* The Steelers were hit with 7 penalties for 73 yards in the contest, compared to just 3 penalties for 30 yards for the Bengals. The Bengals were awarded four first downs on penalties, to none for the Steelers.
* Terrell Owens again showed why he’s Carson Palmer’s #1 wide out. While Chad Ochocinco is crying and pouting on the sidelines, Owens at least seems to be doing what he can to help the Bengals get on track. Against the Steelers Owens had 10 catches for 141 yards with two scores, while Ochocinco had one catch for 15 yards.
* Mike Wallace was the favorite target of the two Steelers throwers (Ben Roethlisberger and Antwaan Randel El), as he had 5 grabs for 110 yards with a TD, a 39-yard score on a little trickery from the Steelers.
* The Steelers pressured Carson Palmer for most of the night, getting to him for four sacks for minus 30 yards, while Roethlisberger was sacked just once for minus 9 yards.
* Seems that the Steelers, despite injuries on the O-line, were committed to rushing the football and it paid off. Rashard Mendenhall had 99 yards rushing, and the team had 121 yards on 32 carries for a 3.8 yards per carry average. The run D held the Bengals to 54 yards rushing on 18 carries, a 3.0 yards per carry average.
* James Farrior played an excellent game on defense for the Steelers, leading the team with 9 solo tackles with a sack for negative six yards.
* While Jeff Reed failed to hit a 46-yard field goal that would have iced the game with just less than four minutes left, he did hit two field goals, one from 53 yards. On the season, he is 14-for-20, and is now 0-for-4 in kicks 40-to-49 yards. He is 2-for-4 in kicks of 50 yards plus.
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DrGeorge
November 9, 2010 at 11:35 am
This 27-21 win over the talented, but undisciplined, Bengals illustrates the good and the bad of the Steelers in 2010. After jumping out to an early lead, thanks to the special teams play of Wm. Gay and J. Worilds, the team wasn’t able to build on a 20-7 lead and shut the door on the Bengals. Worse, the defensive secondary remains as porous as ever, especially late in the game. McFadden was beaten badly on a corner route, and Wm Gay was mismatched (unfairly, I think) on Owens on a post route. Meanwhile, the offensive line was decimated by injuries and remains very thin, despite the valiant return of Pouncey, who is looking more and more valuable. We ran the ball a little better against Cincy, but with the line banged up, it will be a challenge to sustain the improvement. And Ben still hasn’t returned to form, although he had flashes of his former glory.
We must commend LeBeau for getting pressure on C. Palmer, despite the loss of Smith and Keisel at DE. His various blitzs kept Palmer off balance and probably prevented another 4th Qtr collapse from resulting in a loss. But on offense, the play calling by Arians remains highy suspect. (See Gene Collier’s article in the Post-Gazette for specifics.)
In his post-game press conference, Tomlin said that he wasn’t worried, since we got the W. But that he might feel differently after reviewing the tape. Trust me, he’ll feel very differently when he considers how narrowly we won and how much we lost in claiming the victory. All in all, as Collier noted, it doesn’t bode well for the second half of the season. Realistically, a long, hard road lies ahead.
mark
November 9, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I am torn with that assessment DrGeorge. I think that you are right on the money about the porous secondary. I also agree that it wasnt fair to think Gay can cover T.O 1-on-1 at any time. But, I will say that McFadden ran with T.O on the corner TD route and Palmer delivered a perfect throw. Any other place that pass goes, its anything but a TD. I also think that the second half of the season could very well be a boon for the Steelers! We have many games at home and Ben should only get better as the season wears on in terms of his synchronicity with his receivers. The line, on both sides of the ball, is an area of concern. The defensive line will continue to stuff the run, but it needs to get pressure as well because teams are NOT running as much. Instead, they are passing with great results. The offensive line, injuries not withstanding, has not played as well since Ben returned. In the 1st 4 games, Kugler and his style seemed to translate better to his players and we were singing his praises. In the past few weeks, the line has regressed a bit. Taking a line from Tomlin,the expectations remain no matter who is playing. This line needs to get better and it starts with the removal of Trai Essex. He is atrocious. This upcoming 2 game stretch, at home, against solid opposition is a good test for the Steelers. Lets see what the line-up changes on the line does? Maybe the mix/rotation of Starks,Legursky,Pouncey,Foster,Adams and Scott will be better than having Essex playing at any position! Pressure on Brady and Campbell in the next 2 games could go a long way to seeing this team at 8-2. I dont think the Patriots have the firepower on offense like in years past. Certainly not like the Saints and Bengals have. If the Steelers can win these 2 games at home, it should set the tone for the rest of the season. Lets hope they can correct, or at least improve on the things that have us limping even at 6-2. A BIG play from Polamalu couldnt hurt either. As much as I love the guy and his career is certainly Hall of Fame quality, he really has NOT set the tone for any game since week 2 at Tennessee. Whether he is schemed against better or he is out of position by his own accord, Troy needs to step it up!