My, what a difference 11 days makes, doesn’t it? When we last left our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers they we licking their wounds after another 4th quarter collapse on the road.
The Steelers wrote a different story tonight, coming from behind to take and then hold a lead on the road vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
It certainly did not start pretty, as the Steelers first half can only be characterized as a comedy of errors. But that began to change inside the two minute warning, as LaMarr Woodley intercepted a deflected pass.
Ben Roethlisberger and his team mates went right to work, marching down the field and scoring a touchdown and then getting the two point conversion, with Big Ben hitting Heath Miller on both strikes.
But this victory was more than just the Steelers getting production out of their prime time players. Across both sides of the ball, understudies stepped up.
- Jonathan Dwyer ran with power and authority
- Chris Rainey showed why he could be dangerous
- Emmanuel Sanders once again staked his claim to being one of the NFL’s most underrated receivers.
On the defensive side of the ball:
- Ike Taylor completely neutralized A.J. Green
- Keenan Lewis came up with several big plays
- Casey Hampton made a huge stop when it counted
This game was far from perfect. Special teams penalties continued to be an issue, and the Bengals ran a little to well for comfort.
But the Steelers converted third down after third down, and the defense, for a change, got off the field on third down, and that was the difference in this game.
Its almost 1:00 am here in Buenos Aires, and work looms tomorrow. But Steel Curtain Rising will be back with full analysis of the game. In the mean time, Go Steelers!
Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or… Follow @SteelCurtainRis