Offense... B-
The Steelers offense once again made big plays but could not cash in and had to settle for field goals in the red zone. This continues to be a problem and needs to be fixed before the Steelers start a playoff run. The Offensive line continues to be called for holding and pre-snap penalties .
The Steelers offensive line needs to get better and get better in a hurry. They have shown some flaws but continue to find a way to get it done when needed and with all the injuries they have faced this year, that says a lot about the toughness of this unit.
QB Ben Roethlisberger again had a pretty descent game and kept the mistakes to a minimum .He passed for 33-21 258 yards 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and a QB rating of 87.7 . The leading receiver was WR Hines Ward with 8 catches for 115 yards. The wide receivers made some great grabs but none better then a 22 yarder by Antwaan Randle El ,a spectacular catch. WR Mike Wallace continues to show he is more then just a speedster and is becoming an all around wide out .He had 5 catches for 78 yards .
The Steelers running game never really got on track . RB Rashard Mendenhall had very little running room most of the game as he ran 18 times for 66 yards and no touchdowns . The Steelers running attack must improve . Late in the season the weather becomes more and more a factor and you must be able to run the ball .
The bottom line is The Steelers offense must become more efficient in the red zone and get touchdowns instead of field goals. The offensive penalties are way too costly and need to be addressed before they cost them a big game.
Defense... A
The Steeler defense played a great game and was a huge part of the reason the Steelers won Sunday.
It all started with safety Troy Polamalu who made two interceptions and the first went for a touchdown . Troy's dive in the end zone for the score was something to see and is further proof that we are watching one of the greatest to play the game.
LaMarr Woodley started the game off on the wrong foot ,extending the Bengals first and only scoring drive by jumping off sides , and then blowing coverage on the touchdown . Woodley more then made up for it though ,later making an outstanding interception and going the distance for a touchdown of his own. Woodley also had 5 tackles and 2 sacks . The Steelers defense as a unit played outstanding holding the Bengals offense to a net total of just 190 yards and only 34 rushing yards on 14 carries for a 2.4 yard average. They had 3 sacks and three interceptions .
The bottom line is the Steelers are playing championship caliber defense and must continue to do much of the same . This is a great defense .
Special teams … B
Kicker Shaun Suisham was 3 for 3 on field goals and continues to be a perfect 9 for 9 . New punter Jeremy Kapinos had 5 punts ,3 downed inside the 20 and a long of 53 ,not bad at all. The coverage teams did not give up anything major as far as returns go. The special teams did a good job considering all the changes in personnel .
The Good....
The Steelers defense , Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley ,enough said!
The Bad...
The Steelers sloppy offensive penalties . They have to put a stop to this real soon.
The Ugly...
Troy Polamalu's attempt to lateral on his second interception. That was ugly and could have been very ugly.
Ok Steeler Nation ,another Steeler victory and now bring on those Jets! Hope you enjoy the blog and please spread the word! Later Steeler Nation.
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