THE STEELERS WON AND I GET TO WRITE A RECAP WITH A SUNNIER DISPOSITION AND ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD FOR AT LEAST A WEEK.
19-6 Steelers.
The Steelers did their bye week preparation justice, and won a game against a team they should've beaten while taking their first halftime lead and interception(s!) of the season along the way. Big Ben had the offense moving, scoring little bits here and there on four straight drives. And the defense looked like the defense of old, allowing two FGs and little else. 2/3 of the remaining AFC North teams lost to compliment the Steelers win, meaning a 1-4 record is still very much in play.
Ben: 23 of 30 for 264 yards and a TD. No picks to go with his efficient passing performance. That doesn't even begin to alayze his complete game…Ben took 2 Jets points off the board early in the game by shaking off a likely safety in the end zone. He merely continued with his season-long statement of being the best part of this dysfunctional team. The rest of the team played better against the Jets, but Ben still stood out. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets. I want to also show love to the O Line in the latter half of the game. They were awful early, but really came together, creating what other QBs refer to as a "pocket." Ben can take this team to even higher places with a pocket.
WRs: Antonio Brown workhorsed it again to the tune of nine catches and 86 yards. Yes, a dropped TD that was thrown a bit low that half the fanbase had to tell you that AB "needs to make that catch." We get it. Manny Sanders caught three, including a 55-yard TD bomb that ended in a flip that wigged out the other half of the fanbase because flips are nonsense and show-off-y and blah blah listen to me be boring. I liked it. This team has had little to cheer for or be genuinely excited about through 4+ games to that point, have fun. Throw Heath into this WR section with his 6 catches, 84 yards and the receving corps look like a viable weapon!. 4.5 of 5 helmets.
Defense: They did it!
THE MIDDLE PART! An interception, the first Steelers takeaway this season. And then ANOTHER interception, the second on the season! I'm just so excited to see the ball finally change hands in the right direction. Almost forgot how that felt. .Troy was flying around like a madman, nearly killing Stephen Hill's ribs with a monster tackle. Woodley, Worilds and Ziggy Hood all got to the QB for sacks. And the defense yielded only six points in a game that saw limited Brett Keisel. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Because positive performance begets positive praise and let's build on what went right.
Suisham: This guy. Suisham is now 10 of 10 on the season with 4 more FGs. While the offense took a minute to cash in on their increasingly-improving drives, Suisham steadily made FG after FG in the tight defensive battle. He's been such an incredble point producer since he first became a Steeler. 4 of 4 motorcycle helmets.
Ravens at Heinz next week. The Steelers jump right back into the division with a win against Baltimore.
(thanks to Doug for the banner pic)
