Pittsburgh Steelers: Sucker Punches, Yellow Hankies and Other Postgame Thoughts

The perfect remedy for a poor performance used to always be facing the Oakland Raiders. The NFL feasted on the silver and black the way everyone will soon feast on turkey (or turducken in the Madden household).

These aren't your older brother's Raiders. They came into this game hungry at 5-4 and with a share of the AFC West lead for the first time in almost a decade.

These looked more like your father's or your grandfather's Raiders playing the Steelers of the 1970s. The game had it all: penalties, fights, anger and finally vengeance.

Here are some postgame thoughts for your perusal.

1. Flag on the Officials

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DENVER - NOVEMBER 26: NFL referee Tony Corrente looks on during the NFL game between the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High on November 26, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Giants 26-6. (Photo by Doug P

Seriously?

Never has a game been so poorly officiated. Obvious penalties (such as Flozell Adams' illegal block on a big second quarter reverse) were missed by officials who seemed to flag everything else.

They were so busy throwing flags that, at times, it seemed as thought they weren't even sure why they'd done it.

Calling a defensive back for forcing a receiver to break off his route? That's what playing defensive back is all about!

Calling LaMarr Woodley for roughing the passer when he bumped into Jason Campbell, ignoring a play where James Harrison drove Campbell to the ground and then ignoring a few late hits by the Raiders on Ben Roethlisberger?

Ejecting the wrong player, having both head coaches yell at you and then saying you "discussed it with the officials" and ejecting the right player?

Who was this Tony Corrente guy? Mr. Magoo?

No, I think not. Mr. Magoo could have called a more accurate game.

Neither team got much benefit. The Steelers managed to overcome the major penalties to run up a 35-3 victory. The Raiders only had seven penalties against them but were just as much victims as Pittsburgh of a problem that's now rampant: confused, penalty-happy referees.

Memo to Roger Goodell: It's time to step in and clarify the rules for everyone and tell the zebra-wearing men how to enforce them correctly.

2. That Was Fun

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PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 21: Mike Wallace #17 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after catching a pass for a first down against the Oakland Raiders during the game on November 21, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerha

It was fun. It was a throwback to the old days. Joe Greene, Jack Tatum, Jack Lambert and Kenny Stabler would have been proud to play in this game.

The energy that both teams came out with set the stage for one of the most physical games the NFL has seen in recent seasons. The Roethlisberger sucker punch was surprising in a way, but in the 1970s it would have been completely commonplace.

The Raiders are back. The Steelers never really left.

Is this the ignition of a new generation of Silver and Black and Black and Gold rivalry games? I sure hope so. Nothing would be better for these two teams or the league as a whole than to have a Raiders team that can bring it.

I'm not a Raiders fan. That would be Pittsburgh suicide. But I do like when the boys from Oakland are good. It makes everything in the league more interesting. You always get tough, physical play from the Raiders. When they can also win games with that kind of punishment, it makes games more fun.

The score might have been lopsided yesterday, but you can't argue with one thing: The game was exciting until the final gun because you just weren't sure what would happen next.

3. Fixing What Ails You

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PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 21: Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball after catching an interception against the Oakland Raiders during the game on November 21, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerh

I wrote two articles last week that detailed what was wrong on both sides of the ball.

In short, the defense was letting up with even a tiny lead and not putting their playmakers in good spots during games. The offense was predictable and anemic, unable to put points up or create mismatches with their unmistakably talented receivers and runners.

Well, either Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians read those two articles or they finally bothered to create a different game plan. Either way, it worked to perfection. They could have beaten anyone yesterday with that performance.

Take a look at a few of the issues that were addressed:

1. Troy Polamalu finally made an appearance with an interception and several unpredictable blitzes. He looked back to his old self, appearing all over the place and always seeming to be in on the play.

2. LeBeau threw out the prevent defense in favor of keeping the pressure on the Raiders even after the Steelers ran up a 28-3 lead. He continued blitzing on virtually every down and brought the blitzes from every possible angle, including directly up the middle.

3. The offense elected to pass on several early downs and also dialed up deep passes all day. If not for the penalties, Rashard Mendenhall would have run up over 100 yards on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger, behind a line that continues to get beaten up, stayed mostly upright and played probably his best game this season.

4. Trai Essex, albeit because of injury, moved to left tackle and kept the heat off Roethlisberger better than Jonathan Scott, who had a decent game with Chris Kemoeatu back at left guard.

5. Arians called his best game, keeping Oakland constantly off balance by mixing up plays and using play action to get receivers free. He also let Ben do some running, which further befuddled the Raiders.

4. Penal Codes

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SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 17: Richard Seymour #92 of the Oakland Raiders stands on the field in between plays of their game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 17, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Ima

I only have a few thoughts on what Richard Seymour did to Ben Roethlisberger:

1. Seymour did not hit Roethlisberger in the mouth because he has some kind of connection to women's rights or protecting women from abuse. He sucker-punched the Steelers quarterback in the mouth because he was frustrated with his team's lack of performance.

2. If James Harrison can be fined over $100,000 for three vicious and sometimes dirty hits on opposing quarterbacks, then Seymour can be fined $100,000 for this hit and/or suspended for at least one game by the league for his actions.

3. Roger Goodell has to do something. If he's really the czar of punishment, he needs to step up to the plate and deliver a knockout blow of his own. If he doesn't, then he's playing some sort of strange game of favorites. He doesn't favor a team in particular, but he does seem to pick and choose when he wants to be tough.

5. Trap Game Coming Right Up

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Buffalo Bills readies to throw a pass against the Detroit Lions at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 14, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills won 14-12. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

I'll get into this later in the week, but this is no time to celebrate. The victory over the Raiders was nice, but it's time to remember that the Steelers, at 7-3, are still in a tie with Baltimore in the division and in a thick battle for AFC dominance with the Ravens, Patriots and Jets.

There are certain games on the schedule that you look at and say, "They should win that one easily."

This game against Buffalo is one of those. I'm sure the Cincinnati Bengals didn't think they'd have trouble with the 1-8 Bills, the league's worst team.

Well, the Bills are 2-8 now after coming back from a 28-7 deficit to thrash the Bengals.

Oops.

Anytime that a game seems like an easy victory in the NFL, it's a trap game. Good teams win trap games by 35 points (the Raiders game wasn't a trap game; a division leader is expected to be a tough out). Questionable teams lose trap games with heartbreaking, baffling play.

Let's hope Pittsburgh is a good team. If they get by the Bills and emerge 8-3, they'll be in a great position. If they get trapped like Cincinnati did, it'll be a long trip back from one of the league's coldest towns.