Whiz & Grimm Get the Last Laugh on Steelers
Arizona 21 - Pittsburgh 14
“If I never see your face again I won’t feel so sad”
- Maroon 5
Pittsburgh came out flat and stayed flat. The entire team will remember this one as “one we should have won” if only they had shown up to play.
Quick Thoughts
This was a sloppy game by the Steelers. Whiz and Grimm exact their revenge by pulling off the upset.
Very poor special teams. I’ve said it before: the kick coverage is not looking good. Well, Pittsburgh proved that today. Just think how bad it could have been had they not spent the entire training camp focusing on special teams!
Special Teams did well, too. How about that Daniel Sepulveda? Great kicking! His punts really pinned the Browns on a number of occasions.
Offense? What offense? No running game to speak of. Why? I believe it was inconsistent play from the offensive line in both pass protection & run blocking. I know this isn’t true, but I wondered if the line played so poorly to pay Grimm & Whiz their respects. I mean, come on. How many false starts do we normally have in a game? That was just plain uncharacteristic of the Steelers.
The pass defense looked suspect, too. This could spell trouble. The Steelers play Seattle next week and you know that Mike Holmgren likes to throw. I believe that if there’s one weakness Dick LeBeau defenses have had it’s covering a hurry-up style offense. There have been plenty of times when Pittsburgh gives up points at the end of halves. I believe the reason is that the Steelers defense is not well-suited to defend a fast-paced offensive series. Hopefully, Carson Palmer isn’t reading this blog.
Hidden Play of the Game
“Hidden Plays” are the ones you rarely see in the highlights, but they are key performances that help determine the outcome of a game.
The Cardinials ahead 14-7 in the 4th quarter facing 4th & 1 at the Pittsburgh 24. Whisenhunt makes a gutsy call and opts to go for it and the Cards convert. That first down helped set up the game winning touchdown.
Missed Opportunites
“Missed Opportunities” are the crucial points in a game that teams fail to take advantage of. The consequences can sometimes be disasterous.
With the score 7-7 late in the 3rd quarter, Pittsburgh recovers a Kurt Warner fumble. The offense begins the drive at the Arizona 4 yard line. Anything short of a touchdown on this 4 yard drive could completely deflate the offense and Ben, looking like last year’s Ben, did just that by throwing a rediculous pick in the end zone. They needed a TD with the short field to gain some sort of confidence to get back in the game.
Quote of the Game
“”That had all the makings of a typical loss.”
- Mike Tomlin
So what’s your analysis of the game? Come and tell the Swami what you think!