Bungles No More

I thought you all would appreciate the Post-Gazette headline today is "Bungles No More" with  a picture of Fanene dragging down Roethlisberger.  All I can say is there is a quite a bit of incredulity here in Pittsburgh.  At the very least, the local media is conceding that the Bengals are in the drivers seat for the remainder of the season.  Personally, I enjoyed sitting at the local watering hole sucking down beers and cheering for my Bengals. Even though the game was close and really could have gone either way, I was proud the way the Bengals played--hard nosed and never giving an inch.

A few comments on the game.  This is the first time, in a long time, I have seen a Bengals defensive line able to get pressure on a QB with just four guys rushing.  I give a lot of credit to the DBs, because they made Roethlisberger wait, but he knew he could only wait so long before Fanene or Geathers or Johnson was on him.  And thats the way you beat Roethlisberger. With the exception of Ndukwe's interference call, the defense played smart, strong, and within themselves across the board. 

The offense obviously struggled at times against a premier defense, but they moved the ball when they had to. Most importantly, NO TURNOVERS. The Steelers have made a living off of defensive touchdowns--not yesterday! Palmer was able to push the sticks on some quick outs to Coles and Ochocinco. Both played real well making some difficult catches.  And also, NO TURNOVERS!  Leonard, again, was able to get by Farrior on a crucial third down and Scott was somehow able to squeeze through some non-existent holes to make a decent gain in important situaitions. It wasn't pretty, but that last drive was great.  And did I mention....wait for it..... NO TURNOVERS!

Man, are we deep.  It's great when guys like Morgan Trent, Bernard Scott, and Brandon Johnson can step up and make big plays. This is the biggest difference I see this year. We have an actual NFL football team from top to bottom.

Looking forward. The Bengals have a mixture of cupcakes and playoff contenders.  The Steelers have mostly cupcakes plus the Ravens twice, which means the Steelers are still in the running and the Bengals can't let down. The Steelers could win out, which means we can afford only one more loss. Let's make it happen guys. WHO DEY!