The Steel Curtain

            The Steelers may have gotten the biggest win of their season with a 33-10 thrashing over the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.  The victory improves the Steelers’ record to 9-3 as they remain in first place in the AFC North Division, and currently hold the number two seed in the conference.

               The Pittsburgh Steelers will face a tough task this Sunday as they will travel up north to take on the New England Patriots.  The Steelers will be looking to end a three-game losing streak against the Patriots that goes back to the AFC Championship in 2004.  It will be a matchup of the league’s best defense in the Steelers, against one of the league’s most dangerous offenses in the Patriots.

            The Steelers’ defense will be challenged and tested when they meet the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.  Quarterback, Matt Cassel, has been playing better and better every week, while gaining confidence along the way.  It will be crucial for the defense to get pressure on Cassel and force him to make mistakes.  Expect LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison to bring pressure from the outside and hit Cassel early and often to keep him off-balanced throughout the game.  Another player the Steelers must be concerned with will be wide receiver, Randy Moss.  Moss still has the ability to change a game in an instant.  With the status of Steelers’ cornerbacks still in question for Sunday’s game with Deshea Townsend, who has a sore hamstring, and Bryant McFadden, who is recovering from a broken forearm, covering Moss will be easier said than done.

            The Steelers’ offense will also have their work cut out for them against the defense of the New England Patriots.  During last week’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Willie Parker re-aggravated his knee injury and he is still questionable for Sunday’s game.  If Parker does not play, Mewelde Moore will once again step in to the starting role.  The Steelers are 3-2 this season when Willie Parker is not in the starting lineup.  Ben Roethlisberger has not had much success in his career against the New England Patriots, he is 1-3 overall. The key to how well Roethlisberger plays on Sunday will start up front with the Steelers’ offensive line.  The offensive line allowed no sacks on Roethlisberger for the first time all season last week.  If they can repeat that performance, it will go a long way in the Steelers getting a win this week.

 On a Thursday night showdown between two division rivals it was the Steelers who came out the victor, as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals by the score of 27-10.  The win increases the Steelers’ record to 4-0 against division opponents, and to 8-3 overall. The Steelers will have ten days to prepare for next Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Thursday’s game was once again determined by the dominating defense of Pittsburgh.  The defense held the Bengals to just 46 total yards on the ground, forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick to go to the air.  Troy Polamalu got a key interception in the red zone late in the 4^th quarter to seal the victory for the Steelers.  This was Polamalu’s second straight game in which he has caught an interception. 

The Steelers’ offense also had a strong performance against the Bengals.  The offensive line allowed no sacks on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, for the first time all season, an outstanding performance.  Roethlisberger played a great game going 17-30 for 243 yards and a touchdown pass.  Roethlisberger also ran for a touchdown, which has been rarely seen this season.  Steelers’ halfback, Willie Parker, had trouble finding his rhythm just rushing for 37 yards on the night.  It was Mewelde Moore and Gary Russell who added to Pittsburgh’s running attack, with Moore rushing for 56 yards, and Russell scoring a touchdown on the goal line.   

It was the game the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to win to remain serious contenders in the AFC, and a win was exactly what they got.  The Steelers took care of business on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the San Diego Chargers 11-10.  The win improves Pittsburgh’s record to 7-3, but they will little time to celebrate, as they prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night on the NFL Network.

            Prior to the game against the Chargers, there were many people questioning Ben Roethlisberger’s health and his toughness as an NFL quarterback, even calling him “Big Bend” instead of Big Ben.  On this day Roethlisberger silenced his critics going 31 of 41 for 308 yards as he would lead the Steelers down the field for the game winning field goal.  Roethlisberger proved that he can play with an injured shoulder and play quite well.  Halfback, Willie Parker, had a tremendous day after returning from injury as he rushed for 115 yards.  Another player who deserves mention is wide receiver, Hines Ward.  Whenever the Steelers needed a big catch it seemed that Ward was there to pick up the first down.  Ward had eleven catches for 124 yards.

