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PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Kordell Stewart threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as the Pittsburgh Steelers cruised to a 47-14 victory over the Detroit Lions. The result was predictable in a game matching the AFC's best team against one of the NFL's worst clubs. Stewart threw a four-yard scoring pass to tight end Matt Cushing in the first quarter, hit Hines Ward with a five-yard touchdown in the second and connected with Plaxico Burress on a 19-yard scoring play in the third quarter. With the ability to beat teams with his arm and legs, Stewart also ran for a two-yard touchdown. "We did a lot of good things," Stewart said. "We converted when we needed to and put points on the board." The Steelers (12-2) clinched a first-round postseason bye and moved closer to sealing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lions (1-13), who earned their first win of the season last week, finished with an 0-8 road record for the first time since 1979. Ward caught seven passes for 67 yards and became the club's all-time single-season leader in receptions with 87, passing Yancey Thigpen's record of 85 catches in 1995. "I traveled a long road," Ward said. "I've been injury free. I know that it felt like the coaches didn't have confidence in me. I just worked hard, continued to go out and got better. This year, it paid off for me. I'm starting to showcase what (I) can do if you leave (me) alone." Stewart has 10 TD passes in his last nine games with just one interception and completed 17 of his 26 passes. He capped his day with a 19-yard TD to Burress with 8:46 left in the third quarter, one of four receptions for Burress who had 56 yards receiving. "We're finally converting touchdowns as opposed to field goals," Stewart said. "That's a good thing." Jason Gildon opened the scoring for Pittsburgh on the third play of the game when fellow linebacker Joey Porter sacked rookie quarterback Mike McMahon and knocked the ball loose. Porter picked up the fumble and raced 27 yards for a touchdown. "I slipped coming out, held the ball too long," McMahon said. "I did not quite get rid of it soon enough and paid the price. We thought we could win it, we just shot ourselves in the foot." It was one of two fumbles by McMahon, who was sacked six times and threw one interception. Prior to Sunday, he had not been picked off in his last two games. "We're not going to let down," Steelers safety Lee Flowers said. "Detroit was just another team standing in our way to our goals. We're clicking on all cylinders and need to stay focused." Detroit answered just under five minutes later when McMahon found tight end David Sloan from 10 yards away, tying the game 7-7 with 9:56 left in the quarter. It was one of two TD catches for Sloan, who caught just four passes for 32 yards. He and McMahon connected on a one-yard pass with just 26 seconds left in the half, making it 27-14. McMahon was 12-of-28 for 118 yards. "When you play the top team in the league, you have to play mistake-free football," he said. "We turned the ball over three times during the game." Kris Brown gave the Steelers a 30-14 lead with a 37-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter. It was set up by running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who turned a short pass by Stewart into a 54-yard play to the 24. Fuamatu-Ma'afala carried the ball 26 times for a career-high 126 yards. "I'm just glad I was able to get into a feel for the game," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "It's real good for me. I really needed this game to boost my confidence." |
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