Furthermore, consider this: during one of the years of the Cowboys' Super Bowl run in the early 1990s, Dallas lost two games in the regular season to Washington...and Washington only won THREE games in that season. In other words, just because the Steelers barely beat a pathetic (and injured) Ravens team, there is no reason to panic.
In short, all that truly matters is winning the game. The Patriots rarely blow anybody out: all they do is win. Similarly, the 1991 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants won most of their games by a touchdown or less. And, on Monday night, the Steelers found a way to win...period.
Do not get me wrong: there were things from Monday night's game about which I am concerned, but nothing that was not evident in weeks prior.
Pittsburgh's inability to get off the field on third down was a concern before Monday night...and it still is. Allowing opponents to go on long, sustained drives to open the game (and/or the half) remains a concern...as does the lack of a pass-rush. And, the secondary giving up chunks of yardage has been Pittsburgh's Achilles' Heel for years.
In other words, nothing new was exposed on Monday night: the Steelers have been dealing with these issues all season long. Of course, the Ravens exploited all those weaknesses to the fullest degree (e.g. 252 passing yards by Anthony Wright). Yet, at the same time, despite playing a lackluster game, the Steelers managed to win...with "managed" being the operative word.
The one thing that the Ravens did, that no other team had done this year, was commit so strongly to stopping Pittsburgh's running game. The Ravens had eight and sometimes nine men in-the-box to stop Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis. To some degree, Baltimore succeeded: Pittsburgh was held to only 101 yards rushing.
Normally, when an opponent is able to slow down Pittsburgh's running game, it makes for a long day for the Steelers...which it indeed was. But, by being forced to throw the ball, the Steelers may have discovered another level of their offense: the passing game.
Hines Ward caught eight passes for 75 yards, and Ben Roethlisberger passed for 177 yards. While neither of those players' performances was statistically anything to write home about, Heath "Offensive Rookie of the Year" Miller's two touchdown receptions were indeed noteworthy.
Due to Heath's prowess at blocking, defenders struggle to get around him. Then, Heath uses their desire against them: every so often, he allows the defender to "get by" him...and then Heath slips out into the secondary. By the time the defender realizes what has happened, Ben has already found Heath for a reception (and/or a touchdown). In short, Heath is turning into a valuable red-zone weapon...and he will only get better.
Furthermore, due to the emergence of Heath Miller, opponents now have a choice: a) put eight men at the line of scrimmage, but have Heath gouge them for touchdowns, or b) drop a safety back into coverage and watch Willie and Jerome rack up large chunks of yardage. In other words, Heath might be the catalyst that transforms Pittsburgh's offense from solid to elite.
Speaking of becoming elite, Pittsburgh's defense needs to improve if they want to win a championship. They will go nowhere unless the defense gets off the field on third downs. Luckily, the Steelers have Dick LeBeau on their staff, and I am confident that he will improve the pass-rush and coverage (or lack thereof)...which should be more than enough to alleviate any concerns that Steelers fans might have.
