Michael C. Smith's Pittsburgh Steelers fan blog

It was the game the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to win to remain serious contenders in the AFC, and a win was exactly what they got.  The Steelers took care of business on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the San Diego Chargers 11-10.  The win improves Pittsburgh’s record to 7-3, but they will little time to celebrate, as they prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night on the NFL Network.

           Prior to the game against the Chargers, there were many people questioning Ben Roethlisberger’s health and his toughness as an NFL quarterback, even calling him “Big Bend” instead of Big Ben.  On this day Roethlisberger silenced his critics going 31 of 41 for 308 yards as he would lead the Steelers down the field for the game winning field goal.  Roethlisberger proved that he can play with an injured shoulder and play quite well.  Halfback, Willie Parker, had a tremendous day after returning from injury as he rushed for 115 yards.  Another player who deserves mention is wide receiver, Hines Ward.  Whenever the Steelers needed a big catch it seemed that Ward was there to pick up the first down.  Ward had eleven catches for 124 yards.

Continue reading "Steelers Win in a Tight One"

The Indianapolis Colts got the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 24-20 victory at Heinz Field Sunday evening.  It was poor decision making and play by Pittsburgh’s offense that cost them the game.  The loss drops the Steelers to 6-3, as they are now tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North.

Coming in to this game the Steelers were once again burdened with injuries to some key starters.  Willie Parker and Lamarr Woodley were both injured, and Ben Roethlisberger started at quarterback with an ailing shoulder.  Filling in for Willie Parker was Mewelde Moore, who could not get the running game going, as he rushed 24 times for just 57 yards.  Moore had two rushing touchdowns, but did not run with consistency.

Continue reading "Colts Upset Steelers, 24-20"

           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.

Continue reading "Leftwich Leads Steelers to Victory over Redskins"

          After coming off a loss to the New York Giants that was hard to swallow last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.  This game is crucial for the Steelers to win, as they do not want to lose two games in a row this deep in to the NFL season.

In order for the Steelers to be successful this week, they must find a way to shut down Washington Redskins’ halfback, Clinton Portis.  Portis is having a career year rushing for 944 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging 5 yards a carry.  It will be up to the defense of the Steelers to not let Portis have a big night, and force Jason Campbell to throw the football.

           It appears that Willie Parker will play on Monday night, but the question is how much?  Look for Willie to complement Mewelde Moore in the backfield, probably getting 10 to 15 carries.  If Pittsburgh’s running attack with Parker and Moore stays consistent and the offensive line protects Ben Roethlisberger, I see the Steelers coming out with a win in D.C.   

Continue reading "Steelers/Redskins: Quick Preview"

The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short against the New York football Giants in a 21-14 loss at Heinz Field late Sunday afternoon.  The Giants’ defense was just too much for the Steelers as they pressured Ben Roethlisberger all day, forcing him to throw four interceptions and being sacked five times.  Many thought this game could be a Super Bowl preview, but it is apparent that the Steelers will have to improve if they want to make it to the big game in February.  

Much of game was a defensive struggle between the two teams.  But it was the Giants who stepped up and scored 12 unanswered points in the 4th quarter that propelled them to victory over the Steelers.  After a bad snap on a punt caused the Steelers to take a safety, it was Eli Manning hooking up with Kevin Boss for a touchdown pass that would end up being the game winning score.  Manning finished the day going 19-32 for 199 yards and a touchdown pass.

Continue reading "Steelers Suffer a Disappointing Loss Against Giants"

          It may not have started out as a game that would be dominated by the Steelers, but it sure ended as one.  The Pittsburgh Steelers got an important victory in Cincinnati against the rival Bengals Sunday afternoon.  The victory puts Pittsburgh at 5-1, as they continue to have sole possession of first place in the AFC North. 

           The Steelers offense appeared to sputter after their first two scoring drives in the first half.  After coming out for the second half leading 10-7, the Steelers’ offense would catch fire and end up scoring twenty- eight points in the second half.  Ben Roethlisberger played brilliantly going 17-28 for 216 yards and two touchdown passes.  The offensive line also did a spectacular job on Sunday, giving Roethlisberger plenty of time in the pocket and only allowing him to be sacked once.  But, the offense player of the game has to be halfback, Mewelde Moore.  Moore was impressive on Sunday as he started for Willie Parker, who was reinjured in practice this week.  Moore carried the ball 20 times for 120 yards, and scoring three touchdowns.

