Steelers vs. Chargers Review

Here's what I expected:

1. Us to gain a ton of yards.
2. Us to score a lot of points.
3. Darren Sproles to struggle.
4. The game to be all about Philip Rivers.
5. To run my record to 11-1.
   

Here's what I didn't expect:

1. Us to be able to run the ball.
2. Willie Parker to friggin' go off and return to his 2005-2007 form.
3. For Rivers to throw for 300+ yards and three touchdowns... and still lose.
4. Antonio Gates to have a good game.
5. Vincent Jackson to play, nonetheless catch a touchdown.
6. To be right on the five things that I expected to happen.

I definitely didn't expect 35 points, either. And, really, you could say that it could've gotten a lot more out of hand if Nate Washington and Santonio Holmes didn't have some key drops and if we were actually able to punch it in on fourth and goal. But that'd just be sour grapes.

Here's the thing... by the time the game ended and we were victorious (Editor's Note: It was the first time I got to see an onside kick in NFL action live and in person), I knew that we were going to play the hated Ravens for the AFC title.

That left me with more questions than answers. Fortunately, that was Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern and this is Wednesday at 12:38 a.m. Eastern, so I have some answers...

Q: The hated Ravens are vulnerable to one thing on defense and that is the deep pass. Are we going to be able to throw deep on these guys?

A: Well, that depends on whether or not we can pass block for Ben Roethlisberger against their blitz packages. I have this weird feeling that we aren't, but that it won't matter. I think Ben escapes pressure and hits a couple guys deep. The real question is whether or not those dudes can actually catch the ball when it comes.

Q: Is the running game back?

A: Yes, if we play the Chargers every week. But, here's the other thing: Fast Willie was in rare form (at least for 2008) on Sunday night. He ran inside-outside with authority, he gained the tough yards between the tackles, and he used his explosive jump cut to bounce to the outside when it was there. He reminded me of Chris Johnson, who did the same damn thing to the hated Ravens in the first half before he went down with an ankle injury. Before that happened, he had 11 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. Extrapolate that to a full game and he would finish with about what Fast Willie finished with against San Diego. Not saying it's gonna happen, because Fast Willie has struggled against the hated Ravens throughout his career, but it definitely could.

Q: Can you beat a team three times in one year?

A: Uh... YEAH YOU CAN. Especially if you're the Steelers. We beat the Browns three times in '94 and '02. We beat the hated Ravens three times in '01. Sometimes, you just have a team's number. The '99 Jacksonville Jaguars went 14-3 for the season. They went 14-0 against the rest of the NFL (back when there were 10 division games, the Bengals sucked, we sucked, and Cleveland was in their first year back) and went 0-3 against the Tennesse Titans, who beat them in the AFC Championship game (the last conference championship between division foes) and advanced to the Super Bowl... where they lost by a foot and a half to the Rams. Let's move on.

Q: Can the Steelers win without me?

A: They're 11-1 with you and 120-84-1 without you. Odds are that they will win, but it could be close.