Okay, okay, I shouldn't have called the Arizona Cardinals "Steelers West." I think I hurt their feelings. I think I pissed them off. And that's why Steelers East lost.
It could also be because Chukki Okobi (who was inactive, btw) told Whisenhunt all the line calls. Or that the Cardinals staff knew exactly how to get inside Ben's head. Or, that thing about Marvel Smith's armpit fat.
Or, it's the fact that they out-executed and out-hustled us on Sunday. That might be it.
I heard people talking on Monday about how Fast Willie sucked (19 carries for 37 yards - one of those carries went for 20 yards, so the rest of his carries amounted to 18 carries for 17 yards). I heard them talking about how Ben sucked and that he looked lost at times.
Really, thinking back on the game, I didn't see the Cardinals miss a tackle. They stayed in their rush lanes on defense, finished their blocks on offense, and executed some of the best blitz pick-ups I've seen in a while. We didn't do any of that. And that's why we lost.
Sure, we gave up a punt return. Sure, we had a first and goal at the four and came away with zero points. The Cardinals played the game damn-near perfect. They were ready for us, they executed, and they beat us.
Ultimately, the last touchdown drive the Cardinals had was the most obvious and pointed statement of how much they outmanned us on Sunday. Third and 8 inside the 10 yard line. And they ran. And they got a first down.
That last drive was 13 plays, 82 yards, and used up seven minutes and thirteen seconds of the fourth quarter. It decided the game, was the final nail in the coffin, and served as a microcosm of the game itself.
I don't even think we played poorly. Ben actually had himself a hell of a game, given the fact that he was getting chased around and beat up all day (our blitz pick-ups were not so good). Willie ran hard, he just didn't have anywhere to go.
Santonio Holmes had a big day without Hines. Heath played well. If I had to nitpick, I'd say I'm disappointed that Nate Washington gave up about halfway through both his chances at a big play (he slowed down during both of those deep passes and tried to catch up with the pass after Ben threw it both times - if he ran hard for the whole route, he would've had a touchdown, maybe two).
They played well. They just didn't play as well as the Cardinals.
My buddy Dan gave me some perspective on this (he's a WVU fan): This loss sucks, but it's not like the season's over. The Steelers can still win the division, still qualify for the playoffs, still win a Super Bowl.
They just can't keep getting beat like this.
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