CHRISTOPHER PANSINO – OVATHLETICS.COM
Quarterback has been a position of woe for the Steelers since last off-season. Yet, this team has performed better than could possibly be expected since the season started.
With Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension and the injuries to other quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwitch the only reasonable response was to put in fourth stringer Charlie Batch.
The fourth stringer at QB, an oddity on any NFL team, Batch matched some of his best performances in his 13 years as a Steeler today. Batch completed 12 of 17 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Two of Batch’s touchdown passes were caught on long bombs to Mike Wallace on plays of 46 and 41 yards. Wallace who was a non-factor in the first two games helped the Steelers to take a commanding 28-3 halftime lead. Wallace had three catches for 100 yards, destroying rookie Cody Grimm who was playing for the suspended Tanard Jackson.
The Steelers regained their iconic running game with a big 200-yard game. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for a 143 yards and touchdown helping out the cause. Mendenhall finished the game with a 7.5 yard per carry average.
And of course the defense was dominant in the game allowing only 75 yards rushing and holding Tampa Bay to 13 points. The defense also sacked QB Josh Freeman three times and added two turnovers to the NFL-leading eight.
Defensive end Brett Keisel intercepted a deflected pass from Freeman that he returned for a touchdown. That play occurred late in the fourth quarter and was the fifth touchdown for the Steelers.
The Steelers did fall behind early after Batches first pass was intercepted and lead to a 3-0 deficit.
The Steelers improved to 3-0 and with only one game remaining before Ben’s return, the Steelers are quickly establishing themselves early as the team to beat in the AFC. The Steelers will host Baltimore next Sunday at Heinz Field.
