Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have found some remnants of the team the city of Pittsburgh, and the country have been used to seeing the last 15 years, as they won for the second consecutive week to move to 2-4 on the season. While there is still a lot of work to do for this team, last week’s victory over the hated Baltimore Ravens has to give the team a major boost going into this week’s game on the road in Oakland. More important than just winning the game was the way the Steelers were able to get it done.
After the defense had shut down Joe Flacco for the entire game, only to watch him take the Ravens all the way down the field for a score to tie the game with two minutes left in the game, the Steelers could have panicked. They could have fell apart shortly after that as Emmanuel Sanders’ apparent kickoff return for a touchdown was called back after Sanders was ruled to have stepped out in Steelers territory. However, for the first time all season, Steelers fans were met with a familiar sight from their two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback: a game-winning drive.
Just as he has done countless times in his career, most notably in that gut-wrenching Super Bowl in 2009 against Arizona, Big Ben led his troops down the field in a calculated drive that would position Shaun Suisham for the game-winning field goal. Once the offense did its part, it was up to Suisham to bring the win home, and he came through once again. With the win, not only did the Steelers move to just a half-game behind both the Ravens and Browns, they showed poise and consistency for the first time this year when it mattered most. Antonio Brown and Heath Miller were huge targets for Roetlisberger to throw to, and rookie Le-Veon Bell had a big-time performance on the ground, gaining 93 yards on just 19 carries against a stout Ravens front seven.
The Oakland Raiders await the team next as the Steelers try to move closer to .500 and attempt to further make up for their horrid 0-4 start. With Miller and Bell healthy and producing, the defense stepping up big, and Big Ben showing his trademark patience late in games, the boys in black and gold look poised to get back on track and prove nay-sayers wrong. The team’s quest back to relevance in the AFC North continues this week.
