2006 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 11 – 5 record from 2005 and trying to defend their Super Bowl XL championship . Offseason . On March 3 , 2006 , backup quarterback Tommy Maddox and cornerback Willie Williams ( a member of the Super Bowl XL Steelers team ) were released for salary cap reasons . Later on , the team lost wide receiver Antwaan Randle El , defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen , and free safety Chris Hope to free agency , but picked up safety Ryan Clark from the Washington Redskins . The team used the 2006 NFL draft to fill in the remaining holes on the depth chart . In the first round , Pittsburgh traded up to select Ohio St . wide receiver Santonio Holmes . Then , they used their next pick ( acquired from the Vikings ) on Syracuse Safety Anthony Smith . The rest of their picks included Florida St . wide receiver Willie Reid , Hofstra guard Willie Colon , Miami University ( Fl . ) defensive end Orien Harris , Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs , Purdue tight end Charles Davis , California center Marvin Philip , and Virginia Tech running back Cedric Humes . On June 2 members of the Super Bowl Champion Steelers were invited to the White House to meet the President Of The United States George Bush in a celebration to honor the Steelers ' successful season . Ben Roethlisberger . In the offseason Ben Roethlisberger suffered a near death accident while riding his motorcycle in downtown Pittsburgh . He was not at fault , and an out of state vehicle failed to yield and hit him . Ben reportedly was moments away from dying due to a cut artery , however medics stopped the bleeding in time . This set Ben back for training camp and the Preseason . However he did manage to play in part of the Preseason games . Shortly after the Preseason however , Ben required an emergency appendectomy which caused him to miss the first game of the season . Between both of these events , Ben reportedly lost 15 pounds and was not up to form with the team due to lack of practice time and time spent in camp . His health early in the year is pointed to as the cause for a rough season . He experienced continued problems in the Atlanta Falcons game in Atlanta during the year . He was hit after throwing the ball by multiple defenders , one of which caused a helmet to helmet collision . Roethlisberger was diagnosed with a concussion and had to sit out the rest of the game and appeared to have difficulties in the next couple of games . Regular season . Game summaries . Week 1 ( Thursday September 7 , 2006 ) : vs . Miami Dolphins . The Steelers opened the regular season in the annual Thursday NFL Kickoff game at home against the Miami Dolphins on September 7 . The Steelers drew first blood in the second quarter with a 27 - yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington . After the Dolphins tied the game up on a 1 yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown , Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward caught a 7 - yard TD pass in the back of the end zone . After a Miami field goal , the Steelers led 14 – 10 at halftime . In the second half , Miami running back Ronnie Brown scored on a four yard touchdown run for the Dolphins ' second touchdown in the third quarter . The Steelers rebounded as tight end Heath Miller caught an 87 - yard pass for a touchdown and linebacker Joey Porter returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 28 – 17 victory . Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch completed 15 of 25 passes for 209 yards , and threw 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in the absence of Ben Roethlisberger for Pittsburgh , while the Dolphins ' Daunte Culpepper completed 18 of 37 passes for 262 yards , with two interceptions ( the first interception by Troy Polamalu , and the second to Joey Porter , who returned it for a touchdown ) late in the fourth quarter . Batch dedicated the win to late Pittsburgh mayor Bob O ' Connor , who was laid to rest earlier in the day . Stats Week 2 ( Monday September 18 , 2006 ) : at Jacksonville Jaguars . The Steelers traveled to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night on September 18 . Despite not allowing a touchdown , the Steelers gave up three field goals to the Jaguars , with Kicker Josh Scobee making a 31 , a 32 , and a 41 - yard field goal . The Steelers were defeated 9 – 0 . It was the first time since 1985 that a defending Super Bowl champion team had been shut out , and it was the lowest scoring game in Monday Night Football history . Stats Week 3 ( Sunday September 24 , 2006 ) : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . The Steelers went back home for an AFC North fight against the Cincinnati Bengals . In the first quarter , running back Willie Parker scored on a 3 - yard touchdown run . However , on the very first play of the second quarter , quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception and Cincinnati was able to score shortly after with quarterback Carson Palmer completing a 16 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Henry . On Cincinnati ' s next drive , the Bengals scored on a three yard touchdown pass to Henry . In the third quarter , the Steelers rallied a comeback , as kicker Jeff Reed kicked a 37 - yard field goal . Shortly after , Parker scored on a one yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 17 – 14 lead . Pittsburgh ' s lead deteriorated as Ricardo Colclough muffed a punt , allowing the Bengals to recover . Carson Palmer then helped put Cincinnati ahead on 9 - yard touchdown pass to T . J . Houshmandzadeh . Cincinnati was able to increase their lead when Pittsburgh ' s running back , Verron Haynes lost a fumble , allowing Palmer to complete a 30 yard touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh on the next drive . Reed would help Pittsburgh out with a 36 - yard field goal . On the very last drive , the Steelers tried to fight back and tie the game , but the game ended as Roethlisberger was intercepted by DB Kevin Kaesviharn , eliminating any hope of a comeback . The Steelers would head into their Week 4 Bye Week at 1 – 2 . Stats Week 5 ( Sunday October 8 , 2006 ) : at San Diego Chargers . Hoping to end their two - game skid , the Steelers traveled to Qualcomm Stadium for a Sunday Night match - up with the throwback - clad San Diego Chargers . Pittsburgh was able to capitalize early , as running back Willie Parker scored on a nine yard touchdown run for the only score of the first quarter . In the second quarter , kicker Jeff Reed kicked a 39 - yard field goal to give the Steelers a 10 – 0 lead . The Chargers cut the lead to a field goal when quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Malcom Floyd . Reed would give Pittsburgh a 13 – 7 halftime lead with a 44 - yard field goal . The Steelers continued their recent struggles in the third quarter , as Charger kicker Nate Kaeding kicked a 28 - yard field goal , while Rivers completed a 22 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates . In the fourth quarter , Kaeding sealed a Charger victory as he kicked a 33 - yard and a 22 - yard field . With their third - straight loss , the Steelers became the first team since the 1999 Denver Broncos to start a season 1 – 3 or 0 – 4 after winning a Super Bowl in the previous year . Stats Week 6 ( Sunday October 15 , 2006 ) : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Hoping to end their three - game losing skid , the Steelers went home for a Week 6 battle with the Kansas City Chiefs , who were visiting Pittsburgh for the first time since 1989 . Pittsburgh dominated the entire game , as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 16 of 19 passes , with 238 yards and two touchdowns . Running back Willie Parker ran 21 times for 109 yards and 2 TD ' s , while running back Najeh Davenport ran 12 times for 78 yards and a TD . Wide receiver Nate Washington caught three passes for 68 yards and a touchdown , while receiver Hines Ward caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown . Kicker Jeff Reed nailed a 32 - yard field goal for himself , while back - up LB Rian Wallace returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown . Chiefs running back Larry Johnson gave Kansas City their only score of the day on a two yard touchdown run . Pittsburgh broke its three - game losing streak and improved to 2 – 3 . Stats Week 7 ( Sunday October 22 , 2006 ) : at Atlanta Falcons . Hoping to build on their dominating win over the Chiefs , the Steelers flew to the Georgia Dome to face the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , a Santonio Holmes fumble on a punt return helped set up quarterback Michael Vick ' s 22 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler . Afterwards , the Steelers took the lead with a 28 - yard field goal by Jeff Reed and QB Ben Roethlisberger completing an 11 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward . In the second quarter , Roethlisberger completed a one yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller . A fumble by Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lead to a second Vick touchdown pass to Crumpler . Then , a surprise onside kick recovered by the Falcons lead to Vick completing a 17 - yard TD pass to receiver Michael Jenkins . The Steelers would respond with Roethlisberger completing a 10 - yard touchdown pass to receiver Nate Washington . In the third quarter , things became grim for Pittsburgh . First , Roethlisberger was injured on a pass to Miller , which caused him to leave the game with a concussion . Second , Atlanta would retake the lead with running back Warrick Dunn completing a one yard touchdown run , which was started from a fumble by Willie Parker . The Steelers would respond as quarterback Charlie Batch completed a 70 - yard touchdown pass to Ward . However , the Falcons would retake the lead with Vick and Crumpler hooking up with each other for a third touchdown pass , this time for 31 yards . In the fourth quarter , Atlanta kicker Morten Andersen nailed a 25 - yard field goal to give the Falcons a 7 - point lead . Pittsburgh would resond with a 17 yard touchdown pass to Ward , his third touchdown . Near the end of regulation , things got complicated for Atlanta on a field goal attempt . Kicker Michael Koenen nailed a 56 - yard field goal , but it got negated due to a late Steelers time - out . Koenan would rekick it . It was no good , yet safety Troy Polamalu was called for running into the kicker . The Falcons would bring in kicker Andersen to make a 52 - yard field goal , yet it came up short . On the following drive , the Steelers could not score after a controversial false start call with the Steelers in field goal range prompted a 10 - second runoff , which ended regulation . In overtime the Falcons won the coin toss . Falcons kicker Morten Andersen , after a 11 play 65 yard drive , won the game with a 32 - yard field goal and gave the Steelers their fourth loss of the season . Stats Week 8 ( Sunday October 29 , 2006 ) : at Oakland Raiders . