Survival and the Steelers
I heard it all week, the Steelers “survived” the Bengals. It’s accurate. They were beating the Bengals, beating them handily too, but then let them hang around and get back into the game with a really, really good chance to win.
I don’t understand why the Steelers just can’t finish anyone off. It’s perplexing. Is it that everyone is tired by the fourth quarter? I have no other explanation why a top ranked defense and a top 10 QB and a consistent offense can’t just finish the job for once.
What’s even bothering me a bit more this week is that the offense is back to boring. Ben is a great quarterback, he is, but when he was out, there seemed to be some spark to the offense. They couldn’t do the job with the predictable run run pass program, so they threw in some trick plays, some spark and got it done. Why does that have to go away just because Ben is back? In fact, wouldn’t even be better with Ben at the helm?
Let me say this, I want excitement Steelers…and not just 4th quarter win by the seat of our pants after giving up points kind of excitement. I’m bored with the playcalling already and Ben’s only been back a couple few weeks.
There is no way the Bengals should have had the opportunity to come back into that game like that. It makes absolutely no sense.
And that my friends, is my rant on the Cincy game. I hope they have it more together for this week because the Pats will take advantage of every opportunity provided.
My Steelers-Pats predictions coming soon.
Anthony Battaglia:
November 13th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
You’ll find that once ‘most teams’ are ahead by 2 TD+ by the last quarter, they’ll start thinking of winding the clock by running the ball down and very tediously too. That’s what I’ve discovered. Two of those 3 & out drives (play-calling) was so predictable that it was inevitable that the Cinci D was going to smother the RUN game. That end around attempt by Randle El was so obvious too.. I anticipated something like a trick play where one of the guards pulls out and leads the block in the opposite direction. That didn’t happen. Too predictable Steelers. Knew the Bengals were going to make a comeback. Credit to them for not throwing in the towel after trailing 27-7 in the 4th. I’ve always had appreciation of the way the Bellichick Pats of 2007 kept CRUSHING their opposition.. but at the end of the day..knowing how to grind out games is the essence to winning championships. That’s why the Pats missed out. Shoot-outs were their only close games. Hopefully the Steelers can lift the ante in December and go on with it in January.
I feel good about this week. The Pats are a shadow of themselves compared to the 2007 version. Steelers 37-14.