 24 yard run on a QB option by Dixon , giving the Steelers their first lead of the night . On the Ravens next possession Joe Flacco completed a pass to Derrick Mason for 17 yards , and then found Ray Rice for a 44 - yard reception , setting the Ravens up inside the Steeler 10 yard line with less than 2 minutes left . Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 24 yard field goal . On the following Steeler possession , Dennis Dixon was nearly intercepted by Lardarius Webb . The Steelers were forced to punt , giving the ball back to the Ravens with about 1 : 30 left in the game . The Ravens managed to drive to the Steeler 40 yard line , where their drive stalled . With the clock counting inside 10 seconds left and no timeouts , the field goal team managed to get into formation , and get the kick off . The 56 yard attempt by Billy Cundiff was dead center , but about 2 yards short , sending the game into overtime . In overtime , the Steelers won the coin toss and got the ball , but were forced to punt . The Ravens , also forced to punt deep in their own territory , gave the ball to Pittsburgh around the Steeler 40 yard line . On a 3rd and 5 , Dennis Dixon threw an interception to LB Paul Kruger , who returned the ball 26 yards to the Steeler 28 yard line . Already in field goal range , the Ravens ran the ball down to the Pittsburgh 11 yard line where Billy Cundiff made a 29 yard field goal to win the game . With their second consecutive overtime loss , the Steelers fell to 6 – 5 . Week 13 : vs . Oakland Raiders . Coming off back - to - back losses in overtime , the Steelers looked to turn things around . With the return of Ben Roethlisberger to action , the Steelers hosted the 3 – 8 Oakland Raiders . The Steelers would open with a 33 - yard field goal by Jeff Reed . Oakland responded with a 48 - yarder by Sebastian Janikowski , and both teams were tied 3 – 3 as the 2nd Quarter began . Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes for a 34 - yard TD pass to begin the 2nd Quarter . Oakland would put 3 points on the board after a 43 - yard field goal halfway through the quarter , and the Steelers headed to Halftime with a 10 – 6 lead . There followed a scoreless third quarter , and in the fourth Pittsburgh ' s defensive struggles were exploited by the Raiders , who were able to find the end zone three times . Bruce Gradkowski would find Chaz Schilens for a 17 - yard TD pass with 8 : 21 remaining in the game , giving Oakland their first lead of the game , 13 – 10 . Pittsburgh responded just one minute later with a 3 - yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall . But Oakland would not be stopped . Gradkowski hit Louis Murphy for a 75 - yard TD pass with 5 : 28 remaining , and the Raiders went up 20 – 17 . Roethlisberger would make an 11 - yard TD pass to Hines Ward with 1 : 56 remaining and the Steelers would regain the lead 24 – 20 . All that was needed was for the Steelers ' defense to keep Oakland out of the end zone and they would win . But with nine seconds remaining , Gradkowski would once again find Louis Murphy open in the end zone for an 11 - yard TD pass and the Raiders would win 27 – 24 . The game would mark the fifth time in six games that the Steelers suffered a 4th quarter collapse , and the second time in three weeks Pittsburgh had fallen to an opponent with a losing record . At the conclusion of the game , the Steelers had allowed seven plays of 40 yards or longer in their last four games ( they only gave up two such plays in 2008 ) . With the loss , the Steelers fell to 6 – 6 . Week 14 : at Cleveland Browns . After losing four games in a row , the Steelers went to Cleveland for a Thursday Night divisional match . In windy , below - freezing conditions , Browns kicker Phil Dawson hit a 29 yard field goal in the 1st Quarter to give the Brown ' s an early 3 – 0 lead . He would kick another 29 - yarder in the 2nd Quarter , and Chris Jennings had a 10 yard touchdown run to put the Browns up 13 – 0 . Jeff Reed kicked a field goal before the half to put the Steelers on the board . They would go into halftime down 13 – 3 . Jeff Reed would kick another field goal in the 3rd Quarter to bring them within a touchdown . However , a scoreless 4th quarter by both teams led the Browns to their first win against the Steelers since 2003 , becoming only the fourth team in NFL history to be at least 10 games under . 