Steelers in same position as last year … 2-1 and at crossroads
PITTSBURGH (AP) – For two games and three quarters, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season was exactly what they expected it to be, and everything it was a year ago. The running game was smooth, efficient and, for a change, more fleet afoot than before with Willie Parker getting the carries rather than Jerome Bettis or Duce Staley. An almost error-free Ben Roethlisberger threw sparingly but effectively. The defense was among the league’s best, disruptive and, at times, dominating.
It’s that one final quarter that potentially has them at a crossroads as they enter a break week that arrives when they would rather be playing following last weekend’s 23-20 loss to New England.
Now, it appears they can follow one of two paths the rest of the season.
Do they bounce back from that 13-point Patriots fourth quarter, and a second loss to New England in three home games dating to January’s AFC title game, and be the force they were expected to be in the AFC? Or do they continue to show the flaws, tendencies and weaknesses they displayed against the Patriots that were not always corrected?
For example, the Patriots gave Roethlisberger so many looks defensively, he looked indecisive at times and frequently ran the play clock down to the final second or two before taking the snap. The Patriots’ offense also exploited the Steelers cornerbacks’ tendency to guard against the deep ball late in games by completing pass after pass underneath the coverage, notably during the late drive that led to Adam Vinatieri’s winning field goal.
When the Patriots exposed a similar pass coverage weakness in 2002, it took the Steelers’ defense nearly half the season to get the problem corrected.
“We’re the same closeknit group we were last season, but our expectations are much higher, and that’s where the negative comes in that we’re not playing like we want to play,” safety Chris Hope said. “We were a little off, at crucial times in the game, and it paid off for the Patriots.”
All-Pro guard Alan Faneca also said the Steelers were troubled by the loss, but don’t expect their season to unravel because of it.
“It’s going to be fine,” he said. “We’ve definitely got some things to work … but anybody who thinks we’re going to get tripped on this game and go downhill is thinking the wrong thing. We’re going to do nothing but get better.”
That’s what they did a year ago when they also were 2-1 and were beginning a 14-game regular season winning streak, all but the first game with Roethlisberger starting. This season, he was near perfect in easy wins over Tennessee (34-7) and Houston (27-7), but mostly ineffective against the Patriots outside of two TD passes to Hines Ward.
When the Steelers get back on the field Oct. 10 at San Diego following a 15-day layoff, the challenge will be to get back to playing the way they did in those first two games and not like they did for that final 15 minutes against New England.
OK, counting the extra time accidentally added to that quarter by the clock operator, that final 15 minutes, 52 seconds.
Staley (knee) and Bettis (calf) figure to be fully healthy, so the challenge will be to get them enough carries to stay sharp without cutting into Parker’s production (327 yards in three games). The Patriots kept Parker from getting outside and, if other teams can successfully copy that scheme, it might force the Steelers to go back to their traditional power running game.
“Everybody’s going to be back, so it’s going to be a plus for our offense,” Parker said. “You’ve got to get into a rhythm, but we can do it.”
The defense will be without one of its best players, linebacker Clark Haggans (three sacks, three forced fumbles) until at least Nov. 6 and possibly beyond following groin surgery. He and safety Troy Polamalu have been the most influential defensive players so far, and it will be a challenge for James Harrison – who, like Parker, was an undrafted free agent – to play at a level resembling Haggans’.
Most importantly, the Steelers need Roethlisberger to show the command of the offense he had for two games, when it looked like the dreaded and oft-discussed sophomore jinx would not affect him.
“We’re still a great team,” Ward said.
“It’s one loss. We didn’t play particularly well but still had a chance to win the game against the Super Bowl champions. We’ve got to learn from it and get better, and get a lot of guys healthy and come back and make this 13-game run.”