CHRISTOPHER PANSINO – OVATHLETICS.COM
Big Ben did everything he could except play defense in the Steelers 39-26 loss Sunday night against the New England Patriots. Ben finished the night with eerily similar numbers as his quarterback opponent Tom Brady. Ben finished 30/49 for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
However the big difference in the game was Roethlisberger one interception, a pick-six, in the fourth quarter. That play was large in stunting the Steelers fourth quarter rally as it gave the Patriots a 30-10 lead.
But the late attempt at a comeback was not to be as the Pats outscored the Steelers 23-3 in the first three quarters at Heinz Field. The offense, which had not trouble moving the ball during that time, was unable to put together points, ultimately leading to their downfall in this game.
This was a big game for the Patriots as they, like the Saints a two Sundays prior, were come off a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns. And Tom Brady kept the Pats focused all night; often going to the sidelines after stalled drives to motivate them with some tough love. And it didn’t hurt that Brady has a much better offensive line right now than the banged up Steelers line.
A big part of the Pats win also came from their running game which saw BenJarvus Green-Ellis run for more yards than the entire Steelers team combined. Green-Ellis had 87 of the Pats 103 yards, while the Steelers had 76 yards total.
But the Steelers were also without one of their stars on offense as Hines Ward left the game near the end of the first quarter after a helmet-to-helmet contact cause a neck injury that kept Ward sidelined for the rest of the game. Wards only attempted catch was ruled an incompletion and thus broke his streak of catching passes in consecutive games at 186. The streak was the third longest in NFL history.
But the Steelers only trailed after the first half by a 10-3 deficit. The second half was not pleasant for the Steelers defense, which gave up 29 points, a season high counting the second half alone.
The late comeback in the fourth quarter saw a lot of garbage number in terms of helping Ben’s overall statistics’, however the 23 scored by the Steelers some fans a slim hope that maybe the impossible might happen.
The loss Sunday night ties the Steelers with the Ravens atop the AFC North standings. The Steelers will play Oakland next Sunday at home.