500 and defeat the defending Super Bowl champions . With the loss , the Steelers fell to 6 – 7 . It was the first time since the 1987 New York Giants that a defending Super Bowl Champion team suffered five consecutive losses . Week 15 : vs . Green Bay Packers . The Steelers would come into the game riding a five game losing streak . They also no longer controlled their playoff destiny , needing to win their final three games of the season , and also losses by other AFC teams to have a chance for a wild card . Pittsburgh would strike on their first play of the game when Ben Roethlisberger hit a wide - open Mike Wallace for a 60 - yard TD pass . Green Bay would answer with an 80 - yard strike from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings for a TD . The Steelers would cap the 1st quarter with a 2 - yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall . In the 2nd Quarter , QB Aaron Rodgers was able to scramble out of the pocket for a 14 - yard TD run . Ben Roethlisberger would hit Mewelde Moore for a 10 - yard TD pass in the final seconds of the 1st Half and the Steelers would take a 21 – 14 lead into halftime with them . The 2nd half got off to a slow start for both teams . Jeff Reed would kick a 37 - yard field goal , the only scoring of the 3rd Quarter . In the 4th quarter , it became a shootout between both quarterbacks . Aaron Rodgers would hit Jermichael Finley for a 11 - yard TD pass . The Steelers answered with a 34 - yard field goal , but would lose the lead for the first time in the game when Ryan Grant rushed for a 24 - yard score , putting Green Bay up 28 – 27 . The Steelers would once again answer with a 43 - yard field goal , but Aaron Rodgers would complete a 24 - yard TD pass to James Jones and follow it with a successful 2 - point conversion attempt . The Steelers , down 36 – 30 , would get the ball back with just 2 minutes left in the game . With just 3 seconds remaining , Ben Roethlisberger would hit Mike Wallace in the left sideline of the endzone ( in a TD pass that resembled the Super Bowl - winning catch by Santonio Holmes back in February ) and the extra point was good , giving the Steelers a last - second 37 – 36 win over the Packers . Ben Roethlisberger would finish with a record - setting game , going 29 / 46 for 503 yards and 3 TD passes . He would become the first quarterback in Steelers ' franchise history to have a 500 - yard game . With the last second win , the Steelers would move to 7 – 7 . Week 16 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off an upset win over the Green Bay Packers , the Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in their second matchup of the season . There was much at stake for , as the Ravens needed to win to get into the playoffs , and the Steelers needed to win in order to keep their faint playoff hopes alive as well . Jeff Reed booted 26 - yard and 39 - yard field goals and Billy Cundiff kicked a 27 - yarder to give the Steelers a 6 – 3 lead as they started the 2nd Quarter . The Steelers offense would start rolling , scoring on a 4 - yard run by Rashard Mendenhall . Joe Flacco responded with a 30 - yard TD pass to Todd Heap . But in the final seconds of the first half , Ben Roethlisberger would find Santonio Holmes for a 24 - yard TD pass , and the Steelers would carry a 20 – 10 lead with them into Halftime . Baltimore would control the 3rd Quarter . Flacco would hit Heaps for a seven - yard TD pass and Cundiff would kick a 35 - yard field goal to tie the game . The fourth quarter saw both defenses step up . Jeff Reed would kick a 38 - yard field goal with 5 : 25 remaining to give the Steelers a 23 – 20 lead . Baltimore had one more chance to score , but Rookie Defensive End Ziggy Hood would record his first career sack and then recover Flacco ' s fumble on 4th and 10 play from the Steeler ' s 39 with 2 : 27 remaining . An apparent interception thrown by Roethlisberger would be negated by an " illegal block in the back " penalty and the Steelers would run out the clock , securing the win . The win not only prevented Baltimore from clinching a wild card , but kept Pittsburgh ' s playoff hopes alive as well . They would need to win at Miami in their season finale and also need other teams to lose . With the win , the Steelers moved to 8 – 7 . Week 17 : at Miami Dolphins . The Steelers ' defense came up big when they needed to , averting a fourth quarter collapse while sending two of Miami ' s quarterbacks to the sideline , including third - string Pat White , who was hit in the head and carried off the field in a stretcher . In the first quarter , Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a five - yard TD on their opening possession . Miami would respond quickly , when Chad Henne threw an 11 - yard pass to Lex Hilliard . A few minutes later , Roethlisberger would find Mike Wallace wide open for a 54 - yard TD . In the 2nd Quarter , Miami ' s Dan Carpenter kicked a 25 - yard field goal and Pittsburgh ' s Jeff Reed kicked a 22 - yard field goal to give the Steelers a 17 – 10 Halftime lead . The Steelers would put the only points on the board in the third quarter , scoring on a three - yard TD pass to Heath Miller . The Steelers would carry a 20 – 10 lead into the 4th Quarter , but that would