The Steelers have been doing a lot of dropping lately. Santonio Holmes has dropped four passes,
including a touchdown, in the past two games. Limas Sweed dropped a touchdown pass Sunday and might not even dress against
the Chargers. I mean, he won't be naked. He just won't be wearing a uniform.
Now, the Steelers make the biggest
drop in this week's NFL Power Rankings, eight spots from 7 to 15. But they're the best damn 1-2 team in the league. Great.
Another 1-2 team is the Detroit Lions, who broke a 19-game losing streak with Sunday's win over the Redskins. They
jump from 32 to 28. It's the first time they're not last in my rankings since Week 8 last season. They were No. 31 that week,
ahead of only ... the Bengals.
Ouch.
Now, the rankings, with information researched from nfl.com, ProFootballTalk.com
and the Elias Sports Bureau. Record and last week's rankings are in parentheses.
1. Giants (3-0, 1):
First shutout win Sunday since Oct. 30, 2005, when they beat the Redskins 36-0 in their first game after Wellington Mara's
passing.
2. Ravens (3-0, 2):
At New England Sunday, where they've scored an all-time total of six points in two games.
3. Colts (3-0, 3): Edgerrin James will return to Indianapolis Sunday, as a backup running back for
the Seahawks.
4. Jets (3-0, 4): The Steelers called Bill Cowher
"The Chin." The Jets should call Rex Ryan "The Chins."
5.
Saints (3-0, 9): First team to hold Terrell Owens without a catch in 185 games.
6. Bears (2-1, 6): Were down to their third middle linebacker Sunday. Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brian
Urlacher's replacement, hurt his ribs and was replaced by Nick Roach. Hillenmeyer could
be back Sunday at Detroit.
7. Patriots (2-1, 8): Have not lost
consecutive games since Weeks 9-10 in 2006.
8. Vikings (3-0,
10): Brett Favre engineered his 40th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or OT Sunday, most among active
players.
9. Falcons (2-1, 5): Not a happy homecoming
Sunday for former Boston College QB Matt Ryan or former Patriots' chief scout Thomas Dimitroff,
now the Falcons' GM.
10. Chargers
(2-1, 11): Winning record after three games for just the second time in seven seasons.
11. Bengals (2-1, 14): The NFL will allow players to wear pink cleats and/or gloves in Week 4 to
promote breast cancer awareness. Chad Ochocinco says he's going to wear pink shoes and
gloves, and a pink chinstrap and mouthpiece, throughout October.
12.
Cowboys (2-1, 13): First time since October of 1979 that they've run for 200 or more yards in consecutive games. 13. Packers (2-1, 16) 14. Eagles (2-1, 18) 15. Steelers (1-2, 7) 16. Broncos (3-0, 22) 17. 49ers
(2-1, 15) 18. Cardinals (1-2, 17) 19. Texans (1-2, 12) 20. Bills (1-2, 20) 21. Titans (0-3, 21) 22.
Seahawks (1-2, 24) 23. Jaguars (1-2, 29) 24. Raiders (1-2, 25) 25. Redskins (1-2, 19) 26. Dolphins (0-3,
23) 27. Panthers (0-3, 26) 28. Lions (1-2, 32) 29. Rams (0-3, 27) 30. Buccaneers (0-3, 28) 31. Chiefs
(0-3, 30) 32. Browns (0-3, 31)
Before
everyone accuses me of being full of shit, it really did look like the Steelers were running the ball better on Sunday, at
least in the first half.
I wrote in my game column that the Steelers are somehow 1-2 despite, among other things,
running the ball better. The numbers say the Steelers rank 27th in the NFL at 81 yards per game, with an average of 3.3 yards
per carry.
That average is dragged down by their 36-yard performance on the ground against the Titans. They've
at least broken the century mark against the Bears (105) and Bengals (102).
Willie Parker did have 72 yards in
the first half on Sunday. But when it came time for the Steelers to close out the Bengals, they couldn't sustain drives on
the ground and keep the ball out of Carson Palmer's hands.
Now Parker is limited with turf toe, which means Rashard
Mendenhall, after being benched Sunday for not studying his playbook (was he studying Playboy instead?), will likely get more
touches Sunday against the Chargers.
I can't help but think Mendenhall is going to break out at some point. It's
easy to forget now that Mendenhall actually dropped to the Steelers at No. 23 in the 2008 draft. A lot of draft boards
had him going in the top half of the first round.
The Steelers' staffing situation at running back is so bad
now that they had to buy Carey Davis out of his McDonald's contract, picking him up after cutting him before the
season. Fullback Frank Summers is on injured reserve with a back injury.
It could be worse. At least the Steelers
don't have to sign Najeh Davenport. Not yet anyway. Davis' signing could be a big opportunity for Davenport to move up to
drive-thru.
If I were to
compare this Steelers season to a wine, I would say that it's starting to taste like a vintage 2006.
I don't actually drink wine, but I have been known to wine, and the Steelers have
given me a lot to wine about lately.
After three games,
the 2009 Steelers are following the pattern of the 2006 Steelers, when they defended their Super Bowl title with all the grace
of Gerald Ford getting off an airplane.
