Leftwich Leads Steelers to Victory over Redskins

           In a Monday night showdown of two of the NFL’s best teams, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who rose to the occasion to get a convincing 23-6 victory over the Washington Redskins.  The Pittsburgh defense looked as dominate         as ever, but it was backup quarterback, Byron Leftwich, who stole the show.  This win puts the Steelers right back in the Super Bowl picture as they improve their record to 6-2.

           Coming in to this game Washington Redskins’ halfback, Clinton Portis had rushed for over 120 yards in his last three games.  On Monday night, the Steelers’ defense managed to hold Portis to just 51 yards on 13 carries.  Once the Steelers shutdown Portis, they attacked Redskins’ quarterback, Jason Campbell.  Campbell was under tremendous pressure all night by the devastating blitz packages of the Steelers.  The Redskins were just unable to consistently move the football on offense.  Campbell was sacked a total of seven times, as the defense forced him to throw his first two interceptions of the season.  The Steelers’ defense proved why they are ranked number one in the league; it was a truly an outstanding performance.

           While the defense flourished, the Steelers’ offense struggled in the first half.  Ben Roethlisberger did not look sharp and neither did his receivers, as they were consistently dropping balls.  It was the special teams of the Steelers that provided the jolt the offense needed when linebacker, Andre Frazier, blocked a punt late in the second quarter.  This led the Steelers to get their first touchdown of the game, after Ben Roethlisberger scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.  Immediately following the touchdown, Roethlisberger went to the locker room with a shoulder injury.  When he returned, it was on the sidelines, as Byron Leftwich started the second half at quarterback.  

Leftwich began the third quarter with a 50-yard pass to Nate Washington.  This led to Willie Parker’s touchdown run, giving the Steelers a 16-6 lead.  Parker had a solid return carrying the ball 21 times for 70 yards and a touchdown.  But the player to watch on this night was Byron Leftwich.  On the next offensive drive, Leftwich hooked up with Santonio Holmes for a touchdown, to put the game out of reach.  Leftwich ended his spectacular night going 7-10 for 129 yards and a touchdown, a rating of 145.8.

More will be known on the severity of Roethlisberger’s injury on Tuesday afternoon.  If Roethlisberger cannot start on Sunday against the Colts, the team will have rally around Byron Leftwich, who proved on Monday night that he can still play quarterback in the NFL.