not be enough to allow them to play conservative . Following Reed ' s 21 - yard field goal to start the final quarter , Miami would rally back with the help of fourth - string quarterback Tyler Thigpen . Brian Hartline rushed for a 16 - yard TD run and Thigpen threw a 34 - yard TD pass to Davone Bess . drawing the ' Fins back within a field goal of tying the game . Former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter recovered a fumble by Roethlisberger at the Steeler ' s 13 - yard line with 6 minutes remaining , but Thigpen would be intercepted at the two - yard line . The Steelers would drive 83 yards in the final minutes , ending the game with a 33 - yard field goal , ending the game with a 30 – 24 win . The Steelers ' win brought their season - ending winning record to 9 – 7 . The injury - ridden Dolphins had been eliminated from post - season contention minutes earlier when the Texans defeated the Patriots ( ensuring that the Dolphins would not play Super Bowl XLIV in their own home ) . For four hours , the Steelers waited for the Ravens - Raiders game to end , but Baltimore won and got the # 6 AFC seed , thus preventing the Steelers from repeating their world title . Post Season Summary . The Pittsburgh Steelers battled many injuries throughout the year . Troy Polamalu only played in five games the entire season , Ben Roethlisberger missed a critical divisional game against the Ravens due to a concussion , Chris Kemoeatu missed 4 games , Travis Kirschke missed 5 games , and Aaron Smith missed 10 games . There was some good to the Steelers 2009 season . They were able to beat four eventual playoff - bound teams ; the Green Bay Packers , the Minnesota Vikings , the Baltimore Ravens , and the San Diego Chargers . The Steelers offense gained 369 . 2 yards a game ( 263 . 1 coming through the air , and 106 . 1 coming on the ground . ) The Steelers defense only allowed their opponents to compile 305 . 5 average yards per game , and allowed only an average of 89 . 3 yards a game on the ground . Ben Roethlisberger was able to set team passing records in the following categories : completion percentage , completions , attempts , and yards . The Steelers defense compiled 47 sacks , and the team finished with 41 total touchdowns and 3 defensive touchdowns . However , five of the Steelers seven losses came from blowing leads in the 4th Quarter . Had they won those games , they would have finished with a 14 – 2 record . Five of their losses came consecutively , losing to the Bengals , Chiefs , Ravens , Raiders , and Browns . They finished 2 – 4 against teams with losing records . Pittsburgh ’ s special team was anything but special . They allowed eight straight kickoff / punt returns for Touchdowns . The Steelers also allowed for a 100 - yard rusher in Week 16 against Baltimore ( Ray Rice , 141 - yards ) snapping their 33 - game streak of not allowing one . Ben Roethlisberger was voted the team ’ s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year . He was the first quarterback in Steelers ’ Franchise history to throw for 4 , 000 yards in a season , throwing 26 touchdowns . Rookie of the Year honors went to receiver Mike Wallace , who had 39 receptions for 756 - yards and 6 touchdowns . Rashard Mendenhall was awarded Most Improved Player , finishing with 1 , 108 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns . Defensive Player of the Year went to James Harrison , who finished the season with 79 tackles , 11 sacks , and 3 forced fumbles . James Harrison and Casey Hampton were voted to the Pro Bowl , Harrison as a starter and Hampton as a reserve . Lamar Woodley and Heath Miller were added to the Pro Bowl roster as replacements for players who couldn ' t attend . Ben Roethlisberger , was the first alternate among AFC QBs , but due to a shoulder injury he turned down the opportunity to replace Tom Brady . Lamar Woodley was named to the Associated Press ( AP ) All - Pro second team . James Harrison received the 5th most votes among outside linebackers in the AP balloting , leaving him just off the second team . However , it was later discovered that Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans , who was named to the AP ' s second - team at outside linebacker had tested positive for a banned drug during the season . The AP chose to re - open balloting and Harrison and Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears leapfrogged Cushing and made the second - team . Other Steelers receiving AP All - pro votes were tackle Willie Colon ( 1 vote , thirteenth among offensive tackles ) , nose tackle Casey Hampton ( 1 vote , sixth among defensive tackles ) , tight end Heath Miller ( 1 vote , fifth among tight ends ) and placekicker Jeff Reed ( 1 vote , fourth among kickers ) . Harrison was named a second team All - Pro by the Sporting News .