            The defense came through and once again secured the victory as they have done so many times for the Steelers this season.  They held LaDainian Tomlinson to just 57 yards on the day, and forced Phillip Rivers to throw 2 interceptions.  The defensive players of the game have to be Troy Polamalu and James Harrison.  Polamalu had an interception and a fumble recovery to end the game, as James Harrison had a sack, forced fumble and an interception.  

The Indianapolis Colts got the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 24-20 victory at Heinz Field Sunday evening.  It was poor decision making and play by Pittsburgh’s offense that cost them the game.  The loss drops the Steelers to 6-3, as they are now tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North.

Coming in to this game the Steelers were once again burdened with injuries to some key starters.  Willie Parker and Lamarr Woodley were both injured, and Ben Roethlisberger started at quarterback with an ailing shoulder.  Filling in for Willie Parker was Mewelde Moore, who could not get the running game going, as he rushed 24 times for just 57 yards.  Moore had two rushing touchdowns, but did not run with consistency.

Ben Roethlisberger had a day that he would soon like to forget.  Roethlisberger at times looked very sharp, but his poor decision making may have made the difference on Sunday.  Roethlisberger threw 3 interceptions on the day, one of which came with the Steelers leading 17-7 late in the second quarter and deep in their own territory.  This led to a touchdown for the Colts right before the half, which became the turning point of the game.

The Steelers cannot dwell on this loss for long, next week the San Diego Chargers come to town.  The Steelers will need a win if they wish to remain a contender in the AFC and keep their hopes alive for a Super Bowl.

           In a Monday night showdown of two of the NFL’s best teams, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who rose to the occasion to get a convincing 23-6 victory over the Washington Redskins.  The Pittsburgh defense looked as dominate  as ever, but it was backup quarterback, Byron Leftwich, who stole the show.  This win puts the Steelers right back in the Super Bowl picture as they improve their record to 6-2.          

           Coming in to this game Washington Redskins’ halfback, Clinton Portis had rushed for over 120 yards in his last three games.  On Monday night, the Steelers’ defense managed to hold Portis to just 51 yards on 13 carries.  Once the Steelers shutdown Portis, they attacked Redskins’ quarterback, Jason Campbell.  Campbell was under tremendous pressure all night by the devastating blitz packages of the Steelers.  The Redskins were just unable to consistently move the football on offense.  Campbell was sacked a total of seven times, as the defense forced him to throw his first two interceptions of the season.  The Steelers’ defense proved why they are ranked number one in the league; it was a truly an outstanding performance.

           While the defense flourished, the Steelers’ offense struggled in the first half.  Ben Roethlisberger did not look sharp and neither did his receivers, as they were consistently dropping balls.  It was the special teams of the Steelers that provided the jolt the offense needed when linebacker, Andre Frazier, blocked a punt late in the second quarter.  This led the Steelers to get their first touchdown of the game, after Ben Roethlisberger scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.  Immediately following the touchdown, Roethlisberger went to the locker room with a shoulder injury.  When he returned, it was on the sidelines, as Byron Leftwich started the second half at quarterback.  

Leftwich began the third quarter with a 50-yard pass to Nate Washington.  This led to Willie Parker’s touchdown run, giving the Steelers a 16-6 lead.  Parker had a solid return carrying the ball 21 times for 70 yards and a touchdown.  But the player to watch on this night was Byron Leftwich.  On the next offensive drive, Leftwich hooked up with Santonio Holmes for a touchdown, to put the game out of reach.  Leftwich ended his spectacular night going 7-10 for 129 yards and a touchdown, a rating of 145.8.

More will be known on the severity of Roethlisberger’s injury on Tuesday afternoon.  If Roethlisberger cannot start on Sunday against the Colts, the team will have rally around Byron Leftwich, who proved on Monday night that he can still play quarterback in the NFL.