On this election evening, it's important to realize what an effect the media can have. Leading up to the election, it's an Obama landslide. Watching live, it looks like anyone's game. But I digress.
Turn the clock back 24 hours. If you watched the pregame hoopla, if you listened to "The Three Amigos" in the booth, you would have thought the Redskins were unbeatable and the Steelers were at the brink of disaster.
The Steelers opened the game with a failed and ill-advised onside kick. Mike Tomlin defended the move by saying he wanted to turn up the heat immediately. What it did was give the Redskins a field goal after a three-and-out.
On the next series, Cornelius Griffin deflected a Ben Roethlisberger pass and it was intercepted. Three plays amounted to another Redskins field goal. That was it. Cue the band.
Make no mistake about it, the Steelers' offense was inept in the first half. If not for a late blocked punt, this would have been a 6-3 deficit going into the half. But as good teams often do, they found a way to get that spark.
The league's leading rusher, Clinton Portis, was held to 51 yards. 22 of those yards came on one carry. Jason Campbell was sacked seven times and intercepted twice, his first picks of the season. He looked battered and confused. And Jim Zorn looked equally as bad, and badly out-coached by Dick LeBeau.
The Steelers are certainly not without their flaws. This is their worst offensive line in recent memory. They lost their starting right guard, Kendall Simmons, for the season to an Achilles injury. They have been without their starting left tackle, Marvel Smith, for the last four games due to back spasms.
Their depth has taken some serious hits due to injury. Ben Roethlisberger has been banged up and missed the second half last night. Willie Parker has missed significant time. Rashard Mendenhall, their No. 1 draft choice and backup to Willie Parker, broke his shoulder in Week Four and was lost for the season.
Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel missed significant time. Ryan Clark was out last night. Bryant McFadden is out for the foreseeable future.
But this is a well-built team. They have not made excuses and collapsed like the Cowboys. One goes down, the next steps up. Teamwork.
Byron Leftwich was brilliant last night. He stepped in and took charge. He was confident and poised, but I would expect nothing less from a former franchise QB.
The questions remain: Can the Steelers continue on winning with this offensive line? Can Ben withstand the beatings? Can they be consistent in the running game? If they can answer yes to two of these questions, they can make a serious run in the AFC.
One thing that I have learned is that a completely dominant defense can carry a team. This is a dominant defense. They are nearly impossible to run on. They swarm to the ball. They smack you in the mouth. And they are relentless in their pass rush.
The Titans, Giants, Steelers, and Eagles (with a healthy Westbrook) are the elite teams after the first half of the season.
I am not buying into the Panthers or the Bucs.
Enjoy the second half of this season. It should be fun.
2 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Craig Garrison Sr 8 months ago
While I agree with your points, I would say that if you have Eagles in the "elite" status, then you must also include the Skins. That Pittsburgh defense is absolutely amazing, but remember that the Skins entered this game with two missing starters from the defense, and half the offense missed the entire week of practice due to injury, but played anyway. Moss didn't see the field much either, which was a critical loss for this offense. Portis did average 4 yards a carry, but that pass rush from the Steelers absolutely killed the Skins' drives time and again, which prevented Portis from playing much of a role in the entirety of the game.
I won't be surprised to see the Steelers deep into the playoffs, but that offense will have to improve in order for it to matter much. Leftwich caught the Skins off guard, he won't do that again to ANY team, so the Steelers need to get that running game up to speed in a hurry, or it could get worse.
Nice job Justin, hope to see the Steelers again in February!
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Justin Zucker 8 months ago
Thanks Craig. When picking an "elite" team I try to keep it to 2 from each league. Just my little spin. The Skins are definitely in that mix. I give Philly a slight edge because of McNabb.
I think Campbell is being protected by Zorn. I don't think they can go all the way being that conservative with his passes. I was surprised at the stats. He has some fast WR's that should be able to get separation down the field. If Campbell can stretch the field a bit they will really benefit. He shouldn't have to be perfect. Int's are a part of the game, just keep them out of the "big" spots. The NFL is a game of adjustments and I didn't think Zorn and crew made any.
And a point can be made for Carolina and Tampa as well, although I do think they are both a rung below the Skins. The bottom line is that it is way too early to make a call as a lot can happen in 8 weeks.
When good teams hook up only a few plays make a difference. The Giants/Steelers game was like that. And the Steelers/Eagles was the same. The Eagles D completely owned the Steelers yet still managed only 15 points.
Good defenses are game changers. I would not be surprised at all to see both wildcards come out of the NFC East. And in the playoffs, anything can happen. Who is healthy, and who is hot? It remains to be seen, and it should be entertaining.
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