Pittsburgh Steelers: Winners and Losers from Steel Curtain's Win vs. Cardinals

The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 5-2 with their 32-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The game was never in doubt, as the Steelers were clicking both offensively and defensively from the start.

The Steelers piled up 445 yards, a great tune up for next Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

While the Steelers were great as a whole, some areas will need to be improved in order to win that AFC showdown next weekend.

Without further adieu, here are the winners and losers from today's game. 

Winner: Big Ben Roethlisberger

Is there anything Ben Roethlisberger can't do on a football field?

Big Ben completed 26 of 39 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns. To make the day even better for Ben, he took care of the ball and didn't have any turnovers despite throwing the ball so much.

Once again, Roethlisberger took a beating behind his makeshift offensive line.

As only Ben Roethlisberger can do, he took those shots and jumped right back up. Hobbled a bit, he continued to march his team down the field.

He doesn't get the press that Tom Brady or Peyton Manning do, but he doesn't need it.

It isn't always pretty watching Ben play, but I would pick him every day of the week if I had to choose any quarterback to play one game.

He is one of the few quarterbacks still in the league cut from the same cloth as the "tough guys" who used to play this game.

Ben Roethlisberger is a more accurate version of Brett Favre with a little bit of his own magic mixed in.

This guy was born to play quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Winner: Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace is so fast, not even Chuck Norris could catch him!

Early in the second quarter, Ben Roethlisberger hooked up with Mike Wallace for the longest pass play in Pittsburgh Steelers history; a 95-yard bomb that put the Steelers up 14-0.

It was the second-longest play from scrimmage in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Bobby Gage's 97-yard run against Chicago in 1949 is the longest.

Wallace finished the game with only three catches, but this one was all he and the Steelers needed.

If he finishes his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler, he will almost certainly set a few more team records.

He proved yet again that he isn't a one trick pony. He can beat you deep, catch tough passes over the middle and isn't afraid to block either. Hines Ward is to thank for that! Add crisp routes into this mix and you have a legend in the making.

Winner: Game Management and Play-Calling

Mike Tomlin, Bruce Arians and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff called a great game today.

Even though the running game never got going, the Steelers ran the ball enough to keep the Cardinals from selling out on the pass all day.

Arians also incorporated a lot of ball control passes to keep the clock moving, allowing the Steelers to control the game. The Steelers had the ball for 35 minutes and 47 seconds, while Arizona was only on offense for 24 minutes and 13 seconds.

Mike Tomlin made good use of the Steelers' timeouts, and seemed to let Ben do his thing.

Dick LeBeau dialed up the defense to the point that Kevin Kolb looked like he was throwing a live hand grenade instead of a football.

Winner: LaMarr Woodley

LaMarr Woodley was a one-man wrecking crew today.

He chased Kevin Kolb around like he stole something! Woodley accumulated three sacks, one that led to a safety.

I was hard on him early in the season when he couldn't seem to get any pressure the quarterback, even with James Harrison on the other side.

Now that Harrison is out with an eye injury, LaMarr has seemed to take the added responsibility in stride. Instead of regressing, he has stepped up big and is my MVP on defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He has seven sacks on the year and is looking good to reach double digits yet again.

Winner: Shaun Suisham

Another guy who caught a lot of flack from me early in the season is kicker Shaun Suisham.

Suisham was a perfect 3-for-3 today, making kicks of 41, 42 and 39 yards for the Steelers.

New stupid kickoff rule aside, he routinely booted the ball deep on kickoffs. This left the Arizona Cardinals with poor field position throughout the game.

He came up big in the playoffs last year and has picked it up this season, so unless he starts to struggle again he deserves nothing but praise from Steelers fans.

Winner: Antonio Brown

What can Brown do for you?

Antonio Brown had a career day today, catching the ball seven times for a total of 102 yards.

The young receiver proved his worth today, and further established himself as an integral part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' high-octane offense.

He's got the toughness and determination of Hines Ward, never giving up on a ball.

He also showed quick feet on a toe-tapping effort near the sidelines that the Dancing With the Stars champion had to appreciate.

Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown are going to be one of the best wide receiving corps in the league soon.

Just don't blink or you might miss something.

Loser:Offensive Line

The main reason this team isn't undefeated is the beat up offensive line.

Outside of Maurkice Pouncey and Max Starks, there isn't a player on the offensive line worthy of a starting spot.

Ben Roethlisberger may not make it through the season if he continues to take so many hits. He is one huge shot away from being done for the season.

He's used to playing hurt and being on the run, but there is only so much a body can take. There is a reason he was ineffective the season after doing a face plant on a car.

Shots to the head lead to concussions and shots to the legs ruin knees.

It's about time the line steps up. If not, the season could end at any moment for the franchise quarterback.

Loser: Rashard Mendenhall and the Running Game

Rashard Mendenhall, Issac Redman and Mewelde Moore couldn't get anything going on the ground.

A lot of this has to do with the offensive line, but these guys are going to need to man up and get it done for the Steelers to keep winning.

Mendenhall carried the ball only 13 times for 32 yards, while Redman added 29 yards on six carries. Moore had even less but had only a couple of carries and a screen pass.

What I saw was the running backs playing tentative and not hitting the holes that were there, second guessing behind a poor offensive line.

It's a concern for sure, but I'm not going to panic unless it becomes a trend.

Loser: Ike Taylor

I almost gave the man a pass for covering one of the league's best wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald.

Then I remembered that he considers himself a No. 1 corner, and so do most of his fans. Even worse, a couple of penalties in a row lead to an Arizona Cardinals touchdown.

One of these was on a 3rd-and-long play that should have been a routine stop leading to a field-goal attempt, as Kevin Kolb had already sailed the ball out of bounds.

I understand that he is great in coverage and that most guys can't cover Fitzgerald without some help, but you can't just grab a hold of the guy's jersey when he beats you.

Man up and get a stop.

Loser: Cardinals Fan Base, Winner: Steelers Nation

Was this game really in Arizona?

I don't know what the Cardinals fan base was doing today, but they certainly didn't go to the game. Maybe there was something good on TV?

It looked like a Steelers home game to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of the stadium wasn't occupied by Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

The terrible towels flew in the sky early and often, so much that I think I saw the stadium starting to lift off the ground.

Well traveled is an understatement when describing these great fans, the best in the National Football League.

America's team? 

Steelers nation is worldwide!