The Steelers opened the 2008 season with an impressive 38-17 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at Heinz Field. The offense looked unstoppable at times, as the defense controlled the tempo of the game. The win gives fans a sense of what the Steelers could be capable of in this 2008 season.
Many believe that the Achilles heel of the Steelers this season will be the strength of the offensive line and their ability to protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The offensive line looked very solid, only giving up two sacks on Roethlisberger, as he completed 13-14 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns to Hines Ward. Willie Parker also had a big day scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 138 yards.
The defense looked dominating throughout most of the afternoon, as Texan quarterback, Matt Schaub, never appeared to get in a rhythm. The Steelers shut down Houston’s running game, while the pass-defense appeared strong. The powerful defense of Pittsburgh forced two interceptions and one fumble, while sacking Schaub five times.
It may just be Week 1 of the NFL season, but one thing is for certain when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans, you can’t ask for a much better start.
Keywords: NFL Week 1, Roethlisberger, Steelers, Texans
Comments
Roethlisberger racked up a jaw-dropping passer rating of 147.0 in that game, can you believe it? Yeah, it's only one game, but I think it proves the Pittsburgh philosophy that a solid ground game and an economy of well-selected passes get the job done. I'm pretty happy with Kemoeatu and Hartwig on the O-line replacing Faneca and Mahan, though I was disappointed that Mario Williams got to Ben twice anyway. I'm hoping that will improve quickly.
I'm disappointed we didn't get to see more of Mewelde Moore, and Rashard Mendenhall didn't show us too much. Of course, with Parker and Ward absolutely crushing the Texans, we didn't really need much from Moore, Mendenhall and Leftwich