Steelers 38, Saints 31
Well now. I had thought to write "that's more like it," but I don't think I will: it was a beautiful, glorious, hard-fought win, a win that showed heart and determination, but it wasn't all I'm looking for. This game wasn't won in the classic Steelers style; it was won, instead, in classic Cincinnati Bengals style. The Saints amassed 517 yards of offense, while the Steelers gained 467. The Steelers relinquished a 14-point lead in the first half, and actually fell behind just before halftime on a 5-play, 72-yard drive that took all of 60 seconds. It was an unnerving performance by the unit that has long been the strength of the team. Marques Colston, the rookie from Hofstra whom 31 teams in the league now kick themselves for not drafting, caught 10 balls for 169 yards. Terrance freaking Copper caught six for 92. Ike Taylor struggled again, and Bryant McFadden has yet to announce his arrival. That performance tempers my joy just a little bit.
To be fair, though:
1. Two defensive starters, DeShea Townsend and Troy Polamalu, missed most of the game with injuries.
2. No one has effectively stopped the Saints' offense this year, including everyone's favorite defense, the Baltimore Ravens.
3. The game was classic Steelers in at least one respect: the Steelers forced 3 fumbles and gave up none.
And the offense looked stellar. Willie Parker, as anyone reading this already knows, ran for 213 yards on 22 carries (for a college-like 9.7 yard average), and Big Ben settled in, throwing 3 TDs and no INTs (17/28, 264 yards). The line blocked well, and the receivers did their jobs. (Nate Washington dropped a couple of balls, but that will happen.) Against a less dynamic offense (see you soon, Cleveland Browns), the game would have been over after the first quarter.
So the Steelers have raised their record to 3-6, one game behind the Bengals, who appear to be folding like a deck chair. There was some talk Sunday night and Monday that the Steelers were "clinging to faint playoff hopes": pure stupidity. This season can't be measured by the playoffs; by that measure, failure is inevitable. Success this season will come in gritty, gutty play for the last seven weeks: winning games they should win (at Cleveland next week), and winning at least once as underdog (Baltimore in weeks 10 and 15). Leave the playoff talk for next summer.
To be fair, though:
1. Two defensive starters, DeShea Townsend and Troy Polamalu, missed most of the game with injuries.
2. No one has effectively stopped the Saints' offense this year, including everyone's favorite defense, the Baltimore Ravens.
3. The game was classic Steelers in at least one respect: the Steelers forced 3 fumbles and gave up none.
And the offense looked stellar. Willie Parker, as anyone reading this already knows, ran for 213 yards on 22 carries (for a college-like 9.7 yard average), and Big Ben settled in, throwing 3 TDs and no INTs (17/28, 264 yards). The line blocked well, and the receivers did their jobs. (Nate Washington dropped a couple of balls, but that will happen.) Against a less dynamic offense (see you soon, Cleveland Browns), the game would have been over after the first quarter.
So the Steelers have raised their record to 3-6, one game behind the Bengals, who appear to be folding like a deck chair. There was some talk Sunday night and Monday that the Steelers were "clinging to faint playoff hopes": pure stupidity. This season can't be measured by the playoffs; by that measure, failure is inevitable. Success this season will come in gritty, gutty play for the last seven weeks: winning games they should win (at Cleveland next week), and winning at least once as underdog (Baltimore in weeks 10 and 15). Leave the playoff talk for next summer.
posted by Shane at 9:00 AM
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