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Falcons , the Steelers flew to McAfee Coliseum to take on the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , Pittsburgh trailed early as Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown for the only score of the quarter . In the second quarter , Pittsburgh came within one point when kicker Jeff Reed kicked two field goals , a 29 - yarder and a 39 - yarder . Oakland responded with kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicking a 19 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Janikowski increased the Raiders lead with a 41 - yard field goal for the only score of the quarter . In the fourth quarter Raiders defensive - back Chris Carr returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown . Pittsburgh would try and rally a comeback with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 25 - yard touchdown pass to running back Willie Parker . The Raiders were able to hold off the Steelers in the closing seconds of the game , earning a victory . Stats Despite the Steelers out - gaining the Raiders 360 – 98 in total offense , Roethlisberger threw four interceptions ( two of which were returned for touchdowns ) , which led to Oakland ' s first back - to - back victory of the year . Week 9 ( Sunday November 5 , 2006 ) : vs . Denver Broncos . Hoping to rebound from their two - game losing streak , the Steelers came back home to host the 5 – 2 Denver Broncos . Despite Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 433 yards and one touchdown , the Steelers had six fumbles and three interceptions in a 31 – 20 loss to the Broncos . The Steelers were trailing by four points at halftime , but in the third quarter , wide receiver Javon Walker scored on a 72 - yard reverse to put the Broncos up 21 – 10 . It looked like the Steelers would try to stage a comeback when receiver Hines Ward caught a pass and jumped towards the endzone , but the ball popped out and the Broncos recovered and were able to run out the clock . With a third - straight loss , the Steelers fell to 2 – 6 . Stats Week 10 ( Sunday November 12 , 2006 ) : vs . New Orleans Saints . The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in a shoot out . Pittsburgh jumped to a 14 – 0 lead in the first quarter after Hines Ward caught a touchdown pass and when the Steelers capitalized on a Saints turnover with another touchdown pass to Heath Miller . Unfortunately for the Steelers , the Saints came marching back and took the lead with Reggie Bush ' s rush TD on the double reverse and pulled further ahead with a Deuce McAllister 4 - yd TD run near the end of the half . A Reggie Bush fumble , a missed field goal , and Willie Parker ' s two 70 + yard runs set up two scores , which allowed the Steelers to come back and take the lead to win . The Steelers went to 3 – 6 with the win while the Saints fell to 6 – 3 . Stats Week 11 ( Sunday November 19 , 2006 ) : at Cleveland Browns . Hoping to build off their victory over the Saints , the Steelers flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for Round 1 of the Rust Belt series with the Cleveland Browns . After a scoreless first quarter , the Steelers trailed as DB Daven Holly returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , kicker Phil Dawson nailed a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Pittsburgh would finally score as kicker Jeff Reed completed a 43 - yard field goal for the only score of the quarter . In the fourth quarter , the reason for the rivalry told itself . Dawson would give Cleveland a 35 - yard field goal , while the Steelers responded with QB Ben Roethlisberger completed a 20 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Santonio Holmes . However , things looked grim as Browns WR Joshua Cribbs returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown . Fortunately , RB Willie Parker answered with a 1 - yard TD run and a 4 - yard TD reception . Afterwards , the Pittsburgh managed to hold off a late drive by Cleveland . With the win , not only did the Steelers get back - to - back wins for the first time this year , but they also got their first road win of the year . With the victory , Pittsburgh advanced to 4 – 6 . Stats Week 12 ( Sunday November 26 , 2006 ) : at Baltimore Ravens . Coming off a two - game winning streak , the Steelers flew to M & T Bank Stadium for their AFC North fight with the Baltimore Ravens . However , the problems that had plagued Pittsburgh all season continued to haunt them . In the first quarter , QB Steve McNair completed a 20 - yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap for the only score of the quarter . In the second quarter , RB Jamal Lewis got a 1 - yard TD run , while kicker Matt Stover nailed a 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , things worsened as QB Ben Roethlisberger was hit and fumbled the ball , which was recovered by Ravens OLB Adalius Thomas . Thomas returned it 57 yards for a touchdown and the only score of the quarter . In the fourth quarter , Stover put the game away with a 40 - yard field goal . Stats Not only did Baltimore ' s offense help contribute to the Steelers dropping to 4 – 7 , the Ravens