Continue reading "Steelers Smash Bengals 38-10"

After coming off of a much needed and deserving bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be meeting the winless Bengals on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.  Although this may appear to be an easy win for the Steelers, they must be prepared to play their best and not let this become a “trap” game.  The Bengals would like nothing better than to get an upset over the first place Steelers.  As we learned from Week 6, teams cannot afford to overlook any game, just ask the Giants or Redskins. 

            The Steelers seem to be getting healthy at just the right time.  Defensive End, Brett Keisel, is expected to play Sunday after missing three games with a calf injury.  Willie Parker is listed as day-to-day, but the Steelers are still hoping he will be able to start against the Bengals.  The bye week may not have been more important to anybody than Ben Roethlisberger.    Roethlisberger has been hit early and often since the start of the season.  This bye week was essential to Ben’s health this season.  Hopefully it gave him ample time to rest up and recover from his strained shoulder.   

Continue reading "Steelers Travel to Ohio to Face Bengals in Week 7"

           The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Sunday night’s game not even close to one hundred percent, but no one could measure the amount of determination they showed to get an impressive 26-21 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The win puts the Steelers’ record at 4-1 as they sit alone atop the AFC North.  The Steelers will now head in to a much needed bye week, before heading to Cincinnati to take on the rival Bengals October 19th.

           After weeks of not being able to consistently move the ball down the field, the Steelers’ offense did it with relative ease Sunday night.  The offensive line played very solid for the second straight week, only allowing three total sacks.  Ben Roethlisberger looked comfortable all night, and he had plenty of time to scan the field and find his open receivers.  Roethlisberger was just in a zone on Sunday night.  He was 26-41 for 309 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, a rating of 100.6.  The Pittsburgh running game also performed well against the Jaguars.  Mewelde Moore carried the ball for 99 yards on 17 attempts, one of the carries came on the final drive for the Steelers, Moore broke to the outside for a 27-yard gain. Gary Russell carried 6 times for 25 yards.  The primary role of Najeh Davenport was to return kickoffs; he gained 70 yards on 3 attempts.

Continue reading "Steelers Get a Big Win in Jacksonville"

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars will be meeting this Sunday under the primetime lights of Sunday Night Football.  The Steelers will be seeking vengeance in Jacksonville after the Jaguars beat the Steelers 31-29, in the AFC Wild Card Game last year at Heinz Field.  For the Steelers, it was a disappointing end to a promising season.  A win by Pittsburgh would really help solidify them as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the AFC, but it is going to be tough task with an injury ridden running game.

With Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall and Carey Davis all out with injuries, the only halfback left on the Steelers' depth chart Tuesday morning was Mewelde Moore.  Due to these circumstances, the Steelers have signed two familiar faces, Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell.  Davenport’s last carry came against the Jaguars in the 2007 AFC Wild Card loss.  In his career with the Steelers, Davenport has 763 rushing yards and three touchdowns.  Gary Russell is a second year pro, who was brought up from the Steelers practice squad this week. He has 7 carries in his career for 21 rushing yards.

Continue reading "Steelers Hurting, but Still Seeking Vengeance in Jacksonville"

The Monday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was a roller coaster ride to say the least.  The Steelers offense looked dismal in the first half and it appeared as though the Ravens were going to win their third straight, as they headed in to the locker-room at halftime, leading 13-3. But, the Steelers made adjustments and looked like a new offense in the second half, as they battled back and beat the Ravens 23-20 in overtime.

The concern coming in to the game was the Steelers’ offensive line who gave up nine sacks the week before against the Philadelphia Eagles.  After allowing an early sack on Roethlisberger, the offensive line played pretty solid the rest of the night, only allowing three total sacks.  It was Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Joe Flacco, who needed protection the most.  Flacco was sacked five times and fumbled twice; one fumble was picked up by LaMarr Woodley and returned for a touchdown. 

Continue reading "Steelers Survive Monday Night Football"