In a high scoring battle on the gridiron Sunday night, the Steelers
pleased their home crowd with a 38-28 victory over San Diego. The first
three quarters were dominated by the black and gold, as they led 28-0 at
one point. Had it not been for a Charger onside kick and a fumble
recovery to the house on a kickoff (that Coach Tomlin argued to be
forward progress), this game would have been a legitimate blowout.
In the first half the Steelers, sporting their throwback jerseys,
led by their fearless quarterback, simply could not be stopped.
Big Ben Roethlisberger, trendy in his pink breast cancer attire,
ended up slinging for 333 yards (26 for 33) and two td’s. Running
back Rashard Mendenhall, filling in for injured Willie Parker
(turf toe) had his coming out party and showed the whole league
what he is made of. 165 yards, just shy of 6 yards a carry and 2
td’s ain't too bad for the man’s first start, especially after
playing no downs last week against Cincy. It will be interesting
to see what happens when Fast Willie is healthy and returns to the
lineup, as the Steelers’ running game was at its’ best this week
with the Illinois product. As for the defense, concerns still
linger without Troy Polamalu in the lineup, as the pass defense
remains suspect and Troy still has the teams’ only interception of
the year. Reigning defensive MVP James Harrison was a bright spot
though, finishing with two sacks, five tackles, and a forced
fumble. Blitzburgh is not yet in mid-season form by any means,
shutting down LT (7 carries, 15 yards), but Philip Rivers had a
solid night, passing for 254 yards and 3 td’s.
One of the highlights of the game was in the third quarter, as
Mewelde Moore threw a beautiful rainbow to Heath Miller on a
halfback toss for a six yard touchdown. Speaking of HEEEEEATH
Miller time, he finished with two td’s, as did opposing tight end
Antonio Gates. This game was another example of the Steelers new
philosophy of letting Ben throw first, but Mendenhall spinning
like a ballerina into the endzone was undoubtedly a nice
compliment. Good W for Pittsburgh, but keep your heads high
Chargers fans…the powder blues are the best jerseys in football.
By Brian Fischer
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