Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Preview
As if I needed another reason to hate the Baltimore Ravens, they had to go and beat the Denver Broncos last week and ruin the Steelers’ opportunity to end the Broncos’ unbeaten streak.  Curse you, Ravens!!!! So the Steelers will face a Denver Broncos team that has one loss, but is still highly regarded in most NFL Power Rankings. The Ravens didn’t just beat the Broncos, they destroyed them 30-7.  The formula that they used was a combination of tough, pounding defense and hurry-up offense.  So I ask you, what team is even better at playing tough, pounding defense than the Baltimore Ravens?  The Pittsburgh Steelers.  Similarly, what team is better at ex

What have we learned so far?
The NFL just finished week 8.  That’s the halfway point in the season (although the Steelers have only played 7 games).  With the Steelers coming off of a bye week, it seemed like a good time to reflect back on the season so far to see what we’ve learned so far about the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers. These are in no particular order.  But as I think back to what has occurred so far this season, these are some thoughts that come to mind. 1.  The Steelers could easily be 7-0. The Steelersfind themselves with a 5-2 record.  However, the two losses could have just as easily been wins.  In the loss to the Bengals, the Steelers dominated just

Harrison named defensive player of the month
The Steelers defense has not played up to the standard that they set last year.  They have allowed opponents to make 4th quarter comebacks, and have not been the dominant unit that they were last year. Much of the problems has been due to injury.  Lawrence Timmons started the season with an ankle injury.  Then Troy Polamalu went down with a knee injury.  And finally, Aaron Smith was lost for the season due to a shoulder injury. But lost in the rash of injuries and defensive letdowns has been the extremely consistent play of Steelers linebacker James Harrison. Because of his consistency, Harrison has been named AFC defensive player of the month for the month of Oc

Steelers defeat undefeated Vikings
Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings were undefeated when they entered the game with the Steelers.  By the time they left the game, they were undefeated no more. The Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings 27 – 17, in a game that probably didn’t go the way that either team had scripted it. After last week’s offensive outburst, many fans expected to see another high scoring performance by Big Ben and the Steelers offense.  Instead, it was the Steelers defense that led the team to victory. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger followed up last week’s 417 yard passing performance with only 175 passing yards this week. Hines Ward, who entered the g

And the winner is…..Mendenhall
Perhaps the writing was on the wall when the Steelers failed to sign him to a new contract during the off-season.  Willie Parker’s days as the Steelers starting running back seem to have come to an end. Parker returned to the playing field last Sunday despite a toe that is still not completely healed. Prior to the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal as to who would get the majority of carries.  Both Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians used the same neutral reply; “we’re just happy to have both running backs available to play”. Fans, on the other hand didn’t seem to be quite so neutral.  Many Steelers fans