The Steelers picked up a very hard fought victory, but again at a heavy cost as Ben Roethlisberger went down. With my entire immediate family in attendance and with a great crowd the Steelers pulled out the win after a crazy fourth quarter.
It was a huge day for DeAngelo Williams filling in for injured Le’Veon Bell. He banged out a career-high 170 yards on 27 carries and scored two touchdowns and also caught two passes for 55 yards. He also had a huge 53-yard run that set up the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and he carried three times for 37 yards on the winning field goal drive, including almost winning when he was pushed out of the one yard line. As great as his day was, he didn’t put up the best numbers on the field!
That was Antonio Brown, who absolutely lit up the Raiders! He put together best statistical game in franchise history with an unbelievable 17 catches for 284 yards including a 57-yard catch with 0:45 remaining to set up the winning field goal. Brown had 10 catches for 180 yards in the first half including receptions of 59 and 41 yards that set up touchdowns. He had a tremendous day. Martavis Bryant and the rookie Jesse James also contributed with TD catches.
Ben Roethlisberger looked a little rusty but trusted his playmakers to get him out of trouble. He finished with 334 yards passing before an injury to his foot sent him from the game. Landry Jones relieved him and he came away with game winning drive, setting up a “Little” Bos field goal for the win.
With the HUGE exception of the sack, that sent Ben from the game, the Offensive line completely dominated the Raiders up front. Coming into the game the Raiders had the number two run defense in the league…I am guessing not anymore. Khalil Mack was shutout and had no tackles and was non existent all game. The Steelers rushed for 195 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry!
The defense had a very strange and uneven game. The score didn’t indicate how they played. They made several big plays especially Mike Mitchell who forced a key fumble after a Steelers turnover. In all the secondary helped force four turnovers. Nickel back Ross Cockrell had a big interception in the end zone which should have sealed the game. Antwon Blake and William Gay hung tough the whole day.
The linebackers and defensive line were non-existent all day. The Raiders gashed the Steelers both running the ball, and David Carr did an excellent job nullifying the Steelers pass rush with quick throws. It was obvious the game plan was to throw the Steelers off balance and they had a hard time adjusting to Carr’s tempo.
The special teams made one of the biggest plays on the day and it was actually a positive one! Roosevelt Nix drilled Taiwan Jones and Anthony Chickillo recovered the fumble, setting up another touchdown 49 seconds later for a 35-21 lead. Little Bos had his first miss of the year but came through when the Steelers needed him for the victory!
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: DUH Antonio Brown, who just lit up the board on Sunday, the performance speaks for itself. Also Considered: DeAngelo Williams who chewed up the ground game! Seriously, they were unstoppable.
Where I watched the game: At Heinz Field baby! Awesome tailgate with the Beer We Go Steelers, Original Chapter at the “Terrible Bra and Grille”. Absolutely phenomenal. This years special guest was none other than Frenchy Fuqua, who was a cool a character as there has ever been. This included kissing KGB’s hand and speaking french to her. The Beer of choice was IC Light of course and we drank Yuengling in the Game. The Beer of choice for the “Tailgate Kids” including “Little Miss Tailgate” was Barqs Root Beer! KGB and I had a great time as did our five kids. Tom Janicki was a gracious host and shared his cape with the kids during the game! E-Rock and I whiffed though on meeting Mark Davis (Raiders Owner) at the end!
My Stat of the week: 17 monster catches for Antonio Brown, the new Steelers record! Absolutely a great player and someone to watch.
My thoughts on Next Week: There is some intrigue because with out Ben this could be a Johnny Football v. Landry Rematch from their college days for Texas and OU. While the Browns are in trouble, it is easy to forget that they decimated the Steelers last time they played. The Steelers will grind this one out, but trust me, this is no cake walk, especially without Ben!