Amazingly, Brooks fumbled the next kickoff after Ruff's touchdown, but he managed to recover it on the 2-yard line. San Diego then drove inside the Steelers red zone where Rolf Benirschke made a 25-yard field goal to cut the score to 7–3. Pittsburgh responded with a 40-yard reception by receiver Jim Smith that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Bradshaw near the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Brooks' 15-yard touchdown cut the score to 14–10. Later on, Fouts' 33-yard completion to Wes Chandler set up his 10-yard touchdown pass to Eric Sievers to give the Chargers a 17–14 lead. The Steelers had a chance to tie or retake the lead with a drive into San Diego territory just before halftime, but Chargers safety Bruce Laird made a clutch interception to prevent them from scoring.