Don't believe me?
The 2006 Steelers opened with
an unconvincing, 28-17 win at home over the Dolphins. The 2009 Steelers benefited from a coin flip when they opened the season with a 13-10 win over the Titans.
The 2006 Steelers dropped to 1-1 with a 9-0 loss to the Jaguars. The 2009 Steelers dropped to 1-1 with a 17-14 loss
to the Bears. Both were tight games on the road against teams feeling
pretty good about themselves.
The 2006 Steelers lost in
what-the-fuck fashion to the Bengals to drop to 1-2. A key turning point in that game came when Ricardo Colclough, a recent second-round draft choice who hadn't done much, muffed a punt deep in Steelers
territory in the fourth quarter. On the next play, the Bengals scored
the go-ahead touchdown in what would be a 28-20 win.
The
2009 Steelers also lost in what-the-fuck fashion to the Bengals to drop to 1-2. A key turning point in the game came when
Limas Sweed, a recent second-round draft choice who hasn't done much,
dropped a touchdown pass in the third quarter with the Steelers leading 13-9. That forced the Steelers to go for a 52-yard field goal, which Jeff Reed missed.
I wish the parallels to 2006 ended there, but they don't.
Chargers loom
After
losing to the Bengals, the 2006 Steelers played at San Diego in a Sunday-night game. The 2009 Steelers play San Diego on Sunday
night.
At least this one's at home.
The 2006 Steelers lost that game to the Chargers. While the 2009 Chargers don't
seem like the juggernaut a lot of people thought they'd be, they are
2-1.
So while the Pirates are cleaning out their lockers
across the street, the Steelers could very well be reporting to work on the morning of Oct. 5 with a 1-3 record.
Then on Oct. 11, they're at Detroit.
The Lions have figured out how to win, and a lot of wacky shit happens when the Steelers play the Lions in Detroit. Could we be looking at 1-4?
Whoa!
One game at a time. Sunday's game against the Chargers could
be one of those trap games. The Steelers don't want to get caught looking ahead to the Lions.
Early risers
For most of the first half on Sunday, the
Steelers didn't play like a team looking ahead. I guess the best thing I can say about the 2009 Steelers is they're a great first-quarter team. That and a quarter will get them a hot dog at PNC Park.
The way the Steelers dominated early makes this loss all the more maddening. Jeff
Reed kicked his second field goal to give the Steelers a 13-0 lead
with 12:44 left in the first half. At that point, the Steelers had 207 yards of offense. The Bengals had minus-10, and they
didn't get a first down until 18 minutes into the game.
The Steelers' offensive line keeps getting better. Ben Roethlisberger has been
sacked just three times in the last two games. The Steelers are running
the ball better. Willie Parker had 93 yards on 25 carries Sunday. The Steelers also seem to have uncovered a gem in Mike Wallace.
The third-round draft choice is tied with the Vikings' Percy Harvin
for the rookie lead with 12 receptions. Seven of those came Sunday for 102 yards.
Yet somehow the Steelers are 1-2.
While Wallace
is kicking ass, two of the other receivers should be roommates in the Steelers' doghouse this week.
Not too bright
I've already mentioned Sweed's dropped touchdown. The Steelers got away with that gaffe in the AFC championship game
last season. But not on Sunday. Had Sweed held onto the ball, it would
have given the Steelers a 20-9 lead, and their touchdown on the next possession could have put the game away.
And what are we going to do with Santonio
Holmes?
The way they outplayed the Bengals in the first
half, the Steelers should have been up by more than 13 points, and they had a chance to put more points on the board late in the first half. On third-and-4 from the Bengals' 35, Holmes caught a pass from Roethlisberger
that would have been a first down, but he didn't get his feet inbounds.
Not confident in Jeff Reed, the Steelers went for it on fourth down and turned the ball over to the Bengals, who had enough time to get on the board with a field goal and go into the locker
room down only 13-3.
Holmes was the culprit the next time
the Bengals put points on the board. With just over a minute gone in the third quarter, Johnathan Joseph intercepted Roethlisberger and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to cut the Steelers' lead to 13-9. The Bengals
missed the extra point, but they made it a game again.
Holmes was the target on that play, but his back was turned when Roethlisberger
threw the ball. I swear Holmes is the intended receiver for three quarters
of Roethlisberger's interceptions. Holmes does have a Super Bowl MVP performance to his credit. But without the bright lights
shining on him, Holmes often has his head where the sun don't shine.
The only catch of the day for Holmes went for 18 yards in
the third quarter, part of an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Roethlisberger's 1-yard touchdown plunge, increasing the Steelers' lead to 20-9 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Running on empty
After the Bengals missed a field goal, the Steelers took over at their own 42 with
14:51 left in the game. Unfortunately, this being the Bruce Arians Era,
they're not able to sit on leads and take time off the clock by running the football. Parker gained just 21 of his 93 yards
after halftime.
