Devlin Hodges, Steelers surge past Cardinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. — As the Pittsburgh Steelers discovered Sunday, a duck can survive — if not thrive — when playing in the desert.

Then again, maybe Devlin “Duck” Hodges felt right at home when it rained for much of the weekend in the Valley of the Sun.

Backed by thousands of Terrible Towel-waving fans that made the scene resemble a home game, Hodges remained unbeaten as an NFL starting quarterback, guiding the Steelers to a 23-17 victory Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Hodges became the first undrafted free agent to win his first three NFL starts since 1987 by completing 16 of 19 attempts for 152 yards and a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson, who scored the Steelers’ other touchdown on an 85-yard punt return.

Ed Rubbert, a replacement player for the 1987 Washington Redskins, won all three of his starts, then never played in the NFL after the strike ended.

“I heard a lot of people talk about it,” Hodges said. “In my mind, (I thought) I need to to be the first quarterback to do that so we can win this week. That’s my job to win the game each and every week.

“That’s all I want to do, and it’s all I’m worried about.”

Once 0-3 and 1-4, the Steelers (8-5) have won seven of their past eight games and have a chance to claim the No. 5 spot in the AFC playoff race with a win Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills (9-4).

With three games left, the Steelers control their playoff destiny, something that was unimaginable two months ago.

“We’re just singularly focused on Buffalo. That’s probably why we’re here,” said coach Mike Tomlin, who with the win was guaranteed of a nonlosing season for each of his 13 seasons with the Steelers. “We don’t care about the three games. We’ve got a five-star matchup at Heinz Field on Sunday night, and we’re excited about it.”

And the Steelers again will be led by Hodges, who has played a role in the past three victories: one relief appearance against Cincinnati and wins as a starter against Cleveland and Arizona. In the past two weeks, he has beaten former No. 1 overall draft picks Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns and Kyler Murray of the Cardinals.

“Just don’t do anything to hurt us — that’s his mentality,” guard Ramon Foster said. “He’s so young and carefree. He doesn’t care about the stats or completion percentage. He’s making plays to keep us on schedule. That’s kind of cool to see he’s able to play that role.”

Hodges didn’t throw an interception for his first time as a starter, had a career-best 117.5 passer rating and also extended drives with several of his five rushes that netted 34 yards.

“I trust his judgment,” Tomlin said. “That’s been part of his game. He just did a real good job of managing his emotions in tough circumstances and being prudent, yet aggressive.”

After a Benny Snell fumble led to the Cardinals scoring 10 points in the second quarter to erase a 10-0 deficit, Hodges led the Steelers on a two-minute drive that resulted in Chris Boswell’s 37-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

The Steelers would not relinquish that 13-10 lead, although they did their best to make the game interesting after a botched fake punt by Jordan Berry.

In the second half, after the Cardinals pulled within 20-17 three plays after the fake punt, Hodges directed another drive that chewed nearly five minutes off the clock. A throw to his left by the right-handed Hodges on a third-and-13 to Johnson resulted in a 17-yard completion, and it set the stage for Boswell’s third field goal with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining.

“Usually a quarterback isn’t supposed to throw across his body,” Hodges said. “Johnson became wide open, and I knew I could throw and get a first down. It’s all about making plays when plays need to be made.”

Johnson made the biggest with his punt return for a touchdown, the first by a Steelers rookie since Santonio Holmes in 2006 and the first by any Steelers player since Antonio Browns in December 2015.

It gave the Steelers a 10-0 lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Johnson’s second touchdown of the game, on a 3-yard completion from Hodges, provided a 20-10 lead with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. It capped an 11-play, 73-yard drive that was set up by the first of two Joe Haden interceptions.

Murray, the top pick by the Cardinals this year, had thrown just six interceptions coming in, but he was picked off three times in the second half. T.J. Watt’s interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter was the other.

Murray completed 20 of 30 attempts for 194 yards and a 5-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay. The Cardinals’ leading rusher on the season, Murray gained only 2 yards on six attempts and was sacked four times.

“We know our team needs us, so we have to step up,” said linebacker Bud Dupree, who had a sack and three tackles for loss among five tackles. “We know for sure that we have the ability on defense to change the game, so each and every day we have to keep providing that splash and keep going.”

Murray was sacked twice on the Cardinals’ final drive, and he was intercepted by Haden on a fourth-down desperation deep heave with 36 seconds remaining.

“We feel like if we’re in position as a defense to close it out, we’ve got the guys,” Haden said. “We’re not nervous. We’re not scared.”

Neither are any of the Steelers, who get to play another meaningful game in December next weekend when Buffalo visits Heinz Field.

“Who would have thought that?” Foster said. “So many people wrote us off. So many people doubted us. It’s cool. That’s just who we are.”