Quick Hitters - Steelers vs Bengals

A Dropped Pass by Mike Wallace?! NEVER!

Time to give you some of my thoughts on the Steelers victory over the Bengals.  Take a look at the "Quick Hitters" and tell me if you disagree or agree.  Did I give the game ball to the wrong person?  Lets get this site interactive...leave a comment below!

- Mike Wallace...WHAT THE ----?! - I could easily go on the rant about how Mike Wallace not reporting to camp had something to do with him having a case of the "drops" last night, but lets be honest...it has nothing to do with it.  It isn't just Wallace either.  The WR core (RB included) have done alot of dropping recently.  Antonio Brown had a big drop vs the Raiders, and Mike Wallace has enough to count for an entire season of most teams.  I'm sure he feels as dumb as he looked so I'm just going to leave it at that.

- Penalties are Killer - This has been a crucial aspect of the Steelers on their return / kickoff teams.  Last night in particular SteelerNation had a front row seat to BEAUTIFUL field position blown time and time again due to penalties.  The holding, block in the back, and illegal touching penalties need to stop so the Steelers Offense isn't forced to travel 80+ yards every drive to score points.

- Dwyer Deserves a Spot - Jonathan Dwyer had a great performance last night (making me look like a Fantasy Football GURU as I picked him up on Saturday) and I think if you take away his fumble in Oakland and he has had a great season.  I feel that even if Isaac Redman is healthy enough to play, Tomlin should tell Mr. Redman that he is going to give Dwyer a shot.  Most say Batch could sit, but he is too important / versatile on special teams.  Dwyer did it once...lets see if he can do it again.

- Defense Steps Up...About Time - The defense had been the target of alot of anger in regards to the fans reaction to the early season struggles with the Steelers.  However, the defense responded last night with a HUGE performance in the second half.  Allowing the Bengals to only muster 3 points was impressive.  It wasn't because the Bengals played bad, it was the Steelers' defense that MADE them play poorly.  That is what we are used to seeing out of the Steelers' D...protecting leads and sealing wins.

- No Pass Rush...No Problem - First let me say that Andy Dalton has a very quick release and loves the short passes.  That could be one reason the Steelers barely had any pass rush on the red-headed QB of the Bengals.  Nonetheless, the Steelers defense performed well without getting much pressure on Dalton.  Brett Keisel actually looked like a football player again and not just a guy that loves his beard.  Getting interior pressure forced Dalton into throwing early, and the Steelers had their first batted pass at the line of scrimmage when Ziggy Hood got his mitts on a pass.  If the secondary continues to play the way they did against the Bengals, the pass rush doesn't have to be relentless to win a game...

- Timely Defensive Play - Look back in history and you'll see the Steelers get HUGE timely defensive plays to win games.  Troy's INT of Flacco that was returned for a TD in the AFC Championship Game.  James Harrison's 99yd INT return for a TD in Superbowl 43.  Troy's sack fumble vs the Ravens that sealed the win for the 'Burgh.  I could go on and on.  That is something this defense was missing, until Lamarr Woodley got an early Christmas gift in terms of the INT at the end of the half.  These are the "splash" plays that Tomlin speaks of and the Steelers will need more of them to string together some W's in the next few weeks.

- 3rd Down is OK - The Steelers Offense has THRIVED on 3rd down this season, and it doesn't look like that trend is going to stop anytime soon.  Even vs the Titans when they were just above .500 in terms of 3rd down conversations, they were still considered one of the best 3rd down teams in the NFL.  They continued their solid play on 3rd down vs the Bengals, and those 1st downs keep the ball in the Steelers hands and kill the clock.  Believe it or not, if the Steelers weren't half as good as they are on 3rd down its scary to think about how bad this team might be...

- Backs Against the Wall + Big Game = WIN - For some reason, when the Steelers are in trouble, their backs against a wall, and people are ready to throw them into the junk pile...they find a way to win.  They did it in 2005 when they won 5 straight games to get into the playoffs and won the Superbowl as a 6-seed.  They did it in 2009 when they had the NFL's toughest schedule and eventually went on to win the Superbowl.  With a 2-3 start some people were ready for the Steelers run at being competitive to be over, but I beg to differ.  The Steelers show up when their competition is the best.  Look for the next 3 games to be huge for the Steelers as they play vs the Redskins, @ the NY Giants, and vs the Chiefs on MNF.  All before playing the Ravens.

- Game Ball Goes To.... - This game ball was tough.  It could go to several people.  Jonathan Dwyer, Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis (who had a great game under the radar), the OLine, Ben Roethlisberger, or even Antonio Brown.  I'm going to go a different way and give it to the most underrated player at his position in the NFL - Heath Miller.  His catch in the endzone for a TD and then again for a 2 pt conversion were things of beauty.  Not to mention how he blocks.  His blocks sprung some big plays.  He helped Mike Adams have a decent game.  He is a HUGE part of the offense, and had a HUGE game last night.  Thats why HEEEEEEEEEATH...gets my game ball!