PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh had watched a comfortable lead disappear. With the Divisional Round game against Las Vegas tied and the clock winding down, the Steelers leaned on their ground game one more time. Leon Kline ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 2:38 remaining, and Michael Turner’s extra point restored Pittsburgh’s lead at 17-10. That proved to be the final score.

For Eric Hess’s team, the late answer was the payoff to a game built on balance, patience and a defense that made Las Vegas work for its yards. Charles Lewis led the way on the ground with 118 rushing yards, helping Pittsburgh finish with 155 rushing yards on 32 carries. Kline supplied the decisive score, capping a possession that put the Steelers back in front after Las Vegas had erased the early margin.

Pittsburgh struck quickly. With 12:13 remaining in the first quarter, Joe Lockwood connected with Randall Dodd for a 50-yard touchdown, putting the Steelers ahead 6-0. Turner added the extra point. Pittsburgh extended the lead to 10-0 late in the second quarter when Turner made a 48-yard field goal.

Las Vegas made the game a different kind of test after halftime. A Lockwood interception by Pedro Kirby in the third quarter gave the visitors the ball at Pittsburgh’s 15. Las Vegas turned the opportunity into a touchdown moments later, with William Holley finding Victor Moylan for a six-yard score. The extra point made it 10-7. In the fourth, William Turner’s 22-yard field goal tied the game at 10.

Pittsburgh’s response came despite an uneven afternoon on third down, where it converted four of 14 attempts, and a turnover that gave Las Vegas a chance to climb back in. The Steelers’ rushing production helped steady the offense: Lewis’s 118 yards were the game’s standout individual ground total, while Kline provided the most important run of the day. Dodd finished with 63 receiving yards and the early touchdown.

The defense also kept Las Vegas from finding much on the ground. The visitors managed 41 rushing yards, while Pittsburgh recorded three sacks. Las Vegas completed 14 of 34 passes for 155 yards, and Moylan’s third-quarter touchdown was its only passing score.

A playoff game can turn on one response as much as one opening burst. Pittsburgh had the early strike, absorbed the comeback and found the end zone when it needed to. In an elimination game, that final drive carried the weight of the afternoon: the Steelers finished their work at home and moved on from the Divisional Round with a 17-10 win.