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!