Davenport steps up in Steelers’ victory
ST. LOUIS – Willie Parker’s season ended after his first carry, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will miss the NFL’s leading rusher if they get to the playoffs. But they don’t miss him yet.
Najeh Davenport, a career backup running back with typical nondescript statistics, has two huge games since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2002. Both have come against the St. Louis Rams, with Davenport’s three-touchdown, 123-yard rushing effort pacing a 41-24 victory on Thursday night.
“I took it upon myself to put the offense on my back and carry it,” Davenport said. “He’s our guy, he’s our breadwinner. Not having him, everyone has to pick it up.”
Parker broke a bone in his lower right leg in the first quarter, giving the Steelers plenty of time to adjust to the new reality.
“Our heart goes out to him because he’s a competitor, he’s a warrior,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “As a team, we’re not going to throw a pity party. It’s part of the game, people get hurt, we’ll adapt and improvise and move forward.”
The Steelers’ top-rated defense was porous again, yet they made enough stops to help Pittsburgh (10-5) out of a late-season swoon and move one step closer to the playoffs.
They’re still thinking beyond just a playoff berth, though.
“With Willie down it’s going to take something away from us,” said Nate Washington, who caught two touchdown passes. “If we dwell on Willie being down it’s going to be that much tougher for us to get to (the Super Bowl), and we don’t need anything else making it hard for us.”
Isaac Bruce caught a 12-yard touchdown pass for the Rams and moved into third place on the career yards receiving list, moving ahead of James Lofton. Marc Bulger threw three touchdown passes but was intercepted twice, the second resulting in Ike Taylor’s 51-yard return on an overthrown ball on fourth-and-10 with 3:46 to go put the game out of reach.
Wide receiver Torry Holt was caught on cameras screaming at coach Scott Linehan after the interception.
“It’s not a big deal, not to me,” Linehan said. “It something said in the heat of the battle to his coach and it’s over as far as I’m concerned.”
Bulger said he and Linehan had been talking about backup Gus Frerotte taking over before Holt started yelling at the coach.
“I honestly don’t know what they were arguing about,” Bulger said. “My discussion had nothing to do with Torry unless he was really upset I was going out of the game.”
Pittsburgh had taken a 10-point lead on a 29-yard field goal by Jeff Reed only seven plays earlier.
The only other highlight for the Rams (3-12) was retiring Marshall Faulk’s No. 28 jersey at halftime of their home finale.