Bettis Runs Through the Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. — Jerome Bettis’ last run of the day was a perfect picture of his bruising style.

Bettis ran over defenders for a 10-yard touchdown that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a 26-20 overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

“This is not the greatest way to win a game,” he said after helping Pittsburgh stay on track for the AFC Central title. “We want to win a game in the third quarter, not the fifth.”

Bettis carried 36 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns, including his winning run off right tackle with 9:26 left in overtime. Earlier, he scored on runs of two and seven yards.

Norm Johnson kicked field goals from 40 and 39 yards for the Steelers (9-4), who kept pace with Jacksonville in the AFC Central.

Joe Nedney kicked field goals from 32 and 19 yards for the Cardinals (3-10), but was wide right from 46 yards with six seconds left in regulation.

The Cardinals had rallied to tie the score three times behind quarterback Jake Plummer, who completed 15 of 26 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

But Bettis spearheaded a ball-control offense that allowed the Steelers to keep the ball nearly 40 of 65 1/2 minutes. And Pittsburgh sacked Plummer 10 times for 53 yards, including once in the final minute of regulation and twice in overtime.

“I took some good shots, but nothing that will keep me down,” Plummer said.

He said dizziness from the beating kept him from calling a timeout with about five minutes left in regulation. Plummer hurried the snap, and Larry Centers was tackled for a one-yard loss back to the Steeler two.

That forced the Cardinals to settle for Nedney’s short field goal to tie the score for the last time with 4:20 left in the game.

“I’ve got to learn not to be Mr. Macho,” Plummer said. “I really didn’t know what play came in. I turned around to hand off, and there was Larry. It was supposed to go to Cedric [Smith].”

The Cardinals started overtime with the ball on their 23. Plummer recovered from an early sack by Levon Kirkland, but when Jason Gildon later threw him back for nine yards, it ended Arizona’s possession.

Kordell Stewart, starting on the Pittsburgh 48, connected with Yancey Thigpen on passes of 22 and 12 yards, setting up Bettis for his touchdown run.

“We got up on them and got a little complacent,” Thigpen said. “When you run the ball and keep pounding it, it not only wears the defense out but it wears your offense out as well.”