Pittsburgh Steelers Offense Aces Test vs. San Diego, Defense Gets an Incomplete

Finally, a second victory. Many people say that the Steelers should be 4-0, undone by an inability to finish that is foreign to Pittsburgh football teams of the past. 

Well, they're 2-2. The good news, however, is that they finally answered the bell and knocked out a decent team.

There are obvious concerns which will either by addressed by the imminent return of Troy Polamalu or will fester most of the season.

Here's the report card for the Steelers against the Chargers (the next overall report card will be issued after the sixth game of the season).

Offense

Ben Roethlisberger: A+

What can I say about someone who leads the league in completion percentage and tackles broken by a quarterback (the second being an unofficial statistic, yet still important)?

Ben found the holes all night and would have two more completions to his name had Hines Ward not dropped a couple passes (although catching eight others totally absolves him of any wrongdoing).

The best thing Ben did last night? He spread the ball around and found everyone. A lot of quarterbacks get into a groove and go to that guy again and again. Ben finds everyone.

The only thing I wasn't thrilled with were the back to back sacks in the second quarter, but then he restarted the drive.

Rashard Mendenhall/Mewelde Moore: A+

Another what can I say moment. Mendenhall was in the doghouse last week (whether Tomlin admits he has one or not) for not knowing his playbook and not practicing effectively. If he didn't know the playbook this week, he did a wonderful job of making things up as he went.

Mendenhall gives the Steelers two things that they don't get with Willie Parker. His legs never stop churning, even after contact. The other thing? He can pound up the middle for tough yards.

Moore is excellent in his role as well. He will never be anyone's feature back, but it doesn't matter here. He's great on third down and as a receiver. Roethlisberger trusts him too, which is big.

Moore's touchdown pass also showed something the Steelers haven't done since Jerome Bettis retired: a trick play in the red zone.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: A+

Hines Ward had another huge game. He has not found the endzone, but he's deadly in the middle of the field. His eight catch, 113-yard night led the Steelers. Ward did drop two passes late, but they hardly mattered in this system.

Santonio Holmes finally made a guest appearance in what has recently become Mike Wallace's world. Holmes played well and made several key catches, including a tough sideline catch that reminded me of his Super Bowl touchdown catch.

He seems to finally be on the same page with Roethlisberger (the overturned interception thrown his way would have been completed if he wasn't held obviously on the play).

Mike Wallace could be a Rookie of the Year candidate at this rate. I'm not saying he'll win it. Receivers aren't usually up for such honors.

But, Wallace continues to be one of the highest impact rookies in the NFL. He makes all the catches and has shown remarkable hands. He will definitely be one of the steals of this year's draft if this continues.

Heath Miller continues to be Ben Roethlisberger's favorite red zone target. He catches everything and is a downright bull when he starts running. He's fast entering the elite group of tight ends with Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez. He has no holes in his game. When he's not catching passes, he's as good a blocker as any tight end in football.

Offensive Line: A+

Another building block game. They've been improving ever since the gut check that was Tennessee and now they are playing lights out, Pittsburgh Steelers football.

The holes were there all night long for Mendenhall and Roethlisberger seemed to always have a nice pocket or enough time to decide to vacate it.

The one area of concern is penalties. I'm not overly concerned, but if you look at trends, Willie Colon always seems to be the false start guy. It's a career problem for him so far and he needs to solve it. He also tends to line up a little behind the center's belt. He got lucky last night when it happened and the refs didn't make the call, but he's been known for it.

This unit has the potential to be even better, believe it or not. If he continues to be a good, solid addition, Trai Essex's days as a backup may be over. He's been more effective than Darnell Stapleton was last season.

Chris Kemoeatu is also getting better. It was nice to see him pull on a couple of running plays the way Alan Faneca used to.

Five Things I Liked on Offense

1. Variety

Say what you will, and I've said plenty against him myself, but Bruce Arians called another masterful game last night. He's finally letting the offense run a diverse system of passes and runs and is shedding his label as a "three downs and a cloud of dust" offensive coach.

The Steelers' first drive was a perfect example: three passes, three runs. All gained positive yardage and the drive ended with a touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall.

2. Rashard Mendenhall

Does Willie Parker start when he comes back? If Mendenhall keeps it up, Parker will be the backup who comes in to keep him fresh.

We found out quickly that Mendenhall does not hesitate when he gets the ball. He plays with drive and hunger, something Parker doesn't lack, but also something he doesn't have the ability to demonstrate regularly.

Parker has clearly lost a step in speed and he also has never been a back that can get tough yards.

Mendenhall is the kind of back the Steelers have historically done well with. If he can duplicate this success on a continuing basis, he will prove his worth. If nothing else, he should be fun to watch against Detroit's weak defense next weekend.

3. Trick and Treat

It looks like Bruce Arians decided that he would start Halloween festivities early by dialing up a trick play against the Chargers in the fourth quarter.

I heard some whispers that people felt Pittsburgh was running up the score, but in reality I think they did the right thing by going for another score against a suddenly fast-moving Chargers team.

Trick plays work best when they aren't used often. In this case, Arians hasn't really used a trick play in almost two years (slight exaggeration). It was bound to work.

4. Doug Legursky, Fullback

He's been kind of hanging around in the dark corners of the locker room. Last night, we finally got to see him do something in a game that counted.

