It was another Sunday of injuries at Heinz Field for the Steelers, but unlike last week when the black and gold folded in the final minutes against the Bengals, this time they found a way.
The result was one of the most wild regular season games in the history of Heinz Field, a 38-35 win over the very game Oakland Raiders to push their record to 5-4 on the year.
The Steelers still trail the Bengals by 3.5 games in the AFC North, but the bigger story Sunday was yet again what could be a major injury to starting QB Ben Roethlisberger.
The signal caller was carried to the Steelers’ sideline after being sacked by Oakland’s Aldon Smith.
Roethlisberger was put on a cart and taken to locker room, and eventually was taken to a facility for further evaluation.
The early thought was a left foot injury, and the way this season is going anything is possible with how bad the Steelers luck has been.
On to the win, which breaks a two-game losing streak for the Steelers and for the moment keeps them in the mix for a possible wild card birth in the AFC.
The club got a huge last minute performance from two players on offense, backup QB Landry Jones and wide out Antonio Brown. All Brown did against the Raiders was set a franchise record with 17 catches for 284 yards.
His catch on a third-and-two from the Steelers 28 for 57 yards gave the Steelers the shot for Chris Boswell’s field goal at the buzzer to win the game.
Jones filling in for Roethlisberger threw for 79 yards on 4-for-6 passing. DeAngelo Williams also had a monster day for the Steelers, as replacing Le’Veon Bell he ran for 170 yards and two scores, and caught 4 passes for 55 yards.
It was a crazy day that saw the Steelers lead it 21-14 at the half after scoring two Williams touchdowns, get two Boswell field goals and get a two-point conversion.
The Raiders trailed it 28-14 with 11:28 to go after Roethlisberger hit rookie Jesse James with his first NFL score, a 4-yard TD after a turnover on a kickoff by Oakland.
Give the Raiders credit, as Derek Carr and company wouldn’t go away. They attacked the Steelers secondary, driving down the field for a score as Jamize Olawale went in from 19 yards out to make it 35-28 with 9:37 left.
After the injury to Roethlisberger, Carr and Oakland again drove down the field, but the Steelers got a pick in the end zone to keep the lead much like last week when they picked off Andy Dalton.
Like last week though, they were not able to put the game away, and Oakland got a shot with 2:15 to play at their own 41.
It took just six plays, and Michael Crabtree pulled in a 40-yard touchdown to tie the game at 35 with 1:15 to play.
Carr threw for 301 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. Rookie WR Amari Cooper had 7 catches for 88 yards and a score, and Crabtree had 108 yards and two TD’s.
No matter how good the win is, the bottom line is an injury to Big Ben could be what defines the season. The Steelers will host the 2-7 Cleveland Browns next Sunday at 1pm.
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DrGeorge
November 8, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Before Ben got injured, Oakland (4-3) and Pittsburgh (4-4) looked like two average NFL teams, with occasional stellar performances marred by errors and inconsistencies. In first downs, 3rd down efficiency, and yards per play, they were about even all day. The receivers for each team had a field day, and the secondary for each defense struggled. The difference was A. Brown’s yards after catch and the Steelers’ home field advantage, which seemed to inspire them to play their best today. Even so, the Steelers defense gave up a 14 point lead, and the team won only by virtue of a last second field goal.
My point is this: Ben R. is no longer good enough to carry the Steelers, as he once did, and the Steelers as a team are playing with greater confidence and conviction, whether the QB is Ben R. or L. Jones. D. Williams continues to excel, the O-line is improving with Wallace at center and Villanueva at LT. Despite its tendency to give up big gains up the middle and to surrender too many passing yards, the Defense is playing more cohesively than it has in some time. And as long as Landry Jones is allowed to play to his strengths, the offense functions as well as it does with Ben R. under center, notwithstanding his greater experience. With Jones under center, Haley must adopt a more conservative style of play calling, and if he does, it will actually improve the offense and allow the talent around L. Jones to carry the team. I honestly don’t think the team will miss a beat with Ben sidelined.
I realize the foregoing sounds like heresy to some fans, but let me also observe that for 3.5 quarters today, Ben R. with his 12 years of experience and Oakland QB D.Carr with his 2 years of experience played even. The week before, Ben was outplayed by Andy Dalton and threw three interceptions, and the Steelers almost won anyway. In short, the Steelers are no longer defined by the play of Ben R., and that is all to the good. For those reasons, in the weeks ahead, win or lose, I don’t expect Ben’s presence or absence to make as much difference as some pundits hope or fear. It is entirely possible that by not relying on Ben for heroics, the team as a whole may actually be better.
Austin
November 8, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Interesting points! What about the organization failing to give bb an elite first round LT like so many other qbs have. It always seems like that each week there is some other part of the team screwing up! Today receivers dropped passes, the o line, although decent for the most part, had horrendously inexcusable mistakes at crucial times like Wallace’s penalties, Villanueva’s pass protection breakdown causing bb to get hurt! Yes, Ben had some immaculate throws to contribute to an all around uninspiring team effort! I do agree Landry jones presence causes a sort of getting back to basics that actually enhance play along (Haley got way too pass heavy before bens injury!). I still see tomlins teams as unprepared in that they AKWAYS seem to have someone iOS numerous people making boneheaded mistakes instead of using their heads and playing situational football. Even AB should’ve called for fair catch on the punt but instead tried to do too much. I’m done cause I hate typing on an iPhone!