In beating the New York Jets by a score of 19-9 on Sunday, the Steelers finally got their first win of the season to move to 1-4 on the season. Although it is small consolation that the team was able to take care of business against a rookie quarterback, the Steelers finally seemed to get a rhythm on both sides of the ball that had sorely been missing through the season’s first four games.
The black and gold defense shut down Geno Smith, who was coming off a ridiculous performance last week on Monday Night Football, and forced him into two late interceptions. The interception by Ryan Clark in the third quarter not only thwarted a driving Smith, it was also the Steeler D’s first turnover of the season. It is now Week 7. While it is still unclear whether that statistic is encouraging or depressing for Steelers fans, the big pick by Clark helped the Steelers regain momentum in the game and close out the home team for good. Oddly enough, the second turnover for the 2013 edition of the Steelers defense came in the fourth quarter, once again in Jets territory. Lawrence Timmons stepped in front of a pass to the end zone and that sealed the game. The defense also shut out the Jets in the second half.
On the opposite side of the ball, Big Ben connected with six receivers for over 250 yards through the air, and none of his 30 pass attempts were more important than his 55-yard play-action bomb to Emmanuel Sanders that stretched the lead to ten and showed the type of creativity and flair that has been sorely lacking this year. In addition to Roethlisberger’s passing performance, wideout Antonio Borwn also got in on the fun, tossing a 15 yard completion to Felix Jones. Brown and tight end Heath Miller continued to carry the load in the passing game, with Sanders contributing as well.
The balance for the team was not there, however, as Le’Veon Bell and Felix Jones struggled to get anything going. If the offensive line can get healthy and form a better chemistry with Roethlisberger, then the offense could take a huge leap forward as the team enters the heart of its schedule.
One game does not tell the story of a season up to this point, but the road win for the Steelers was a much-needed one and gives the team at least a little confidence going into its Week 7 matchup with division rival Baltimore at Heinz Field this Sunday. The defense will surely be up for the challenge of stopping Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and Torrey Smith, but can the offense do its part to pick apart the stout Ravens front seven? For better or for worse, Steeler Nation is about to find out.
