Steelers rally to down Dolphins

Stand-in QB Batch (right) had plenty to celebrate

Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh needed two late touchdowns to beat Miami 28-17 as the new NFL season kicked off.

Charlie Batch threw three TD passes and Joey Porter returned an interception as the Steelers rallied from 17-14 down.

Batch made the most of his chance with star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the mend after his recent appendectomy.

"It's a blessing to come out here and have this opportunity," he said. "We wanted to start out fast and this was our opportunity to do that."

Batch set up Nate Washington from 27 yards out to give the visitors a second-quarter lead, but Ronnie Brown went over from two yards to level.

Pittsburgh went ahead again when Batch found last year's Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward in the end zone with less than two minutes left in the half.

Miami's Olindo Mare kicked a field goal before the break and then Brown rushed for his second TD in the third quarter as Daunte Culpepper and the Dolphins took control.

When Batch fumbled the snap on the Miami one yard line the home fans must have thought the day would end in disappointment.

But the back-up redeemed himself with just over six minutes left, connecting with tight end Heath Miller on an 87-yard score for a 21-17 lead.

TV replays showed Miller was pushed out of bounds by a Miami defender just yards before the goal line but Dolphins coach Nick Saban was too slow challenging the call.

Porter sealed the win with three minutes remaining in the fourth, stepping in front of Culpepper's pass and running it back 42-yards for a touchdown to put the Steelers up 28-17.

Batch, who will surrender the starting job to Roethlisberger as soon as he is fit enough to return to duty, completed 15 of 25 pass attempts for 209 yards.