Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots: Game Balls for Steelers

Congratulations to Steeler Nation, Steelers players and coaches.  Although last Sunday's victory against the Patriots is just the first win in a tough three-game stretch for the Steelers, it seems bigger than that because of how successful the Patriots have been lately.

It took a near-complete game from all three phases of the team.  It took tremendous desire and focus, especially with the division rival Ravens around the corner. 

But more importantly, the Steelers coaches and players were successful in planning and executing the unusual last Sunday against the Patriots. 

The Steelers' defense made Tom Brady uncomfortable in his usually air-tight pocket. Their offense truly leveraged all their talent to keep the chains moving all day.

Fans had been calling for changes and wished for a positive outcome against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. And the Steelers delivered.

Many players did their part, including the usual stars, but here are my four game balls for areas that really stepped up in this big game.

Let's celebrate this one, then look toward the payback game—the divisional dog fight against the Baltimore Ravens.

Steelers Coaches

The coaches catch heat when teams lose.  Against the Patriots, the coaches not only get credit for winning, but my game ball because of what it took to win. 

We all have felt the pain over the years.

Tom Brady was 6-1 against the Steelers.  He averaged over 370 yards per game passing the past two years against the Steelers.  The Patriots' defense created and/or received numerous turnovers to put a premature end to most games against the Steelers. 

A Steelers defense and offense that usually ranks in the top 10 (and higher) in the league somehow always struggled against the Patriots.

So it was very important for the coaches to identify what has not worked in the past against New England. 

Coach Tomlin seems to know how to set the vision, tone and mentality for his staff and players. 

Bruce Arians usually gets his share of the blame when the offense stalls and losses add up.  This one game does not erase the past, but the offense came out attacking, took what they were getting from the Patriots and let their talent overcome the Patriots' defense.

The game would have been a blowout if the offense had come up with touchdowns instead of field goals, but that can be addressed next week.

Dick LeBeau is already in the Hall of Fame, but he also gets the game ball for helping stop an offense that only trips up once or twice a year. It wasn't through turnovers but rather with an aggressive, strategy-changing game plan. 

I also really liked the multiple defensive sets, movement of pass rushers and use of our young players (some by necessity, others by choice).  This Steelers defense held Tom Brady and his passing attack to 198 yards. The point spread and game was not as close as it looked. 

Coach LeBeau should share his game ball with Carnell Lake, who probably had a huge hand in how well Steelers DBs played in this game.

Defensive Backs

Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu are once again at Pro Bowl level. 

But I would like to emphasize the rest of the DBs that blanketed Patriots receivers all day. 

Every time CBS showed Tom Brady's view, it seemed Patriots receivers were shadowed by Steelers jerseys.

All the DBs were solid in tackling to limit yards after the catch, a statistic the Patriots lean on  heavily.

Ryan Clark played back to prevent the big play, while Polamalu was playing closer to the box and all over the field.  Clark also delivered his usual brand of big hits to receivers that stumbled his way.

We also had a Cortez Allen sighting.  The fact that he was in this game says a lot about his development.  Not only was he covering well, but he wrapped up and brought down big Rob Gronkowski, who had three touchdowns by himself last year. 

All this is why Carnell Lake gets a nod for the coach's game ball.

Offensive Line & Pass Protection

This area of the game was probably the most satisfying for me. 

All Steeler fans know how the line has struggled, either due to injury, new people, or lack of top-tier talent. 

But, over the past few weeks, it seems the line has been getting comfortable together.  Marcus Gilbert and Max Starks add much needed bookend strength and reliability at the tackle positions.

Against the Patriots Sunday, this offensive line of the Steelers played their best game of the year so far.

I have recently wondered what Ben Roethlisberger could do with his receiving talent if he had the advantage of "Brady time." 

Last Sunday, the pocket around Big Ben reminded me of the Patriots' protection levels, providing the kind of time Tom Brady often gets from his own line. 

It all starts up front, and the Steelers' offensive line got the job done.  This enabled the Steelers' offensive weapons to pile up serious yardage and keep Tom Brady off the field.

Replacements

Though the entire roster made an impact, I have to give a huge shout-out to "the replacements," those key guys that add depth and talent on our roster. 

Some of these guys are seen so rarely on the field that the image database barely captured anyone but Larry Foote.  Most of these guys usually have to wait their turn to crack the Steelers' talented starting 11. 

But this past Sunday, some got their opportunities against a mighty opponent.  And they were ready.

Not only has NFL Defensive MVP James Harrison been out, but starters and captains James Farrior and Hines Ward were also ruled out for this game. Beastly sacking machine LaMarr Woodley had to leave with a hamstring pull. 

But the replacements never wavered.  As Tomlin often says, "the next man up"  needs to step in and maintain the standard. 

Brown, Sanders and Cotchery did their thing on offense.  Guys like Sylvester, Foote and Carter covered, hit and tackled well enough to minimize the loss of starters. 

Without top-notch minutes from these guys, the game plan would have faltered against Tom Brady.

The future looks really bright on both sides of the ball.

Let's Do It Again!

Hopefully, this win against a top team like the Patriots will help fuel even better play from the Steelers.  It's just one win on the schedule, but this win against the Patriots had to be sweet for fans, players and coaches. 

There's no time to gloat, as the Steelers' favorite rival comes to town for a Sunday night game. 

I hope the Steelers' coaches continue to take advantage of opponents' weaknesses, leverage all their talent and find ways to get minutes for everyone that performed well last Sunday.

The talent is there, the future looks bright—now let's get a hard-hitting payback win against the Baltimore Ravens to secure the divisional race.