The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their second win of the season on Sunday with the sweep of a leg. More importantly, the Steelers beat their arch-rival, the Baltimore Ravens, in dramatic, yet ordinary fashion. This is the Steelers that we have become so accustomed to over the years, as they held the opposing offenses to 20 points or less, and established a solid running game.
Ben Roethlisberger didn’t have big numbers by any means, as he finished the day 17-23 for 160 yards and one touchdown. However, Roethlisberger was effective when he needed to be especially on his 28th game-winning game drive of his career. Furthermore, he didn’t cough up the ball or throw any interceptions.
Le’veon Bell is becoming the running back the Steelers and their fans had hoped for. More importantly, he is taking the load off of Roethlisberger to make plays on his own. Bell put up 93 yards rushing on 19 carries against a tough Ravens defense, keeping their defense unbalanced throughout the game. Bell’s combination of durability and agility has been impressive since training camp. On Sunday, Bell impressed once again with plenty of optimism moving forward.
For two straight weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers have picked up two wins against good teams in the NFL. For two straight weeks, the Steelers have had to rely on their kicker for points.
On Nov. 16, 2010, Shaun Suisham signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a tryout, as Jeff Reed had poor outings throughout the 2010 season. On Nov. 28, 2010, Suisham kicked four 40-plus yard field goals (45, 46, 48, and 41 yards) against Buffalo, including the game-winning kick in overtime. No other player in NFL history has kicked four field goals of 40 yards or longer, including an overtime game-winner, in one game, but Suisham has done it twice.
For Suisham, this is just another day at the office, as he hit all four of his field-goal attempts and one extra-point try.
On the season, Suisham is 14-of-14 on his field-goal attempts and 9-of-9 on extra points. Suisham is and has been Mr. Consistent over his career, and is the team MVP up to this point.
At this point, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot more work to do to get back to where they want to be. At 2-4, the Steelers need to improve in the red zone, as field-goals will simply not win games every week. The defense has to create turnovers, and cannot go on cruise control late in games, which allowed the Ravens to score 10 points and accumulate 139 yards.
The offense finally has a running game with a featured back and not a RBBC. The defense has regained their identity of shutting down offenses. The Steelers beat the Ravens with the sweep of a leg.
