Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

When fans and television announcers saw Ben Roethlisberger go down in the first half of Thurday’s game, most thought there was no way that he could possibly return.  Ben’s leg got badly twisted while being tackled by the Browns.  Roethlisberger couldn’t stand or walk on his own, and had to be helped off the field.

Based on the way his leg got twisted, some thought that it might be a season-ending injury.  Little did they know that Big Ben is actually from Krypton.

Ben's leg gets badly twisted

To the surprise of fans and announcers alike, Roethlisberger came limping out of the tunnel after halftime.  I assumed that he was going to watch the second half from the sidelines, but to my surprise, he started warming up.

Not only did Big Ben warm up, but he actually started the second half under center.  He went on to perform better in the second half than he did in the first half, despite limping the entire time.

In the first half, Roethlisberger completed 8 of 9 passes for 102 yards.  In the second half, he was 8 of 12 for 178 yards.

But Roethlisberger wasn’t the only hero of this game.  Nope, if Big Ben was Superman, then Antonio Brown was Batman.

Brown led the team with 5 catches for 151 yards, including the 79 yard touchdown reception that put the game away for good.

And let’s not forget about William Gay, who must have been Green Lantern in this super hero themed game.  The Steelers were leading 7-3 late in the fourth quarter, but the Browns were driving.  They got the ball deep into Steelers territory, and the Steelers’ defense didn’t look like they were going to be able to stop them.  A touchdown would have given the Browns a 10-7 lead with little time left on the clock.  Fortunately, Gay intercepted a pass in the end zone, putting an end to the Brown’s hopes.

William Gay intercepts pass in the end zone

The Steelers ended up putting 7 more points on the board on Roethlisberger’s long TD pass to Antonio Brown.  That’s how the score got to be 14-3.  But Gay’s interception was really the nail in the Browns’ coffin.

With the win, the Steelers take a temporary lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.  The Steelers and Ravens were tied atop the AFC North, but the Ravens have an advantage because they’ve beaten the Steeler twice.  So the Steelers need a Ravens loss if they’re going to have any hope of winning the division.

Despite the fact that the Indianapolis Colts are 0-12, and have the worst record in the NFL, I’m sure that every Steelers fan will be rooting for the Colts this weekend when they play the Ravens.

I sure wish Peyton Manning was from Krypton too.  But it looks like Big Ben is the only Kryptonian quarterback in the NFL.

It’s week 14 in the NFL, and the Steelers have yet to face their AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns.  But that will change tonight.

The Steelers will face the Browns in 2 of their final 4 games of the 2011 regular season.  The first of those two games will be played tonight at 8:20pm ET at Heinz Field.

Tonight’s game will be be aired on NFL Network, and the weatherman is calling for frigid temperatures.  According to Weather.com, the temperature should be right at the freezing point when the game begins, but the wind chill is going to make it feel like the temperature is in the mid-20′s.  Fortunately, there’s no snow in the forecast, so cold temperatures should be the only weather-related obstacle tonight.

I don’t think either team is particularly worried about the weather.  After all, this is a Steelers/Browns game in December.  Did anyone expect the temperature to be in the 70′s?

The Steelers and Browns are two teams that seem to be heading in opposite directions.  The 9-3 Steelers are fighting for playoff position, while the 4-8 Browns are tied for the 5th worst record in the NFL, and have little to fight for except a higher draft pick.

However, despite their low standings, the Browns aren’t likely to roll over and hand the Steelers a win.  We all know that pride is on the line anytime Pittsburgh and Cleveland face one another.

Following last week’s lopsided win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers seem to be clicking on all cylinders.  They turned in a strong performance in all 3 phases of the game, and seem to be peaking at just the right time.

The Browns, on the other hand, seem to be heading in the opposite direction.  They’ve lost 5 of their last 6 games, and don’t look like a team that can challenge the Steelers.

The Steelers have beaten the Browns in 14 of their last 15 meetings, and the Browns don’t appear to have the weapons needed to stop that trend.

Fortunately for the Browns, running back Peyton Hillis is expected to play tonight despite being listed as questionable.  Hillis has missed much of the season with a hip injury.  He provides yet more proof that the Madden Curse is real.

Browns quarterback Colt McCoy will also be playing at less than 100%.  McCoy suffered a sprained right knee last week against the Baltimore Ravens.  However, he missed only one play during that game, and has practiced all week for the Browns despite a noticeable limp.

On the Steelers’ side of the ball, LaMarr Woodley sat out most of the second half last week.  But that was mostly because the Steelers had a big lead at half-time.  Woodley is expected to start tonight, but don’t be surprised if the Steelers pull him if they get a big lead.

I expect to see the Steelers win in convincing fashion tonight.  28-9 sounds about right.

Go Steelers!!!

The Steelers entered the game expecting to do battle with a pack of ferocious tigers.  But instead, they faced a litter of gentle kittens.  At least that’s what it seemed like when the Steelers played the Cincinnati Bengals today.

The Bengals entered the game as surprising playoff hopefuls who were only one game behind the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North.  A win over the Steelers would help keep the Bengals in playoff contention, and announce to the world that Cincinnati was ready to play with the big boys.

But none of that would matter, as the Steelers easily bested the over-matched Bengals 35-7.

The Steelers set the tone for the game on the Bengals first offensive possession.  The Bengals  tried to go for a field goal from within the red zone, and the Steelers blocked it.  From there, things got even worse for the Bengals.

The Steelers scored 4 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter, and put the game out of reach before halftime.  Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 2 touchdowns, Ben Roethlisberger threw a TD pass to Mike Wallace, and Antonio Brown returned a punt for another touchdown.

Antonio Brown returns punt for TD

By the time the 2nd half began, the Steelers already enjoyed a 28-7 lead.  But Big Ben threw another touchdown pass to Mike Wallace in the 3rd quarter to give the Steelers a 35-7 lead, and put the game out of reach for good.

Other Steelers notes:

• Hines Ward led the Steelers with 5 catches, and became the 19th receiver in NFL history to accumulate 12,000 career receiving yards.

• James Harrison had 3 sacks, and increased his season total to 8 sacks.  That leaves him one sack behind LaMarr Woodley’s team leading 9 sacks.