Offense... B
The Steelers offense was good at times and then not so good at other times. QB Ben Roethlisberger had a pretty good game but far from his best. He went 20 for 33 passing for 246 yards and no Tds or Ints.
His QB rating was 83.6. His biggest play of the game may have been with his feet when he made an unbelievable scramble on 3rd and 17 for 18 yards and a first down.
WR Hines Ward came through with another big game receiving ending up with 7 catches for 107 yards . The offensive line had a lot of ups and downs . Chris Kemoeatu had 4 holding calls that cost the Steelers 86 yards of offense. The Steelers line had 6 holding calls total and that's not going to win you many games against most teams. The line gave up 5 sacks but a couple may have been on Roethlisberger . The Steelers offensive line did open up a lot of holes for the running game with the Steelers rushing for 206 yards as a team. RB Rashard Mendenhall had another very good day with 36 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown. Mendenhall has really turned into a special running back this season and is playing Pro Bowl caliber football.
The bottom line is the offense played well enough to win this week but must make touchdowns instead of field goals and play with a lot less mistakes . A game like this against a better team probably results in a loss .
Defense... B-
The Steelers defense played great in the first half but gave up a 13 point lead in the second half. Bills running back Fred Jackson had a pretty good game against the Steelers defense . He ran 12 times for 59 yards and a 4.9 yard average per run but most of his damage came with his receiving . He caught 5 for 104 yards with a 65 yard TD . The Steelers had a total of 2 sacks one each by linebackers James Harrison and James Farrior .
Safety Troy Polamalu had another big game with a fantastic interception, a fumble recovery and a huge hit. The secondary took a hit when CB Bryant McFadden went down with a hamstring injury . William Gay came in and filled in pretty good over all but there was a noticeable difference after McFadden's injury. The Steelers got some luck when wide open Bills Wr Stevie Johnson dropped a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone for what would have won the game in over time.
The bottom line is the Steelers must play more like they did in the first half or they may not be so lucky next time around.
Special Teams … A-
New kicker Shaun Suisham went a perfect 4 for 4 on field goals (45-46-48-41) including the 41 yard game winner in overtime. Punter Dan Sepulveda averaged 42.8 and had a clutch punt of 55 yards from the back of his own end zone. The cover team gave up a big 49 yard kick return that could have been a lot worse had he not ran into his own player. Over all the coverage team did fairly well.
The Good...
Kicker Shaun Suisham hitting all 4 of his field goals including the game winner in overtime.
RB Rashard Mendenhall 36 carries for 151 and a touchdown.
The Bad...
Giving up a 13 point lead and letting the Bills back in the game.
The Ugly...
Letting Stevie Johnson get wide open in overtime... Luckily he dropped it or it would have been real ugly.
So there you have it and don't forget where you got it ,spread the word about the blog and leave a comment...and remember everyone needs a little luck...Later Steeler Nation
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