Guy Junker
SteelersLIVE 'Xtra
Friday, January 6, 2006
Last Sunday, quarterback Joey Harrington of the previously inept Detroit Lions offense, threw three touchdown passes against a Steeler defense that had allowed only one touchdown period the previous three games.
Last Sunday, Ben Roethliserberger put up some the of worst passing numbers of his career against a previously inept Detroit Lions defense which had been ranked 27th in the NFL before the game.
In both cases, the stories could have been much different if the Steelers could have just caught the damn ball!
Early in the game Sunday on third down, Big Ben hit a wide open Qunicy Morgan for an easy first down. Morgan dropped it. He made up for it though by dropping another one later in the game. Hines Ward was one touchdown catch away from tying his own team record when he let a sure one go through his hands and embarassingly hit him in the face mask. Early in the second quarter Cedrick Wilson lost a completion when he hit the ground. Late in the first half when the Steelers were agressively trying to get to the end zone rather than settle for a field goal attempt in the final minute, Roethlisberger was intercepted when a pass clanked off of Antwaan Randle El's hands. Big Ben finished 7-16 for 135 yards and two interceptions but with a little bit of help, he could easily have been 11 or 12 for 16 for 200 yards with a touchdown and just one inteception.
And the butterfingers weren't limited to the offense. Troy Polamalu, Larry Foote and Ike Taylor all missed interception chances of varying degrees of difficulty. All were makeable. If they make even two of those plays, the Lions passing numbers would have looked more like Joe Harrington's instead of Joe Montana's. Instead, Harrington finished with over 200 yards passing with no interceptions. Plus those three touchdowns.
This is especially worrisome as the Steelers get set for a wild card playoff game in Cincinnati Sunday. It will be their only playoff game this year if they have as much trouble catching the football as they did against Detroit and at other times this season. Remember the last meeting with Cincy? One of the lasting impressions from the Bengals win at Heinz Field in early December was Ricardo Colclough running stride for stride with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, only to allow a Carson Palmer pass to go through his hands and into Houshmandzadeh's for a 43-yard score. Perfect coverage and still a touchdown. Of course, the Steelers eventually lost that game by seven. Those kinds of gaffes could be overcome against Detroit but not Cincinnati.
Because the Bengals will put it in the air and they have a variety of quality weapons to go get it. Only three teams have completed more passes this season than Cincinnati. So when those one or two opportunities a game present themselves, the Steelers must respond by taking the ball away. One interception could easily be the difference between going to Indianapolis and going home.
The last time the Steelers played the Bengals, Ben Roethlisberger set career highs in nearly every passing category. Unfortunately that included interceptions with three. And that is the Bengals defense in a nutshell. They can be thrown against. Only six teams in the league have allowed more passing yards and only seven teams have allowed more completions. But they kill you with the interceptions and fumbles. The Bengals are like their namesake, predators looking for an opportunity to feast. They lead the NFL in interceptions and they lead the NFL at plus-24 in turnovers. That has made up for a sometimes porous defense that ranks only 28th overall in the league.
Since the Steelers have thrown the fewest passes in the league and are at their best when running the ball successfully, their receivers will have to be sharper than they were against Detroit because they don't get that many chances to begin with and the slightest bobble against the Bengals can become a turnover that ends the season.
The Bengals are still the best draw the Steelers could have had in the first round. Cincinnati has lost two straight, allowing 74 combined points to Kansas City and Buffalo. And they struggled to beat lowly Cleveland before that. Some say they had nothing to play for because they had already clinched the division, but I don't buy that as they were playing for playoff seeding.
Instead the Steelers won four straight and finished with the same record as Cincinnati, losing out on the division title on a tiebreaker. Plus the Bengals are very inexperienced at this postseason stuff, having missed the party every year since 1990. The chance is golden for the Steelers. As long as they don't let it slip through their fingers.
Guy Junker is the co-host of the Junker and Crow Show, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays on ESPN Radio1250. You can e-mail Guy at guy@gopgh.com.
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