After two lengthy delays due to blackouts at Candlestick Park, the Pittsburgh Steelers headed to the locker room trailing the 49ers 6-0 . It was a slow-moving first half and the Steeler offense was kept off the scoreboard by one of the league's best young defenses. Two Ben Roethlisberger interceptions on the Steelers first two possessions halted one scoring chance and gave San Francisco excellent field position on the other. Big Ben, who is laboring on his bum left ankle, finished the half with 14 completions for 141 yards. Despite the bad ankle, he still dropped back to pass 23 times in the first 30 minutes.
It looked like the Steelers would get on the board on their final drive of the half, but poor clock management forced Pittsburgh to keep Shaun Suisham on the sidelines with Roethlisberger heaving it downfield to Antonio Brown on the final play of the half. The Steelers failed to clock the ball as precious time ticked off in San Francisco territory. Time would expire and the Steelers would go to the locker room with a timeout in their pocket.
For more news and notes on Pittsburgh, be sure to visit SB Nation's Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain. For a look behind enemy lines, check out SB Nation's 49ers blog Niners Nation.