Stillers, Flukes Beat Bolts

I thought the Steelers played their best football yesterday against the Chargers. I watched about 9 Stillers games this season and read about all their other games and there is no question in my mind that this was the best game the Steelers have played, and probably could play, all season. Except for the failed fake punt at the beginning of the second quarter, the Stillers made zero glaring mistakes. They were mostly flawless in the final two and a half quarters, as I believe they had to be to beat a very good Bolts team.

In my mind the Stillers won't need to play as well as they did yesterday to win out and take home the franchise's sixth Super Bowl.

For the Bolts, this game was not a dagger loss by any means, but it was still a frustrating and annoying loss. The Stillers played well in the facets you expect them to play well in if they're going to win a game. They ran the ball, stuffed the Chargers running game and made clutch third down conversions throughout the second half. But the Stillers also got all the breaks in a very fluky game. These two teams could play 100 games at Heinz Field and, yes, maybe the Stillers win 60-65 of those games, but never again would there be a third quarter as strange as yesterday's third quarter. The Bolts only touched the ball twice in the quarter: a 63-yard kick return by Sproles to put the Chargers at the Steelers 20 ... and a tipped pick by Rivers on the next play. That was it. And the Bolts had a punt clang off Eric Weddle's head giving the Stillers a first down at the Bolts 23. This is all in addition to the Holmes' punt return in the 1st quarter, the first punt return touchdown allowed by the Bolts during the Mike Scifres era. Very odd for all that to happen in one game.

Listen, as good as the Steelers played - and well they should have considering they were 100% healthy, were playing at home and were rested coming off a bye week - the game finally came down to a 3rd and 3 play with 8:15 to go in the 4th quarter. Rivers had just engineered an excellent 10-play scoring drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown strike to Legedu Naanee. Despite the absurd third quarter, that Chargers' touchdown drive made the game 28-17 with 9:09 to play; the Bolts were still two scores down but there was a ton of time. But then, as they had done on three huge plays on the opening drive of the third quarter, the Stillers converted a big 3rd and 3, as Roethlisberger knifed in a low line drive pass that slipped just under the hand of the Charger defender and into the arms of Heinz Ward. After that play the exhausted Charger defense could not stop the Stiller running game - particularly Willie Parker - and the Stillers put the game away with a 16-yard TD run by Fast Willie.

Here's a possession-by-possession summary of the game ... you know, for posterity's sake:

- the excellent opening Charger drive culminating in the prettiest play of the day for either team, the 41-yard bomb to Vincent Jackson;

- the Roethlisberger pooch punt on 4th and 8 from the SD 34 that put the Chargers at the 9 yard line;

- the Bolts do nothing second drive ... two runs and an incomplete pass;

- the effing Holmes' punt return, hurdling a diving Legedu Naanee ... this is when you realized the football gods might not be with the Bolts today;

- the frustrating third Bolts' drive that started well but then died out after two 5-yard penalties and a Woodley sack;

- the Charger defense, still rocking at this point, forcing another Stiller three and out;

- another frustrating drive where the Bolts ran Sproles on 3rd and 2 and gained only one yard ... Norv challenged the spot - Schottenheimer-style - and lost;

- people are going to forget this but until Rivera changed the scheme on the final drive of the first half, and before they got exhausted in the late third and fourth quarters, the Bolts defense was en fuego ... on the next Stiller drive the Bolts gave up some yards to Fast Willie but tightened up and forced another Stiller punt with 7:38 to go before the half;

- three straight incompletions by Rivers ... I don't remember the first two passes but the 3rd and 10 play was the outstanding diving effort by Vincent Jackson that was initially ruled a catch but was then overruled on Tomlin's challenge ... Rivers was under duress when he threw this ball but if he hits Vince in stride this is an 80-yard touchdown bomb;

- the Bolts D still kicking butt at this point, even to the tune of stuffing an ill-advised fake punt on 4th and 1 giving the Bolts the ball at the Stiller 44;

- a middling drive highlighted by a 3rd and 11 pass to Gates for 15 yards ... the drive stalls though at the Stiller 32, four yards short of a first ... Kaeding drills a 42 yard field goal but there is still 1:56 left ... one more first down would have been huge;

- inexplicable change in defensive strategy ... until this point the Stillers only had 3 first downs, but now Rivera noticeably starts dropping three linebackers into coverage and rushing only 4 linemen ... Big Ben has eons to pass and moves the Stillers right down the field, most memorably on a 41-yard catch and run to Heinz Ward as three Chargers in loose zone coverage watch the ball float in to Ward's arms ... Fast Willie runs around left end to score with :40 seconds remaining in the half ... the whole drive was disturbingly reminiscent of the Patriots drive against Wade Phillips' prevent D in the final minutes of the first half of the '06 Divisional Playoff game in the Diego;

