Taking care of business

Teams like the 2010 edition of the Raiders were made to be beaten--that is, if your home team entertains any hopes of making it all the way to the big dance. That's what the Steelers did on Sunday at Heinz Field. They went out and set the tone early with stout defense and a suddenly potent offense. They refused to cave in the second half and totally squelched the vaunted Raider running attack. Big Ben was back to the form that we've come to expect, hitting some clutch passes and running the ball for big plays when necessary, instead of forcing passes into coverage.

The worst thing you can do when playing a team like Oakland, which has won just enough games to start thinking it's a contender, is to let them hang around within striking distance until the 4th quarter. For the first time in several weeks, the Steelers put this game away fairly early and coasted to victory. It was a glorious feeling as a fan! My keys to the game after the jump:

Keys to the Game:

1) The Defense:  Anyone who thought the Steeler D was fading had better think again. After a disappointing showing against Tom Brady last week, the Steeler D reasserted itself and smothered the Raiders at every turn. With the exception of their initial drive for a FG, the Raiders never really got close to scoring for the rest of the game. Once again, the stellar Steeler D caused the opponent to pull its starting QB and insert the backup. And unlike last year, Bruce Gradkowski had no better luck than Jason Campbell against the Steeler D. This was a superb effort by the entire D and by their mastermind Dick Lebeau.

2) The Offense:  Not that we needed it with the Raiders managing only 3 points, but the Steeler offense reappeared and did some of the things we normally expect them to do. Solid running and precision passing yielded 35 points,  more than the Steelers have scored for some time. Big Ben was superb throughout.

3) The Bench:  Lots of back-up players got more game experience than usual, particularly in the 4th quarter in a mop-up role. It's impossible to overemphasize the importance of bringing these youngsters along slowly and gradually, particularly those on the OL.

4) Coaching:  Mike Tomlin described last week's game as "unacceptable" and he successfully turned his team's attitude around in a short week's time. Dick Lebeau had another one of his masterpieces and the Steeler D kept Oakland off balance for the entire 60 minutes. Like some of the early games before Ben came back, there were some points in this game when the Raiders offense appeared in utter disarray. To Jason Campbell, it looked like a stampede back there. Scoring 35 points, you've got to give BA credit as well. I hate to get my hopes up, but it almost seemed that Bruce has discovered the value of swing passes in the flat to your RBs and TE. At any rate, a much broader selection of plays was on display than we've seen previously. 

As I've said before, this is a team that can be as good as they want to be. When they put the defensive and offensive parts of their game together, as they did against the Raiders, they're practically unstoppable. We have as much talent as any team in the NFL. Now that we've shown our true capabilities, there's no reason why the Steelers shouldn't be squarely in the SB hunt come playoff time.

Next week, though, the Bills will be another test of our ability to win the games that we should win.