DENVER (Ticker) -- Jason Elam spoiled Tommy Maddox's return to Denver.
Elam kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Denver Broncos to a 17-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The win kept the Broncos (5-1) one game behind the first-place Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
"I think anybody is a little nervous when that type of situation comes up," said Elam of his 10th game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter or overtime. "Heck, I still get nervous on extra points in the preseason. But it's fun to be put in that situation, and that's why we play the game."
The loss was the third in a row for Pittsburgh (2-4), which has a bye next week.
"We've got to sit back and look at who we are right now with the bye," said Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "We've got to play with the same sense of urgency every week. I think this was a step in the right direction. I think we're getting a sense of what we need to do."
Playing in his first game in Denver since starting his career here in 1992-93, Maddox completed 6-of-8 passes for 65 yards on a 13-play, 74-yard drive which resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis, pulling the Steelers within 14-12 with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. Bettis then slid into the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie the game.
But that was enough time for Broncos quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who played for the injured Jake Plummer, to engineer a 10-play, 51-yard drive to set up Elam's winning kick. He hit tight end Shannon Sharpe three times for 33 yards to highlight the drive, but was fortunate that safety Brent Alexander dropped a potential interception at the Pittsburgh 20 in the final minute.
"I just dropped it. That's about it," said Alexander, who had a 14-yard interception return in the second quarter. "The ball floated for a while, and I had my eyes focused right on the quarterback. I read the play well, but I just dropped it."
The 38-year-old Beuerlein made three starts for the Broncos last year and stepped in on Sunday for Plummer, who continues to be bothered by a shoulder injury and was dressed as the backup.
"If Steve had gone down, he (Plummer) would have went in there," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. "Even before today he threw the ball and still felt a little pain. Once he had a shot and numbed that area, he felt he was ready to go and didn't feel any pain. One of the side effects of that, if he gets hit again, then it could set him back two or three weeks if he got a direct hit on the shoulder."
Beuerlein completed 17-of-28 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He hit Sharpe with a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter and connected with Rod Smith on an 11-yard scoring play in the fourth quarter, giving the Broncos a 14-6 lead.
"This is why I came back, to be in the locker room with these guys and get this great feeling of accomplishment," said Beuerlein, who contemplated retirement in the offseason. "I'm just glad the guys stuck with me today, and I can't say enough about these coaches."
The 2002 NFL Comeback Player of the Year with Pittsburgh, Maddox was sacked seven times by his former team and finished 19-of-30 for 182 yards.
"I give them (the Broncos) a lot of credit. They played well," said Maddox, who served primarily as a backup to John Elway in Denver. "That's a great team over there, which makes it tough, because we were in this game."
"He (Maddox) kind of got happy feet back there as the game went along," said Broncos linebacker Al Wilson. "We got some good pressure on him early, and that's what we wanted to do, and we kept it going."
Both defenses stuffed the running game. Bettis and Amos Zereoue combined for 49 yards on 24 carries. Denver's Clinton Portis had 47 yards on 15 carries and lost a fumble at Pittsburgh's 25 in the third quarter.
Beuerlein's day started with an interception as cornerback Chad Scott picked off a pass intended for Ed McCaffrey and returned it 25 yards to the Denver 9. However, the Steelers had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Jeff Reed.
Beuerlein connected with Sharpe on a 10-yard scoring play 2:51 into the second quarter, giving the Broncos a 7-3 lead. Smith highlighted the eight-play, 64-yard drive with a 26-yard run on a reverse.
Alexander's 14-yard interception return to the Denver 19 set up a 26-yard field goal by Reed, pulling the Steelers within 7-6 with 6:15 left in the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Steelers threatened in the fourth quarter, reaching the Denver 45. But Bettis fumbled and Broncos defensive end Bertrand Berry recovered it and returned it three yards to the 48.
"That was a huge play for us," Berry said. "That's uncharacteristic for Jerome, but fortunately I was in the right place at the right time. I think that really swung the momentum in our favor."
Two plays later, Beuerlein connected with Smith on a 38-yard pass to the Pittsburgh 10.
After a one-yard loss on a running play, Beuerlein lofted a pass to the left corner of the end zone for Smith, who outleaped Scott for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Broncos a 14-6 lead with 9:22 left.
"The play was actually designed to go somewhere else," Smith said. "Steve changed it up at the line, and we said if they're going to blitz, then we'll throw the fade. It just felt good to go up there and get the ball."
"I told him after he caught that touchdown that he's the most clutch money player I've ever been around," Beuerlein said. "I've seen him do it over and over the last two years. He steps up to make plays when he hs to."
The Steelers responded with a 13-play, 74-yard drive in which Maddox hit Plaxico Burress twice for 33 yards and connected with Hines Ward on a 15-yard pass on 4th-and-6 to keep the drive alive before Bettis dived into the end zone from a yard out. On the two-point conversion, he fell on the back of guard Alan Faneca's legs and slid into the end zone.
"It was just too bad we couldn't get the ball back one more time," Burress said.
