PITTSBURGH _ The Steelers welcomed back fans and treated them to just about everything in their offensive playbook, including four touchdowns from rookie Chase Claypool, during a 38-29 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field on Sunday.
The victory pushed the Steelers to 4-0 for the first time since the 1979 season and kept them in first place in the AFC North.
The Steelers had a 31-14 lead in the third quarter after scoring on five consecutive possessions, but the Eagles battled back and had a chance to take the lead when kicker Jake Elliott was wide right with a 57-yard field goal attempt with 3:18 remaining.
That allowed the Steelers to add a touchdown for good measure, as _ who else? _ Claypool delivered on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger, who changed the play at the line of scrimmage.
Roethlisberger finished 27 of 34 for 239 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 125.4. In four games, he has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception.
One week after an unintended bye, the Steelers ended the longest drought in the NFL by scoring at least 30 points for the first time since Week 12 of the 2018 season. And they did it by scoring on five consecutive possessions, beginning in the second quarter, that featured three touchdowns _ two receiving, one rushing _ from Claypool.
The Steelers used any number of different offensive looks against the Eagles, everything from an unbalanced line, receiver reverses, misdirection runs and an expanded bunch formation that resulted in one of Claypool's touchdowns.
Claypool scored his third touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Roethlisberger on the opening possession of the third quarter, padding the Steelers' lead to 24-14. It was the fourth consecutive scoring possession for the Steelers. The touchdown came on a play in which the Steelers unveiled another new wrinkle _ four players lined to the left in a bunch formation, creating a wall for Claypool to dance around and into the end zone.
Claypool became the fourth NFL rookie since the 1970 merger to have two receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the same game. He finished with seven catches for 110 yards and three rushes for 6 yards. Claypool also had a 42-yard touchdown negated when he was called for offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing possession, cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted Carson Wentz's second-down pass intended for tight end Zach Ertz at the Eagles 23, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by James Conner that extended the lead to 31-14.
But the Eagles came back on a pair of touchdown throws from Wentz _ an 8-yarder to receiver Greg Ward after a 30-yard pass interference penalty against Joe Haden and a 4-yard completion to receiver Travis Fulgham to make it 31-29 with 11:27 remaining. Fulgham, a sixth-round pick in 2019, tortured the Steelers secondary for 10 catches and 152 yards.
The Steelers scored on their final three possessions of the first half to take a 17-14 into the locker room. Claypool scored the first two touchdowns on a 2-yard run and a 32-yard reception, but the Steelers' No. 1-ranked rush defense gave up the third-longest run in the NFL this season _ a 74-yard touchdown run by Woodland Hills' Miles Sanders, as he eluded a tackle attempt by Mike Hilton at the line of scrimmage and basically ran untouched the rest of the way.
The Steelers hadn't allowed a run longer than 17 yards in the first three games.
Roethlisberger was 15 of 18 for 123 yards in the first half, but he was under a lot of pressure and rarely had time to attack downfield. The Steelers lost Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro (abdomen) and receiver Diontae Johnson (back) with injuries in the first quarter.
The Steelers took a 7-0 lead with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter on the 2-yard run by Claypool _ the same play on which they converted a third-and-2 earlier in the drive. The 14-play drive, which lasted more than seven minutes, had the benefit of a pass interference penalty against Eagles cornerback Darius Slay that gave the Steelers the ball at the Philadelphia 7.
The Steelers then took a 14-7 lead on Roethlisberger's 32-yard touchdown to Claypool, his second of the game. Claypool ran a quick slant on the play and went untouched to the end zone. The drive was also highlighted by a 25-yard run by James Conner to the Eagles 36.
But the Eagles came right back to tie the game on a 1-yard run by Sanders, capping a 10-play, 76-yard drive that was kept alive when Bud Dupree missed a sack on third-and-3 and Wentz completed a 9-yard pass to receiver Fulgham. Complicating matters is that inside linebacker Vince Williams was called for roughing Wentz after the throw, giving the Eagles' possession at the Steelers 31.
The Steelers made it three scoring drives in a row when Chris Boswell kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to take a 17-14 lead. They had to settle for a field goal when a 12-yard completion to JuJu Smith-Schuster to the Eagles 12 was negated by an illegal downfield penalty against rookie guard Kevin Dotson, who was playing for DeCastro.
The Eagles almost had a chance to tie the game before halftime, but the clock ran out after a 37-yard completion from Wentz to receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to the Steelers 12. Wentz was 9 of 16 for 124 yards in the first half.