- Cromartie fields a short kickoff and nearly breaks a return ... the Bolts run one play and let the clock run out on the first half;

- Halftime ... I consider going to Starbucks to grab a coffee but decide to stay in the apartment and pace;

- now the ridiculous drive opening drive of the second half ... I have to hand it to the Stillers, anytime you convert three third and longs in a drive you are doing something right, I don't care how bad a defense is playing ... as I remember it the Bolts could not get pressure on Ben, but I want to watch the drive again, as painful as it would be, to see exactly what happend on each third down play ... I mean jeez, they were 3rd and 7, 3rd and 11 and 3rd and 8 ... the Bolts should have been able to stop one of those;

- so the Stillers run 7-plus minutes off the clock and have put together two great looking drives in a row to go up 21-10 ... things don't look good ... but then Darren Sproles busts out a 63-yard kick return and right away you start thinking that the football gods may just be with you after all;

- the play looks great ... you have the ball at the Steeler 23 and you've gained some momentum after the Sproles return ... a quick strike would be choice ... you haven't been able to run against the Stiller D and Rivers is the guy who has to win this game for you ... so you see Rivers drop back and unleash a quick slant and for a split second your mind says, "Yes, that is the perfect play!" ... and then inexplicably the ball is in the air ... for. efffing. forever. ... and ends up in the hands of two diving Stillers ... this is when you know ... it's not happening today;

- coming back from commercial Norv decides to challenge the pick and Phil Simms actually says its a good challenge ... you allow yourself a glimmer of hope;

- back from another commercial and Simms now says the angle isn't great and Nantz says it looks like Foote got his hand under the ball ... Simms says he at first couldn't tell if he was seeing the ball or a glove ... he thinks its a glove now ... the Bolts are out of challenges;

- the Bolts D shows some mettle like they did in the first half, forcing a Stiller punt ... this is when things get kooky, one of those if-these-plays-happen-you-probably-won't-win plays ... the punt bounces off Weddle's helmet and the Stillers take over on the muff rule ... they get down to the 4 on another pass to Heinz Ward ... but then the Bolt D mans up again and stuffs the Stillers on 4th and goal;

- despite all the absurdity of the third quarter the Bolts are hanging in 21-10 ... on first down from the Stiller 1, Rivers hits Hester for an 11 yard gain ... nicely drawn up and executed ... but on second down Woodley sacks Rivers and tosses him to the ground on what should have been an unnecessary roughness penalty ... if the refs call the penalty the Bolts have a 1st and 10 at the Stiller 25 ... instead they're 2nd and 20 from the Stiller 2 ... I don't recall the next two pass plays but they both fell incomplete;

- on 2nd and 6 from the SD 45, Roethlisbutter throws to the end zone and draws a PI call on Eric Weddle ... whatever, maybe it was interference, but both players were diving for the ball so hey ref, if you're going to let Woodley toss Rivers to the ground when he's already in the grasp, why not allow a little contact in mid-air between Weddle and the Stiller receiver ... the Stillers scored on the next play to go up 28-10;

- Rivers refuses to give up and drives the Bolts down the field in 10 plays hitting Manumaleuna for a nice, spinning 15-yard gain, and Chambers for choice gains of 15 and 25 yards ... the TD pass to Naanee made the score 28-17 with 9:09 to play;

- now comes the big third down play described above ... if the Bolts knock down that pass they get the ball back with about 8:00 minutes to go probably around their own 25 or 30 yard line ... I don't care how good your defense is, Rivers and the Diego offense are not out of the game down 11 with 8:00 to play ... but as it happened the Stillers converted, kudos to them, and then ran the ball down the Bolts throat to ice the game 35-17;

- the last 4:11 of the game was, in keeping with the rest of the day, odd ... the Bolts go three and out and decide to punt, despite being down three scores ... the Stillers bring in Leftwich and go three and out when a Leftwich strike bounces off Sweed's fingertips (incidentally, Roethlisbooger gave the play away on the sideline when he overheard the play call and laughed ... CBS caught the whole thing on camera and you could tell from Ben's reaction before the play the Stillers were going to try something deep) ... Mike Tomlin challenges a meaningless play up three scores with two minutes to play ... but maybe it wasn't so meaningless because Rivers hits Sproles for a 62-yard TD on the next play setting up a last ditch Scifres onside kick attempt ... the Stillers recover thus ending the season for good.

Big offseason for the Bolts.

Get r dun, A.J.!