The return of Troy Polamalu may have been the cure for what has been ailing the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Since “King” Troy’s injury week one against the Titans, the defense has suffered an identity crisis. That was not the case week six though as the Cleveland Browns or better known around these parts, the Stains, came to town.
Troy’s return was marred by the news of “All Pro” defensive end, Aaron Smith, being lost for the season but the defense seemed to find themselves even in the wake of Smiths trip to injured reserve, the main reason being the play of Polamalu. Though he did not seem to be 100%, his presence was enough. Add in a drive killing interception deep inside Pittsburgh territory and the “King” is officially back.
Along side the return of Polamalu was the return of the Steelers pressure defense and confidence that if the pressure did not get to the QB, there was back up in the secondary to save the day. No fourth quarter let down, no come from behind drives, no scare for the fans, the Steelers defense finally played 60 minutes and they have Troy Polamalu to thank as he was the missing ingredient.
Though I wish that was the end of the story I am sad to report as well as the defense played the offense was the ones trying to allow a Browns rally. After building up a 17-7 lead the third quarter became a game of ”hot potato” as the Steelers and Browns would trade a flurry of turnovers in a period of 6 minutes.
First Big Ben tossed an interception when he over threw Hines Ward, then Lawrence Timmons would sack Derek Anderson and force a fumble, and right back at ya, Willie Parker coughed up a fumble back to the Stains who said “no you take it” just a play or two later when a second Timmons sack led to yet another Anderson fumble. Whew, what a game, but wait the turnover carousal was not over as Rashard Mendenhall wanted in on the action and fumbled the ball right back to the Stains.
Ryan Clark would put an end to the flurry as an interception on the Steelers 1 sealed the deal and the Stains fate of losing yet another game to the Steelers.
Josh Cribbs was the lone bright star on the day for the Brownies as he was able to gain his team some momentum both via his running in the wildcat and via a kick off return for a touchdown. The problem was he became the first player in league history to run back a kick and throw an interception in the same game since 1950. You guessed it, Polamalu interception came off a Cribbs pass attempt out of the wildcat formation.
To top it all off the Browns are ranked number 32 in rush defense in the league but the Steelers and Big Ben would put on a passing fancy as Roethlisberger and his receivers would make history on the day.
Ben threw for 417 yards (a team record) and a pair of scores while both Ward and Santonio Holmes had over a buck receiving apiece.
“I don’t even think we know how good we can be here,” Roethlisberger said. “Truth be told, I think we have to keep striving for excellence.”
Roethlisberger completed 23 of 35 passes and nine of those catches wound up covering more than 20 yards on the Big-Play Ben afternoon. The Steelers’ 543 yards in total offense were the most in 14 years.
“This is the best I’ve ever seen him play,” tight end Heath Miller said of Roethlisberger.
Hines Ward, challenging for the NFL lead in receiving, caught eight passes for 159 yards — third most in his career — including a 52-yarder for a touchdown. Santonio Holmes caught five for 104 yards and Miller five for 80 yards, including one of 8 yards for a score, his fourth touchdown in the past three games.
It is only the second time the Steelers have had a 400-yard passer and two 100-yard receivers in the same game.
“He’s really good,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of his quarterback. “He’s in total command of the offense. It’s fun to watch at times.”
With the return of “King” Troy and the maturation of the Steelers offense the sky is the limit for this team. The defense seems to be back on track and at 4-2 the Steelers are tied with the Bengals for the division lead.
Agreed this win was one they were supposed to win, even the 27-14 score seemed to be less then it could have been, but at the end of the day the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be back to themselves and if they continue to play 60 minutes then they could be well on their way to repeating as Super Bowl Champions.
About the Author Jim McMillen
The Editor & Chief, the brains so to say, behind Pittsburgh Blitz. Jim is a rabid sports fan who just loves his Stillers, Pens and Buccos. Feel free to contact us at steelerguy26[@]yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments or would like to join our staff and write for Pittsburgh Blitz.
Web | Twitter | Facebook | More Posts (675)
Comments are closed.