That being said, the Steelers' horrid pass defense cost them the game and has been their Achilles heel all season.
Of course, the three turnovers were a big reason that the Steelers lost. That being said, the Packers got the ball at midfield after two of them, so the Steelers defense still had a chance to stop them or at least hold them to a field goal.
They didn't. They allowed Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to march right down the field and score two touchdowns. For the night, Rodgers posted a QB rating of 111.5 with 304 yards and three TDs when it mattered most against the league's top defense.
The Packers had little intention of running the ball, throwing it 39 times compared to just 11 runs. The Packers didn't need to run the ball to beat the Steelers. Everyone knows if you have a good quarterback that you should just come out, spread the Steelers defense out and throw the ball all night. That's exactly what the Packers did, and it worked.
The Steelers defense made Jordy Nelson look like Jerry Rice in his prime. Despite having five official drops, Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards. I know Steelers fans love cheering for the defense, but the defense didn't get it done in Super Bowl XLV either. They had chances to make plays, they had chances to stop the Packers and they didn't get it done.
If the Steelers want to compete for a Super Bowl in the near future, they're going to have to upgrade the cornerback position. William Gay is not good. I don't know why the Steelers think he is, but as soon as he's on the field, opposing quarterbacks throw his way. There's no wonder why the Arizona Cardinals parted ways with Bryant McFadden; he's slow and old and is washed-up.
Troy Polamalu is a great player, but where was he Sunday night? Three tackles, zero passes defended, no big plays. Polamalu was a total non-factor against the Packers. Whether it was the way the Steelers used him, whether he's still hurt or whether he just had a bad game, you have to accept the fact that he hasn't been playing well all playoffs.
I realize that he impacts the game just by being on the field, but that wasn't enough on Sunday night. Polamalu is often viewed as the best player on this team, which I disagree with, but he hasn't been playing anywhere near that in the playoffs.
I'm not blaming Polamalu for the loss, as I don't believe in blaming one player for losing a game, but I hear people bashing other players, mostly Big Ben, so I wonder why Polamalu gets a free pass. Is it because he has great hair, because he's soft-spoken or because he doesn't play quarterback?
Looking forward, I know that Polamalu will be fine, but the rest of the secondary needs upgrading. They also need to look at the tape and fix how they play against passing teams. Everyone knows how to move the ball on the Steelers now, so the Steelers have to put their egos aside and fix the obvious holes in their defense.
Great article. I don't blame one player for the loss like a lot of others do. They win as a team, and lose as a team. However, they have to shore up that secondary, and can not solely depend on Troy. Troy has an Achilles problem and that injury is not going to let him do what he needs. I am sure that had to have come into play. REgardless, Steelers have to get better on defense. One comment about Ben I WILL say..he has to start doing better as far as film study. Sure, we all appreciate his sandlot style, but maybe making an effort to be "pretty" will help him be a better QB. Just saying
ReplyDeleteYou call yourself a journalist but you will NEVER write an article on Ben and how he came up short. 5 interceptions in 3 superbowls? Yea, he's mr. clutch alright
ReplyDeleteHeard it on The Fan the other day: out of Green Bay's 55 offensive snaps, Troy Polamalu was only within five yards of the line of scrimmage on three of them.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I still don't understand how everyone has suddenly forgotten how this defense works. It doesn't matter about the quality of guys at corner. It depends on the success of the pass rush.
Big Ben was the reason they lost, he over threw routes, he threw interceptions, and he tried to be a qb when everyone knows he only won Superbowls because of the Steelers defense. HE tried to make the game him vs. Aaron rogers and look what happened. Now blaming Mendenhall is stupid because one he was the only Steeler having a good game. The fumble wasn't his fault, it was that terrible backup tight end who couldn't block Clay Matthews. If the Steelers wouldn't have gave the ball to Ben 40 times and have given it to Mendenhall they could have Number 7 right now. And the reason the defense did so bad was Big Ben kept putting them on the field. Yes they could have played better but not blaming Ben is stupid.
ReplyDelete