Keystone state supremacy was on the line and, after a back and forth contest, it was the Steelers who claimed bragging rights for the western portion of Pennsylvania. Although the outcome of the game wasn’t decided until the last play of the game when Pittsburgh kicker, Shaun Suisham, made a 34-yard field goal, it was early miscues that hindered the Eagles' chance of winning.
The first few drives of the game were dominated by Philadelphia, but after a Michael Vick fumble at the 1-yard line the Eagles had nothing to show for their efforts. Another Vick fumble at the end of the first half had Philadelphia playing catch-up all day, and eventually the Eagles had left too many points on the field to grab a road win.
Early on the Steelers were sloppy and looked sluggish coming off their bye week, but they caused the pivotal turnovers and made the key plays to build a lead. After squandering that lead, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger engineered a brilliant game-winning drive that left zero time on the clock. Some in the Pittsburgh area were calling this a must-win and the Steelers responded with a hard-earned victory to get their record back to .500.
Philadelphia — Three Performances of Note
Vick-timized
Despite playing his second straight game without an interception, ball security continues to be the biggest problem for the Eagles' quarterback. Vick fumbled three times, and lost two of them, which was the main reason for his -4.2 grade. He actually had a decent day throwing the ball, completing 67% of his passes and a QB rating of 104.2, but all of the big plays seem to be going against Vick this year. He completed just three passes that traveled more than 10 yards in the air and continues to struggle when under pressure, an area he once excelled in. When pressured he was just 7 of 14 and averaged a meager 3.4 yards per attempt. Conversely, when not pressured he was a very impressive 13 of 16 with a touchdown. If the Eagles are going to be a winning team they will need Vick to recapture his ability to make big plays, and refrain from turning the ball over.
Poor Linebacker Play
For the first four games of the season it appeared that the most improved position group on the Eagles was the linebackers. Well, this game did very little to support that feeling. Rookie Mychal Kendricks struggled en route to a -7.5 PFF grade, including -4.1 against the run. Kendricks missed six tackles and was a liability in pass coverage, allowing four of the five passes thrown his way to be caught. Jamar Chaney (-4.0) got the start for the injured Akeem Jordan and also struggled, especially against the run where he was bullied all day at the second level by Maurkice Pouncey. Watch the first three plays of the second half and you’ll get a feel for the pounding he took.
No Impact from Secondary
Through five weeks, the Eagles have the second-highest rated pass coverage unit in the league, yet there has been a noticeable lack of big plays. The cornerback duo of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was supposed to be the best tandem in the NFL, but they have just one interception combined since Week 1, and quarterbacks have begun to target Asomugha, who is yet to intercept a pass this year. Asomugha (-2.7) was thrown at seven times, allowing six receptions — and he should have been beaten for a touchdown on the one incompletion, but the pass bounced off the receiver's hands. Rodgers-Cromartie (-1.7) also failed to make a play and dropped a potential interception in the end zone that would have prevented points. Aiding the lack of big plays from the secondary is a below average pass rush. The Eagles pride themselves on having a feared defensive line, but they have now gone two games without a sack.
Pittsburgh — Three Performances of Note
Big Enough Ben
It wasn’t a perfect day for Roethlisberger, but it was good enough for a victory. Roethlisberger (+4.1) wasn’t spectacular, but he avoided turnovers and made big throws when the game was on the line. Twice on the game-winning drive Roethlisberger made a clutch throw on third down to keep the Steelers alive. The Eagles don’t blitz often, but when they did Big Ben made them pay. Completing five of seven throws for 69 yards, just under 10 yards per attempt, Roethlisberger made a bunch of subtle moves in the pocket to buy time. He was very smart deciding where to throw, and took what the defense gave him — he was 19 of 23 in all passes less than 10 yards. For those who think stats are the be all and end all of QB play, remember three of his best passes were dropped, including a beautiful 33-yarder to Antonio Brown that slipped through the wide out's fingers in the end zone.
Steady Timmons
All week long the hype surrounding the Steelers' defense was about the return of their stars, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, but it was the consistent Lawrence Timmons who was their best player. Timmons (+1.2) made eight tackles, had four QB hurries and forced a fumble to lead the defensive effort. In the first half it felt like he was in on every stop, and he also perfectly timed a few blitzes. With Polamalu re-injuring his calf early in the game, Timmons will be counted on to make more plays in the upcoming weeks.
Stable Offensive Line
Matching-up against one of the league’s most vaunted pass rushes, the Steeler’s offensive line shut them out and played very well. Not allowing a sack and leading an impressive running game, the line was key to winning this game. The interior of the line was exceptionally good in the run game, with Willie Colon (+1.5) in particular, dominant at times. His pure run blocking grade of +4.6 grade was deflated by four holding penalties (three on running plays). It seemed if he was initially beaten then he struggled to recover, but when he locked on — watch out! Look at the way he not only turns Derek Landri with 2:16 left in the third, but pushes him back as well.
Game Notes
— The Eagles ran 11 plays on their opening drive, 17 plays on their final drive and only 31 plays in between.
— Mychal Kendricks has now missed five tackles in run defense and made only seven. A tackling efficiency of just 3.4.
— Rashard Mendenhall returned from injury to play 22 snaps. He touched the ball on 16 of those 22 plays.
PFF Game Ball
Despite no previous mention, the game ball goes to Ryan Clark (+0.8). His forced fumble on the goal line was the biggest play of the game, and his deep safety play was pivotal in shutting down the Eagles' big-play passing game.
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