Say It Aint So, Ben

         Say it ain't so, Ben! Tell us you can still get the Pittbsurgh Steelers into the playoffs. Tell us the team is over self destructing  and ready to play Steelers football. Tell us why the Steelers have played down to there competition and lose to teams they should beat. Can someone tell us why some of the coaches decisions have turned a great team into a mediocre one.

         The Pittsburgh Steelers would be tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North Division lead they had won over a bad San Diego Chargers team and a Dallas Cowboys team the Steelers decided not to beat. Even with these two debacle behind them, they still have a chance to save their season. If Pittsburgh can beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, they should secure the last AFC wild-card spot.

          The Steelers are 7-7 and a better team than their record. Four out of their seven losses this year have been by three points. That's how close they were to an 11-3 record even with all the injuries. Missed opportunities and mistakes almost kept a good football team on the outside looking in. Now is the time to go into the playoffs on a roll. If they can win these last two games, they have a chance to go all the way. They did it once before, they can do it again.

The Steelers Can Run And Win!

The running game came alive in the Steelers 38-28 victory over the Chargers. Steelers running back, Rashard Mendenhall had been benched a week ago for not having his head in the playbook. Apparently, this week he must have put his whole body into it because his performance was key to the Steelers second win of the season.

When the Steelers lost to the Bengals last week, Willie Parker approached 100 yards rushing with a 93 yard effort. He also suffered an injury to his toe that sidelined him for the Chargers game. So, Mendenhall was given a chance to redeem himself and stay out of coach Tomlin's doghouse if he could show some improvement when San Diego came to town.

Well, he not only got the message, he sent one to the coaches, the Steelers fans and the league when he ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers. He was like a man on a mission. He showed moves that we hadn't seen since he was in college. He ran with power and confidence, slashing his way through the Chargers defense. Let's hope his performance was not a flash in the pan.

A lot of the credit for his success should go to the Steelers offensive line. They created holes with the kind of blocking Steelers fans had been used to seeing in the past. Along with Mendenhall's determination, they were almost unstoppable. With the help of the offensive line, Rashard was able to get 5.7 yards a carry.

Besides the offense supplied by Mendenhall, Roethlisberger passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Running back, Mewelde Moore added to the total with a 6 yard TD pass to Heath Miller. The Steelers racked up 497 yards of offense to the Chargers 251.
For the first time this year they were able to score in the fourth quarter with 10 points.

The score was closer than it should've been because of poor special teams play by the Steelers and two late drives by Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense. Aided by a stolen ball from Steelers punt returner, Stephan Logan that resulted in a touchdown and a muffed on-side kick, the Chargers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Despite the absence of Troy Polamalu, the Steelers defense was able to limit the Chargers to just 251 yards total offense and recorded 3 sacks. They still missed him on blitzes and pass coverage, but managed to shut out the Chargers in the first half. The Steelers play Detroit and Cleveland before they play the red-hot Vikings and Broncos. We can only hope Polamalu returns before then.