With the 2014 NFL season finally here, the Steelers home opener did not disappoint. After a dominant first half that left empty seats in the stadium at the second half kickoff due to fans thinking it was a blow out, the Browns roared back from a 27-3 deficit that forced Shaun Suisham to kick a game-winning field goal to make it 30-27 as the game clock expired.
The offense seemed to fade away in the second half, as Suisham’s field goal was the only score for the Steelers. However, during the first half, the offense was on fire. With a stellar performance by Le’Veon Bell both receiving AND on the ground (21 attempts for 109 yards, 38 yard TD, and 88 yards receiving on 6 catches), and a great game from Antonio Brown (5 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD), this week’s game ball would have to go to Ben Roethlisberger.
He did force a pass that was intercepted, but it was also a nice play by Karlos Dansby. Aside from that, Big Ben was 23 for 34 with 365 yards and one TD. He was also responsible for possibly the biggest highlight of the game, as he was forced out of the pocket under pressure and made a great throw-on-the-run 35 yards downfield to Brown for a touchdown. He always seemed to find the open man, as he hit five different receivers, and managed the game well, especially on the last drive with only one timeout.
On his very last play, he ran up the middle of the field as the clock was winding down, slid down, hurried the players to the line and spiked the ball to make the game-winning field goal attempt a little easier for Suisham. Along with winning this week’s Pittsburgh Sporting News game ball of the week, he also added his 33rd game winning drive to his resume.
