Then, the Steelers did the three things that they have done better than anyone else this year: they ran the ball, stopped the run, and won.
The way that the Steelers defense stifled the Bills offense, one would assume that the starters played most of the game; yet, after the first quarter there were only two Pittsburgh defensive starters left on the field. Take away a Tommy Maddox interception that was returned for a touchdown and a 56 yard Bledsoe pass at the end of the game, and the Steelers second (and third) string defense held the Buffalo offense to 16 points and 115 yards passing. Furthermore, 38 of Bledsoe's passing yards came against the prevent defense late in the first half...which, as stated earlier, was against second (and third) string players.
The lone bright spot for the Bills was Willis McGahee. While he only had 79 yards rushing, he ran better against the Steelers than any running back I had seen play them this year. Had he not gotten injured, he might have broken 100 yards. Then again, the injury was a result of being decleated by Larry Foote...who happens to be a second-stringer.
Actually, now that I mention it, can one really call Larry Foote a second-stringer any longer? He has played almost the entire season at inside linebacker, and by "almost the entire season", I mean all but about ten snaps. Meanwhile, Bell is still listed as the "starter".
Which brings me to another issue: if Bell is healthy, who gets the start in the play-offs? Larry Foote has been the starter for 16 weeks, and he has played very well. Yet, every week, the media and fans keep talking about the return of Kendrell Bell. Larry Foote must have a psyche made out of stainless steel, because if I were in his shoes, I would be a little bit peeved.
Let me be the first to say that even if Bell is healthy, let Foote start; he deserves it. Bell can come off the bench (even if it is after one play), but Foote should be the guy getting his named called over the loud-speaker before the game.
Similarly, how can one bench James Harrison in favor of Clark Haggans? I know that Haggans has only been injured for a few weeks, and Clark played quite well while he was in, but Harrison is definitely in a groove. In basketball terms, Harrison has the "hot hand", and the Steelers should keep "dishing the ball" to him. Haggans can come in on third down to rush the passer, which is Haggans' strong-suit anyway. Or, at least, the coaches should alternate series between the two.
Now, we come to the most intriguing of the "Who should start?" dilemmas: Bettis versus Staley. Staley has been listed as the starter for the entire season, but has been unable to play for several weeks. Meanwhile, Bettis gained more than 100 yards in each of his six starts. Like the Harrison-Haggans dilemma, Bettis is the "hot" player right now. But, Cowher has said all along that he wants to use Bettis inside the red-zone and in the fourth quarter of games (especially in the play-offs). Furthermore, Cowher does not want to wear Bettis out; Cowher wants Bettis healthy for a play-off run. In other words, Bettis will see ample time in the upcoming weeks. All of that is logical, and it all makes complete sense if one does not allow emotion to enter into the equation. That said, my emotions keep asking: how do you take Bettis off the field?
Still, even if Bettis and Staley were to both get injured (Heaven forbid), the Steelers running game would be fine: the Steelers Offensive line simply dominates other teams. For example, on Sunday, with St. Pierre at quarterback, and Lee Mays and Sean Morey lining up at the wide-out positions, the Steelers Offensive line was able to pave the way for Willie Parker to rush for 102 yards (and 157 total for the team)...against the third best defense in the NFL.
In summation, the Steelers dominated a very motivated Bills team; thwarted an offense that had been outscoring teams by more than three touchdowns; and, ran all over a stingy defense....all the while, using their second (and third) string players for the final three quarters of the game. Any questions and/or doubts about whether the Steelers deserve their 15-1 mark were answered on Sunday with a resounding: Yes, the Steelers are truly that good.
