Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh has played most of his career in the AFC North, and that means playing in Pittsburgh once a year.
The Steelers have been arguably the NFL's best franchise since 2005, winning two Super Bowls. And they've dominated at home, going 30-12 at Heinz Field since the start of the 2005 season.
But somehow, the Steelers have lost their edge when Housh was in the house.
Three of those losses came when Houshmandzadeh was on the opposing team, and he played a pivotal role in each game:
» Dec. 4, 2005 - Had five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns, as the Bengals beat the eventual Super Bowl champs 38-31.
» Sept. 24, 2006 -- Caught nine passes for 94 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, leading the Bengals to a comeback win, 28-20.
Instead of being intimidated by the aggressive, hard-hitting Steelers, Houshmandzadeh relishes in beating them. He attacks them the way they attack an offense.
Baltimore's game-winning touchdown this past Sunday was a result of brilliant play-calling by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and flawless execution on the part of Houshmandzadeh, quarterback Joe Flacco and the rest of the Ravens' offense.
With 42 seconds left in the game, Baltimore had the ball at the Steelers' 28-yard line with no timeouts. Trailing 14-10, it needed a touchdown.
Cameron used a two-play combo that exploited the matchup of Houshmandzadeh on cornerback Bryant McFadden.
On the first play, Houshmandzadeh beat McFadden on a speed-out to the right, catching a well-timed throw by Flacco on the sideline. The play gained 10 yards in four seconds and stopped the clock. Those kinds of plays kill a defense in an end-game scenario.
Cameron knew the Steelers wouldn't want to give up any more 10-yard chunks on the sidelines, so he called for Houshmandzadeh to run a double-move. Cameron was anticipating that McFadden would jump the speed-out that had just beaten him.
Housh nodded his head to the outside, Flacco gave a pump fake, and McFadden bit hard. When Houshmandzadeh then attacked vertically, he was wide open.
Baltimore's protection was solid, as Todd Heap and Ray Rice helped pick up a blitz from Flacco's left. Flacco calmly slid to his right and delivered a pinpoint pass to Houshmandzadeh for the game-winning score.
