As far as who won the aforementioned battle, to put it simply, San Diego's defensive end, Jacques Cesaire, had six sacks in his career...yet, he was able to record two sacks against the Steelers. Similarly, on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, San Diego dropped Mewelde Moore for a loss. For those of you who want more details about this goal-line stand, rewatch last week's game against the Colts; it was basically the same play. In a word: ugly.
That said, Pittsburgh's offense line was not as bad as the aforementioned paragraph might have depicted. For example, Willie Parker had some very nice holes through which to scamper...and scamper he did (115 yards on twenty-five carries). Similarly, Pittsburgh's offense was on the field for nearly thirty-seven minutes. Lastly, Ben Roethlisberger had enough time to throw for over 300 yards...and more importantly, the offensive line blocked well enough for Ben to lead his team on a six and a half minute drive, to kick the game-winning field goal.
Of course, the nay-sayers will point out that the Steelers did not score a touchdown in the game. To which I bring up two points. First, the Steelers actually might have scored a touchdown on their final drive, but since they only needed a field goal, they opted to "play it safe." [Note: As it was, on four straight running plays inside of the red-zone, Willie Parker gained seventeen yards...despite the fact that San Diego knew that the Steelers were absolutely going to run the ball.] Secondly, the Steelers were called for thirteen penalties. In turn, every time that Pittsburgh gained any momentum, they "shot themselves in the foot" with a hold...or a block in the back...or a clip. In fact, at the end of the game, on Parker's fifth run (inside of the red-zone), he actually scored...if not for a bone-headed hold by Sean McHugh. [Note: it was "bone-headed" because McHugh had already knocked his man backwards; at that point, holding him was just plain illogical.]
Similarly, Hines Ward personally killed two drives with his penalties. Luckily, after his third penalty (during the game-winning drive), Hines atoned by making some excellent catches (specifically, converting a third-and-six). As Bill Cowher used to say (and as I am sure Mike Tomlin has continued): "If you make a mistake...you 'owe' me." And, as I already mentioned, Ward paid his debt back in full.
Speaking of players who continually take some responsibility upon their shoulders, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison simply amaze me. Troy Polamalu made the most amazing interception that I have seen since...well...since he made a similar interception against the Eagles a few weeks back. In other words, not only does Troy own the top two spots in my "all-time interceptions" list, both plays have come this season. For those of you that did not see it, Troy dove for a deflected pass, and with the ball barely inches off of the ground, Troy slid his hand underneath it.
Speaking of interceptions, as great of a physical feat as Troy's was, James Harrison's interception was more meaningful towards the outcome of the game. With time running out in the first half and San Diego within field goal range, Harrison intercepts a Philip Rivers pass, and returns it to the forty yard line. Using this momentum, Pittsburgh scored a field goal right before half-time. In other words, instead of San Diego having a 14-2 half-time lead, Pittsburgh only trailed 7-5. Simply, that ten point swing was huge.
For those scratching their heads about the Steelers having five points, I will answer your question: James Harrison had recorded a safety earlier in the game. And, Yes, James Harrison essentially accounted for ALL of Pittsburgh's scoring in the first half. As I have said, ad nauseam, give me ten* James Harrisons, and I will give you a championship.
*[Note: Eleven James Harrisons would be unfair to the other team.]
In summation, Pittsburgh finally figured out how to win a close game. The difference between teams that win and teams that lose generally comes down to one or two plays in a game. Winners make more of "those" plays. Loser simply make a few less. And the Detroit Lions make none. All jokes aside, the Steelers did what they had to do in order to pull out this victory.