defense ( anchored by the return of veteran LB Ray Lewis ) was also a huge factor , as they sacked Roethlisberger nine times and forced two interceptions . Week 13 ( Sunday December 3 , 2006 ) : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Following a humiliating road loss to the Ravens , the Steelers went home for a Week 13 fight with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who were visiting Pittsburgh for the first time since 1983 . In the first quarter , the Steelers drew first blood with QB Ben Roethlisberger ' s 2 - yard TD pass to TE Jerame Tuman for the only score of the quarter . In the second quarter , Pittsburgh increased its lead with kicker Jeff Reed ' s 50 - yard field goal for the only score of the quarter . After a scoreless third quarter , the Steelers continued its dominance in the fourth quarter . Roethlisberger would complete a 16 - yard TD pass to TE Heath Miller , while Reed nailed a 39 - yard field goal . The only response from the Bucs would be on the final play of the game , when kicker Matt Bryant spolied Pittsburgh ' s chance for a shutout with a 27 - yard field goal . The win improved the Steeler ' s record to 5 – 7 . Stats Week 14 ( Thursday December 7 , 2006 ) : vs . Cleveland Browns . After a rebounding win against the Bucs , the Steelers stayed at home for a Thursday night fight in Round 2 of the Rust Belt rivalry against the Cleveland Browns . In the first quarter , the Steelers started off strong with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 49 - yard TD pass to WR Nate Washington for the only score of the quarter . In the second quarter , Pittsburgh continued its domination with kicker Jeff Reed nailing a 23 - yard field goal for the only score of the quarter . In the third quarter , the Steelers had its breakout with Roethlisberger getting a touchdown on a 2 - yard QB sneak , while RB Willie Parker got a 3 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Pittsburgh managed to wrap the game up with Reed kicking a 28 - yard field goal . The Browns would manange to get their only score of the game with QB Derek Anderson completing a 45 - yard TD pass to WR Braylon Edwards . With yet another season - sweep over Cleveland , not only would the Steelers improve to 6 – 7 , but " Fast Willie " managed to set a franchise record for the most rushing yards by a Steelers RB with 223 yards and he became the very first Steelers RB to have a pair of 200 - yard games in one season . Stats Week 15 ( Sunday December 17 , 2006 ) : at Carolina Panthers . Following their season - sweep over the Browns , the Steelers flew to Bank of America Stadium for a Week 15 interconference fight with the Carolina Panthers . After a scoreless first quarter , Pittsburgh began their dominance in the second quarter . It started with QB Ben Roethlisberger ' s 1 - yard TD run . Afterwards , kicker Jeff Reed nailed a 19 - yard field goal , while Roethlisberger completed a 13 - yard TD pass to RB Najeh Davenport . The Panthers would get their only score of the game with kicker John Kasay ' s 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Reed improved the Steelers ' lead with a 45 - yard field goal , while RB Willie Parker got a 41 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , rookie WR Santonio Holmes ( who was plagued all year with fumbles on special teams ) returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , Reed helped Pittsburgh wrap the game up with a 26 - yard field goal . With the win , the Steelers improved to 7 – 7 . Stats Week 16 ( Sunday December 24 , 2006 ) : vs . Baltimore Ravens . The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Steelers on December 24 , 2006 , therefore eliminating the Steelers from playoff contention , and ending their defense of their Super Bowl championship . The Steelers are the first Super Bowl champion since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 to not reach the playoffs the following season . The team fell to 7 – 8 with the Ravens improving to 13 – 2 . Stats Week 17 ( Sunday December 31 , 2006 ) : at Cincinnati Bengals . Hoping to end their season on a high note , the Steelers flew to Paul Brown Stadium for an AFC North rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals . After a scoreless first quarter , Pittsburgh drew first blood in the second quarter with RB Willie Parker getting a 1 - yard TD run . Afterwards , the Bengals would manage to salvage a 34 - yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham . After a scoreless third quarter , Cincinnati took the lead by getting a Willie Parker fumble and ending it with QB Carson Palmer completing a 66 - yard TD pass to WR Chris Henry . Fortunately , Parker managed to make amends with another 1 - yard TD run . However , the Bengals went back into the lead with Palmer completing a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Stewart . The Steelers would manage to tie the game late in the game with kicker Jeff Reed nailing a 35 - yard field goal . Cincinnati quickly managed to get into field goal range , yet fortunately , Graham ' s 39 - yard field goal went wide right . In overtime , Pittsburgh took full advantage and won with QB Ben Roethlisberger ' s 67 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Santonio Holmes . With the win , not only did the Steelers end their season at 8 – 8 , but they also wiped out any hope that the Bengals had of reaching the playoffs . Stats