Steelers stop RG3 and the Redskins
The Steelers finally pushed their record above .500 when they beat the Washington Redskins 27-12 on Sunday. More importantly, they made up valuable ground on the Baltimore Ravens, who are currently in first place in the AFC North.
The Steelers wore throwback jerseys during the game that made them look like human bumblebees. But despite their unusual appearance, the Steelers played extremely well.
The Steelers were able to hold the Redskins to only 86 rushing yards. Coming into the game, the Redskins had been the top rushing team in the NFL.
But even more impressive was the fact that the Steelers were able to shut down star rookie Robert Griffin III. Griffin came into the game as the NFL’s 6th leading rusher, while also completing 70% of his passes. That’s an incredible combination. But against the Steelers, Griffin completed only 16 of 34 passes for 177 yards, and was held to only 8 yards rushing. Of course, Griffin’s statistics weren’t helped by the fact that his receivers dropped 10 passes. The Redskins receivers looked eerily like Mike Wallace looked last week.
Speaking of Wallace, he made a remarkable recovery from last week, and actually held onto the ball. He ended up as the team’s top receiver on Sunday, catching 7 passes for 62 yards.
But perhaps the best performance of the day was turned in by running back Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer had his second 100+ yard rushing performance, as he ran for 107 yards on 17 carries. But what has impressed me most is how Dwyer has been running. He’s been a downhill runner who has started reminding Steelers fans of Jerome Bettis.
Now the Steelers have to prepare to face another NFC East opponent. They will travel to New York to face Eli Manning and the New York Giants. The Giants are the defending NFL champions, so this game is sure to provide a test for the Steelers.
Go Steelers!
RG3′s official welcome to the NFL!
The kid looked good; considering.
Good for him.
That said … Steelers played well.
Not much has been said in the media or many blogs about the return of big Max and how important he’s been. He’s a key player.
Also Willie is one bad dude and it’s easy to see why he is a favorite of Ben’s.
Big test coming up and I bet the Steelers are chomping at the bit to get after the Giants.
1Is Dwyer hitting the holes more decisively or are there more holes because of improved line play and inferior opposing defenses. Likely, its a combination of all-three. Dwyer had many runs yesterday where he was untouched as he passed through the line, including end runs where Steeler O-men succeeded in sealing the edge. This raises the question, which Tomlin must face this week if he has more healthy backs, of whom to start. Dwyer’s back-to-back 100+ yard weeks cannot be ignored however Mendy is the more complete back with speed, elusiveness, a good stiff arm and some power, capable backfield blocking and soft hands for receiving the ball. Dwyer cannot match this array of skills but he does have more power and hits the hole decisively.
2HP,
I wasn’t so impressed with RG3 on Sunday, but the statistics that he’s put up prior to Sunday have definitely been impressive. He’s the real deal.
Big Max is always a welcome addition to the Steelers’ offensive line. The Steelers probably take a bigger hit when he’s out of the lineup than any other offensive lineman.
I can’t wait for next week’s game. The Giants are obviously the reigning champs. It will be nice to see the Steelers beat them.
3Dan,
I agree with you. IMO Steelers fans have been going a little too far in anointing Dwyer as the next great Steelers running back.
Yes, he’s had 2 good games. But does anyone remember all of the mediocre games, and how happy we were to see Mendenhall return?
As you mentioned, Mendy has the best array of skills of all of the Steelers running backs. When he’s healthy, he’s definitely the starter. But the player who is in trouble is Isaac Redman. Dwyer is slowly surpassing Redman on the depth chart.
4Really? RG3 was better than I thought he would be.
Made some nice passes and his concentration/execution was pretty good for year 1 and playing in Pittsburgh! Remember Elway’s debut? 83 opener in Pittsburgh!(haha)
Also those 10 drops are incredibly bad.They catch 7 or 8 of them and he’s right there at the top stats and it’s likely a different game. Ten drops!
RG3 got whacked hard and no complaints. Shook it off.
All in all real good demeanor whole game.
I see his weakness as physically not big or strong enough.
5Guess we’ll see how he does when the big guys start falling on him a little..
@Admin
I agree with you but Redman is still probably the best pure power runner who I would most trust with the toughest yards in front of him. My hope is that the success is due more to the line and all three backs can have success behind them. They certainly are doing a better job of keeping Ben clean, combined with more quick, high-percentage passes. If we can continue to keep the running game going, we can set-up some longer balls with more traditional play-action pass instead of Ben’s normal school yard scrambles which end in bombs or QB injuries.
6