Wow. There was a lot of talk this week about Chris Johnson and his quest for 2,000 yards rushing and his 12 game streak of 100-yard rushing games. After today’s game, all the talk will deservedly be about the Steelers defense.
In a performance for the ages, the Steelers forced 7 turnovers. They intercepted Vince Young twice, Kerry Collins once, and forced 7 fumbles, recovering 4 of them. Johnson was held in check all game long and finished with 15 carries for 34 yards. The linebackers played one of the better games in recent memory, raving both Johnson and whoever the Titans tried at quarterback. James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons were especially good today. Only a garbage time TD pass to Nate Washington separated the Steelers from starting the season without giving up a touchdown in two straight games.
The Steeler special teams unit came up big as well. Rookie Antonio Brown took a reverse on the opening kickoff from Mewelde Moore and ran 90 yards for a touchdown — the only one the Steelers would score on the game. Jeff Reed was 4-4 on field goals and looked great all game.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers were inept for the entire game. Starting quarterback Dennis Dixon was shaky at the start and then left the game with a knee injury. Charlie Batch, the Steelers only healthy quarterback, came in and didn’t fare much better. The offensive line was ravaged with injuries the entire game and at one point Tony Hills, Jonathan Scott, and Doug Legursky were all playing at the same time. Yikes.
If Byron Leftwich is healthy enough to play next week, I’ve got to guess he’ll get the starting nod. It will be interesting to see what happens. Leftwich is actually not even on the roster at the moment.
Still, the defense absolutely carried the team to another win and a 2-0 start given Ben Roethlisberger‘s absence is a great sign for this team. If the Steelers can find a way to grind out another win before Roethlisberger returns, the team will be in great shape.