Doug Legursky might be the Steelers' best option at fullback, at least in blocking situations, since Sean McHugh or Dan Kreider. The block he delivered on the opening drive ahead of a hard-charging Rashard Mendenhall was excellent.

Frank Summers, before his injury, was not opening holes or delivering crushing blocks. Carey Davis is a great pass option out of the backfield and a steady, yet unspectacular blocker. Legursky punished the Chargers player he blocked (I couldn't see him because he was under Legursky's mammoth form).

5. Teamwork

This wasn't just an offensive win. It was a win that was contributed to by all members of the offensive unit. Anyone who came onto the field for the Steelers' offense was a positive force. There were virtually no mistakes and even fewer places to criticize.

When everyone pitches in, this unit is as dangerous as any in the league.

Defense

Defensive Line: A

The line got great push all night long and often was able to help collapse the pocket around Philip Rivers.

The line also plugged holes that LaDainian Tomlinson was trying to run through, limiting the Chargers to less than 20 rushing yards.

Casey Hampton once again found a way through the middle of an offensive line, getting to Rivers in the second quarter. That's excellent for a guy who is usually expected to take up blockers and space in the middle. If he's getting pressures on the quarterback, your line is producing results.

Linebackers: B-

James Harrison had a stellar game, so he gets an A+ individually.

I was also impressed by the pressure and blitz success the linebackers had, particularly in the first half.

Lamarr Woodley is still missing in action, which is a huge concern for the pass rush. Perhaps his game will be helped by the return of Troy Polamalu. If not, they need to start looking at why he can't get anything done.

On the inside, Lawrence Timmons makes this a different unit on passing downs. He consistently is able to get up to the line quickly and generate disruptions. He also is adept in coverage, making good plays when needed.

James Farrior continues to be a quiet, steady force. Both get B's for their performance last night.

Secondary: C

I know, I know. I'm too hard on them. William Gay had a good game and so did Ike Taylor. Tyrone Carter and Ryan Clark did the best they could.

It doesn't change the fact that these guys got absolutely torched in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers went from virtually nothing to a three touchdown night.

Why?

It happened because the secondary stayed on the sidelines, at least mentally, once the third quarter ended.

Gay and Taylor did have excellent games. I'm not taking that away from them. Gay gets better each week, although he still has to do better in man coverage, particularly on the Steelers' side of the field. Taylor has no hands, but he makes the plays.

Carter played really well in run support, but he can't cover Antonio Gates. That's not entirely on him. Gates is a phenomenal player and will get his share of big catches no matter who's on him.

Clark is showing up and he's plugging holes, but that's about it. He isn't a big time player, but when he's paired with Troy, he's excellent. He, more than anyone, will benefit from Polamalu's return.

Five Things I Didn't Like on Defense

1. Meet the Press

The Steelers were manhandling the Chargers receivers all night until Dick LeBeau started putting the corners into zone coverage instead of playing man. Gay and Taylor are fast, but don't have closing speed that is required for zone schemes, so naturally, the Chargers suddenly had room to create. They did.

2. Union Break?

I know the guys on defense are members of the players union. That's great. It really is a good thing. But since when did union breaks come into play in the NFL?

The Steelers' defense takes one every fourth quarter. This cannot continue or the team will start losing games again. To allow 14 fourth quarter points and 21 in the second half is unacceptable after the defense proved it could play these guys effectively in the first half.

3. Dumb Penalties

James Harrison shouldn't really be dropping into coverage anyway, but when he does, you can't belt a guy just because he's open. That nearly cost the Steelers big. He made up for it, but you cannot commit these fouls.

4. Where's Woodley?

Week four of the Lamarr Woodley watch: one tackle.

The stats don't lie in this case. Woodley has been a non-factor this season. He's not drawing double teams like James Harrison, so he has no excuse. He should be working better with that kind of space. Instead, he's playing down to his competition.

5. Pick 'Em

Where are the interceptions? Ike Taylor dropped one last night, which was not terrible since it was a tough play to make anyway, but this team just is not creating turnovers. The Steelers have exactly one pick this season.

Philip Rivers put the ball up 36 times last night. He wasn't picked. The Steelers can defend passes well, at least in the first half, but cannot intercept them at any point in the game. They simply just don't seem to have the hands.

Special Teams

Kicking/Punting: A+

Chris Collinsworth asked us all how much we trusted Jeff Reed in another key situation. Evidently, Collinsworth thought that Reed's misses in Chicago were a habit. Apparently, he doesn't watch many games.

Reed once again proved he is the master of Heinz Field, hitting a 46-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 10-point, two possession lead in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

Daniel Sepulveda only punted twice, but he wins the field position battle for Pittsburgh almost every time. The difference between last season and this one is that, at least on special teams, the team can win the battles for field position.

Stefan Logan: B-

He had an easy B+ until he fumbled. To be fair, he was hit by half the Chargers' coverage team.

But, he's not big enough to punish anyone, so he needs to learn when to go to ground and call it a return. He can only fight so far. He's best in the open field or one on one, where he can make someone miss.

This is his second fumble on a return. The first was in the closing moments against the Bears. This one hurt. It can't happen again.

Overall Grades

Offense: A+

Defense: B-

Special Teams: B+