Steelers Win Ugly In OT - Ravens Next!

     I've been trying to let the memory of the Steelers game Sunday fade into oblivion. I know they got the win, but if not for a dropped perfect pass in the end zone in overtime, it could have easily been a loss. It's amazing how the Pittsburgh Steelers can have 426 yards of offense and only score 19 points.

     With that kind of offense they should have gotten at least 30. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 151 yards, Hines Ward had 107 receiving yards and Big Ben Roethlisberger threw for 246. Besides that, they held the ball for 45 minutes to the Buffalo Bills 27. So, how did they just barely win 19-16 in OT?

     Well, the penalty bug bit them again. The Steelers were penalized for the 2nd week in a row for over 100 yards. I'm not saying that the Refs and the League have it in for the Steelers, but they might. Besides the penalties, Ben was sacked a few times and suffered an ankle sprain, while Mendenhal's fumble almost cost them the game. There were also some dropped passes, especially the one by Emmanuel Sanders that would have resulted in a long gain.

     If they can play like the did against the Bills, but without the mistakes, they can beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. If they want to reclaim the AFC North crown, they'll have to have their heads in the game against Ray Lewis and company. Troy Polamolu's interception late saved the victory for the Steelers. Let's hope they don't need any late game heroics when they play the Ravens.

Penalize Refs Steelers 35 Raider 3

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a nice bounce back win against an Oakland Raiders team that was tied for the lead in the AFC West. Although the Steelers offense scored 35 points and the defense allowed only 3, the game was riddled with penalties. Some of the penalties were pretty ticky-tack and at least two were ridiculous. Five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour was ejected for punching Big Ben in the face.

I know the NFL is trying to crack down on malicious hits, but now they're calling routine defensive stop as blatant, vicious and intentional. When does it begin to breakdown the integrity and intensity of the game? I'm beginning to agree with former Steelers linebacker, Jack Lambert who said "You might as well put skirts on the quarterbacks".

The Steelers set a franchise record of 163 yards in penalties, while the Raiders had only 183 yards of offense. Give credit to the Pittsburgh Steelers toughness as they overcame the penalties and continued to play aggressively. This game was played the way Steeler fans expect their team to play, minus the refferees' total lack of discretion. Maybe the league should penalize the NFL refs after they review this game!

Pittsburgh Steelers "Too Little - Too Late"

     Have you ever noticed how some teams come out of the locker room ready to play and other teams seem less prepared and unenthusiastic? Well, that was the scene in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. A week ago the New England Patriots got blind-sided by the Cleveland Browns. That high powered Tom Brady offense stumbled as the Browns poked holes in their defense. Well, Monday night the Patriots figured out what was wrong and put a 'W' on the sleep-walking Steelers.

     I know Pittsburgh has some key injuries to their offensive line and Hines Ward was hurt early in the game. But, they still managed to get 26 points on New England's ''D'. We know Ben's going to try and do too much and give up a couple of sacks and an interception or two. He still has a good core of receivers, even without Ward. And let's not forget how Cleveland exploited New Englands' young secondary.

     Even with the injuries to the Steelers defensive linemen, the soft coverage and lack of aggression was noticeable in the first half, especially. You give Brady the kind of time the Steelers did and you have no chance to make a play. He went virtually untouched for most of the game and Belicheck had his team ready. Mike Tomlin didn't.

     The Steelers defense had given up an average of 15.7 points a game. The Patriots almost tripled that in the 39-26 beating of the Steelers. I just hope the Pittsburgh coaches can do what the Patriots did when the Steelers play the Raiders next week. Pittsburgh remains tied atop the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens at 6-3. New England is tied with the New York Jets form the best record in the NFL at 7-3.

Steelers Hang On To Win 27-21 Over Bengals

       With an opening kickoff fumble recovery and a blocked punt deep in Bengals territory, it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to role over the Cincinnati Bengals. They had a 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter and hardly broke a sweat. For three straight quarters, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked like one of the most dominating teams in the NFL. Their defense smothered the defending AFC North champs and they built a 27-7 lead. 

 Then came the 4^th quarter. This season the Steelers have only allowed 102 points in seven games. Over half those points came in the 4th quarter. As Pittsburgh's defense collapsed and their offense made some bad plays, the Bengals were able to mount a comeback. They got to within a touchdown of winning the game, despite  a couple of missed field goals. 


Finally, the Steelers defense got a stop in the fourth quarter that they didn't get last season when the Bengals beat them twice. They were able to stop the Bengals on a fourth and 5 play from the Pittsburgh 12. A game that looked like it was over in the first half turned into a real nail biter for Steelers fans.

Next Sunday night they play the New England Patriots. Let's don't give Tom Brady a chance to comeback in the 4th quarter.

The Steelers Need To Take The Tigers By The Tail

Search Amazon.com for Steelers The (5-2) Pittsburgh Steelers need a win over the (2-5) Cincinnati Bengals to keep pace with the (6-2) division leading Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers are 2-1 since the return of quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger and Monday night will be a test of two AFC North rivals.

Ben's return has accelerated the Steelers' passing game and with the emergence of WR Mike Wallace and the acquisition of former Steeler wideout, Antwaan Randel El, Pittsburgh is set to make some big plays. Key players to watch are Hines Ward, Heath Miller and Troy Polamalu.

Beside a potent offense, the Steelers have one of the top defenses in the League. Lawrence Timmons has emerged as as star at linebacker. With James Harrison and James Farrior they may best the most formidable linebacking group in the NFL.

The Bengals are hungry for a win, especially in their division. They'll have to solve the Steelers 'D" and slow down Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall to get a 'W'. The Bengals are coming off a 22-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins and with Chad Ochcinco and T O, the Bengals are looking for an upset. Steelers if you take these cats for pets, they just might bite you.