Big Ben Sits, Leftwich Shaky; Steelers Top Lions
On a night when heavy rain pelted the Lions and Steelers for nearly a quarter and bolts of lightning led to a 73-minute delay that sent fans scurrying, Ben Roethlisberger found the best place to stay warm and dry.
The sideline.
Roethlisberger never got off the bench in a return to Heinz Field that couldn't have been much quieter, and replacement Byron Leftwich was ineffective despite playing much longer than expected. No matter, Pittsburgh beat Detroit 23-7 on Saturday night behind No. 3 quarterback Dennis Dixon, who threw for a touchdown and hit a long pass to set up another score.
Leftwich was outplayed by Matthew Stafford in the Lions quarterback's first game action since injuring a shoulder against Cincinnati on Dec. 6. After Stafford left following a 2-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson, the Steelers came back from a 7-6 deficit as Dixon led scoring drives of 75, 79 and 68 yards with reserves playing.
