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Pittsburgh • Backed up and fed up, Ben Roethlisberger provided a vivid reminder to his critics and the Detroit Lions of just how dangerous he and his suddenly surging team remain.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the final 5 minutes as the Steelers rallied to beat the Lions 37-27.
The victory capped a contentious week in which Roethlisberger refuted speculation he may seek a trade in the offseason and rumors the franchise would like him to take a more "cerebral" approach to the game.
He responded by calling most of the plays against an aggressive but immature defense as Pittsburgh put together its most productive offensive day in more than two years.
"It feels awesome to win it the way we did," Roethlisberger said mounting the 31st comeback victory of his 10-year career.
Roethlisberger led the Steelers 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown after the Lions botched a fake field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, hitting Will Johnson for a 1-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh up 30-27 with 4:46 remaining.
Pittsburgh'a Will Allen picked off Matthew Stafford on Detroit's next possession and returned it to the Lions 30. Five plays later Roethlisberger lobbed a 20-yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery to extend the cushion to 10 points as the Steelers (4-6) won their second straight to keep the Lions winless in Pittsburgh for 58 years and counting.
Pittsburgh's defense rebounded from a horrific second quarter to hold high-powered Detroit (6-4) in check during the second half.
Stafford threw for 362 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, surpassing Bobby Layne's team record for career passing yards in the process. Calvin Johnson hauled in six passes for 179 yards and both scores, but Detroit's two stars disappeared over the final 30 minutes. The Steelers limited Stafford to just 3-of-16 passing after halftime, while Johnson was shut out.
"We just didn't execute," Stafford said. "That's what it boils down to."