PITTSBURGH -- On the Atlanta Falcons' second offensive possession of the third quarter, Michael Vick, under heavy pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, as he was most of the afternoon, drew a 12-yard penalty for intentional grounding.

	Michael Vick was sacked three times by the Steelers.

The infraction set up a third-and-22 play Vick casually converted with a 23-yard strike to wide receiver Brian Finneran. On the ensuing play, chased this time by inside linebacker Kendrell Bell, the Falcons quarterback drew a second intentional grounding call, this one for 13 yards. Vick converted the third-and-23 that followed with a 27-yard laser to Trevor Gaylor.

That offensive series, which culminated with a 36-yard Jay Feely field goal, was reflective of Vick's performance. In completing 24 of 46 passes for 294 yards and rushing 10 times for 52 yards, Vick demonstrated that he typically giveth and taketh, sometimes in the same possession.

By the end of the NFL's first tie game since 1997, however, the Falcons' second-year quarterback also demonstrated to the fans in Pittsburgh and Steelers players as well why he is considered the most exciting player in the league. In directing the Falcons to a 17-point rally in the fourth quarter, a spurt that erased a 34-17 Pittsburgh lead, he was alternately brilliant and brutal.

But he was brilliant when he had to be, buying time with his feet and eluding the Pittsburgh rush at times, and earned another stripe for moxie.

"He lived up to the hype," said Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen. "When you watch him on film, I mean, you know he's fast. But when you get on the field with him, well, he can kick it into warp speed sometimes."

Vick did just that on an 11-yard touchdown scamper that tied the game with 42 seconds remaining in regulation, snaking back across the field before he turned up the left sideline with a burst and cruised into the end zone. It was a play he seems to make so routinely that most people who have seen Vick play a couple times this season probably took it for granted.

There is nothing routine, though, about a quarterback with a sub-4.3-second time in the 40-yard dash. Or who throws the ball with such velocity. Or whose skills are wondrous enough they can overcome his myriad mistakes. There was never any denying Vick was a special brand of athlete. Sunday, he served notice he might take the quarterback position to a new level, and at the same time redefine it.

Yeah, in addition to the aforementioned glitches, he had both a fumble, and continues to carry the ball too loosely. He missed some open receivers with a bout of inaccuracy and was even called for an illegal motion penalty when he turned upfield too soon on a snap when he was aligned at wide receiver.

Yet without Vick, and the threat he represents, the Falcons probably would have pulled in their sails when trailing 34-17. Instead, a fumbled punt by normally sure-handed Pittsburgh rookie wide receiver Antwaan Randle El opened the door just a crack. And characteristic of when you provide him even a smidgeon of wiggle room, Vick burst through it, all but willing the Falcons to the tie game.

	“	He lived up to the hype. When you watch him on film, I mean, you know he's fast. But when you get on the field with him, well, he can kick it into warp speed sometimes. ”
		— Kimo von Oelhoffen, Steelers defensive end

On a fourth-quarter possession, Atlanta was guilty of consecutive false start penalties. Vick assumed his Alfred E. Neuman persona. What, me worry? He nailed tight end Alge Crumpler for 21 yards on third-and-9. In the same series, with a third-and-24, he connected deep up the middle with wide receiver Shawn Jefferson on a 35-yard completion.

In the locker room after the grueling contest, Vick was one of only a few Falcons players obviously unhappy at not having finished the comeback. Vick apparently didn't realize the feat he had just consummated, roaring back against a Steelers team many still feel will go to the Super Bowl, forcing a veteran defense back on its heels and terrifying the opposition coach with his playmaking skills.

In the overtime, Steelers coach Bill Cowher eschewed the opportunity to stop the clock with 48 seconds remaining, and to force the Falcons into having to make a decision between kicking a field goal or trying to make a first down. Cowher's rationale was that didn't want to give Atlanta time to think about bypassing the long field goal attempt.

Translation: He was afraid Vick would make another game-altering play. Vick on the other hand was disappointed he hadn't made enough of them.

"You have to win," he said. "We had opportunities to score in overtime and we didn't convert. I take responsibility for that. I'm the leader of this team and I should have gotten the ball into the end zone."

The Steelers didn't want to hear anything of it. Cowher spoke of "biding time" when you play Vick, and Porter talked about the toughness of the Atlanta quarterback, who took a hit from the linebacker on his shoulder early in the game and came back for more.

"When he was down (on the field)," said Porter, "I thought to myself, 'Yeah, I knocked him out.' But then he got back up and I figured, 'Well, I've just got to hit him harder, I guess.' But no matter how hard we hit him, he just kept coming back for more. I'd like another shot at him but, to tell the truth, not until I recover from this one."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.