Another week, another injury.
Despite of record setting day by Antonio Brown in a thrilling 38-35 win over the upstart Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field, the Pittsburgh Steelers once again were dealt a significant blow on the injury front, losing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a foot injury that will likely cost him multiple weeks.
It certainly takes some of the luster off of a thrilling win that pushed the Steelers to 5-4 and helped separate them from the rest of the AFC Wild Card hopefuls, but the show will go on.
Let’s look at the best and worst from yesterday’s win.
Three up:
*So that Antonio Brown guy is pretty good. Covering the game from Heinz Field yesterday made Brown’s 17-catch, 284-yard performance all the more impressive, if that’s even possible. No matter what the Raiders attempted to do, Brown was running free; the footwork, the hands, the ability to operate in space–it’s all something to behold.
Brown had four catches over 40 yards in the game, including two that set up touchdowns in the first half. His 57- yard pass catch on the final winning field goal drive was spectacular and came right after a questionable call nullified a long catch by Brown.
Also of note is the fact that Roethlisberger just missed a wide open Brown on a long pass that would have been a sure 53-yard touchdown and then on Brown’s 59-yard catch in the second quarter, a better pass would have hit him in stride would have been an 83-yard TD.
Those two plays would have pushed Brown towards the 400-yard plateau and would have shattered the Rams Willie “Flipper” Anderson’s NFL record of 339 yards in a game set in 1989.
*It’s easy to look at the numbers and be critical of the Steelers secondary. Derek Carr threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns on the day including two fourth quarter strikes that erased a 14-point deficit. However, the secondary played well, led by outstanding coverage on the outside by Antwon Blake and Willie Gay.
Nickel back Ross Cockrell spent much of the day matched up on rookie sensation Amari Cooper and held him at bay most of the afternoon. Cockrell’s fourth quarter interception with less than five minutes remaining thwarted a Oakland drive and was a key play in the game.
Safety Mike Mitchell had another solid game and terrorized Oakland receivers all day with punishing hits.
*Let me be the first to admit I was wrong about DeAngelo Williams. When the 32-year old veteran back was signed this off-season, I was skeptical he could be a viable fill-in for Le’Veon Bell. So much for that, as Williams has surpassed the century mark in all three starts this season, and yesterday had 170 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries along with an additional 55 yards on two catches.
What’s interesting is Williams showed a lot of Bell yesterday. His patience and shiftiness was Bell-like, and it shows that even a veteran back like Williams might be learning a few tricks from the injured All-Pro.
Three down:
*Considering the fact that Carr was not sacked all day and rarely was pressured the entire game, the fact that he was only able to complete 54.5 percent of his passes is a miracle. It was not a banner day for the Steelers front seven by any stretch, as they were unable to win matchups against the Oakland offensive line.
Not only did the Steelers fail to register a sack, the Raiders gashed the defense for 139 yards on the ground. Both Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward had tough days after Tuitt’s return from a knee sprain and Heyward becoming a father Saturday night.
Absolutely no excuse for leaving Lawrence Timmons on an island with Raiders wide out Michael Crabtree on his game tying touchdown late in the fourth, and it was a prime example of one of many plays where Steelers defenders were out of position.
*Not exactly a banner debut for new return specialist Jacoby Jones. However, let’s tell it like it is; the blocking on the kick return group is awful and gave Jones little chance to make an impact. Maybe it was not all on Dri Archer after all?
The Steelers return game has been downright abysmal all year and with so many injuries to deal with on offense, this group must start contributing. Maybe it’s time to start looking at more than just the return specialists and determine if the blockers can do their jobs?
*How many more injuries can the Steelers take before it becomes too much to overcome? Not only is the sheer numbers of injuries incredible, they keep happening to the players the Steelers can’t afford to lose. Once again Roethlisberger will miss multiple games with a foot sprain, meaning Landry Jones will once again be asked to fill in as the starter.
Jones seems to play his best coming off the bench, demonstrated by orchestrating the game winning drive yesterday. The question now becomes can Jones step in as the starter and make plays through the course of a game? The good news is the Steelers will host the 2-6 Browns this week before heading into their bye week. The bad news is the Steelers will likely have travel to Seattle and try and win with Jones at quarterback.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