Cedric Benson's 23-yard touchdown run chopped
the Steelers' lead to 20-15 with 9:14 left. A championship team shouldn't suffer so much from the loss of one player, but if there was one play that crystallized how much the Steelers miss Troy Polamalu, it was
that one. Old and slow Tyrone Carter was the last guy who had a chance
to get Benson on that play. I have a feeling Polamalu would have closed in a lot quicker.
The Steelers still had that 20-15 lead with a minute left when the Bengals faced a fourth-and-2 at the Steelers'
20. Carson Palmer's 5-yard pass to Laveranues Coles kept the Bengals
alive.
The Steelers let the Bengals off the hook again
on fourth down, this time on fourth-and-10, when Palmer completed an 11-yard pass to Brian Leonard to put the ball on the 4 with 19 seconds left.
Brian Leonard?
That's right. Brian Leonard. He
also caught the two-point conversion for the final margin after second-year man Andre Caldwell gave the Bengals the lead with his first career touchdown reception.
Painful reminder
It was the first time the Steelers lost after leading by 13 or more since the last time they lost in Cincinnati,
a 26-23 overtime defeat in 2001.
I don't like to be reminded
of 2001. That's the year the Steelers were shocked at home by the Patriots in the AFC championship game.
At least the Steelers made the playoffs in 2001, so I guess it's better than being
reminded of 2006.
Before I get to Sunday's Steelers game in Cincinnati, I'm going
to talk about the NFL's blackout rule, which I think is hypocritical.
This week, the Oakland Raiders couldn't sell out their home game against the Denver Broncos, and the Detroit Lions
couldn't sell out their home game against the Washington Redskins. So the games are blacked out in those markets, which means
they won't be shown on television within 75 miles of those stadiums. A game is blacked out if it's not sold out 72 hours before
kickoff.
Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars' home game
against the Arizona Cardinals was blacked out.
The reason
I think the NFL is being hypocritical is because in recent years, the league has sent the message that it cares more about
fans watching on TV than it does fans who go to the stadium.
To
ensure quality matchups in prime time on Sunday nights, the NFL has instituted "flexible scheduling" late in the
season. This allows more attractive Sunday afternoon matchups to be moved to Sunday night, which sets off a chain reaction
in which a 1 p.m. game usually is moved to 4:15 p.m.
For fans taking trips to see the games, this can wreak havoc
with travel arrangements. For local fans who have to work on Monday morning, it can wreak havoc with sleep arrangements.
So while shafting some fans going to games, the NFL turns
around and says that if fans don't go to games, they won't be able to watch on TV.
Talk about a double-edged sword.
Tickets to an
NFL game aren't exactly cheap, especially for people in a depressed city like Detroit.
The Redskins visit the Lions Sunday a week after winning by just two points at home to the shitty St. Louis Rams.
It wouldn't be entirely surprising if the Lions won their first game in two years.
Problem is, Lions fans who aren't at the game, many of whom are unemployed, won't be able to see it on TV because
they didn't shell out triple-digit dollar amounts for tickets, parking and all the other expenses involved with going to a
game.
It's too bad, because watching a Lions win on TV would be a nice emotional boost for downtrodden Detroit-area
residents.
While the NFL has no plans to compromise on
its blackout rule, it's throwing a bone to fans in blacked-out markets by making games available on NFL.com after midnight,
free of charge. They're available for 72 hours except during the Monday Night Football telecast.
How convenient. If fans somehow avoid finding out the score before midnight, they have to somehow avoid seeing the
score when they log onto NFL.com. Then they get to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, get a couple of hours sleep and head
to work the next day. Thanks, NFL!
The NFL should soften
its stance and allow fans who can't go to games to watch on TV, especially in this economy. The TV networks pay
the bills, so fans watching at home are just as important to the league as people at the stadiums.
And the NFL knows that.
This is coming from someone who doesn't have to worry about blackouts. I live in New York, so if a Steelers blackout
ever occurred, it wouldn't affect me. However, I gladly plunked down $40 for NFL Game Rewind, and I'm going to need it this
week.
I won't be able to see much of Sunday's Steelers
game. I'm needed somewhere else. But even though I'll know the score by midnight, I will watch on NFL Game Rewind and provide
my take on the game, just like I do every week.
At a glance
Who: Steelers (1-1) at Bengals (1-1) When:
Sunday, 4:15 p.m. Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati TV: CBS (KDKA Ch. 2 in
Pittsburgh. Out-of-area fans, click here to see if the game will be shown in your area.) Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms All-time: Steelers lead 48-30 The
skinny: This won't be the easy win that it looked like when the schedule came out in April. This will be a gut-check
for the Steelers, who want to avoid being 1-2 for the first time since 2006. ... If the Steelers do what they did last week
(run the ball effectively, protect Ben Roethlisberger) and Jeff Reed can make a field goal or two, I think they might be OK
on offense. ... The Bengals' Antwan Odom leads the league with seven sacks. If the Steelers' offensive line can keep him away
from Ben Roethlisberger, it will prove that last week's stellar pass protection was no fluke. ... On defense, Troy Polamalu's
absence was felt last week. The Steelers need to improve their pass rush, because they can be exploited at safety.
