- The game wasn't as close as the score would indicate. When it became 32-14 and the Steelers let up. They were more interested in taking time off the clock than stopping the Cardinals. They just wanted to make sure that Larry Fitzgerald didn't do anything crazy and he didn't. I'm not sure if they were just looking to make sure guys didn't get hurt, if they were trying to be good sports against their old coaches, but they let their foot off the gas. Against the 2008 or 2009 Cardinals, that would've been a huge mistake, but it's easy enough to get by the 2011 Cardinals when you build an 18 point lead. No lead is safe against the Patriots or the hated Ravens. If the Steelers manage to get a lead in those games, they should keep building on it until the game is over, if not after.
- As trips to the woodshed go, this was a pretty impressive beating. The pass rush got to Kolb, the defense forced a turnover, and the passing game lit it up, with 361 yards through the air and three touchdowns. The Steelers forced a safety. The defensive line looked solid and the linebackers were all over the field -- especially James Farrior, who is looking younger by the week, but still doesn't look young.
- Ike Taylor impressed me once again. It wouldn't be accurate to say that he shut Larry Fitzgerald down, but he did keep Fitz from taking over the game like he did in Super Bowl XLIII. Fitzgerald had four catches for 78 yards, but Taylor kept him out of the end zone and won more battles than he lost, even if you include penalty yards, as Fitzgerald was targeted ten times.
- I was surprised to discover that the Cardinals had as many sacks as the Steelers, with two. Maybe Ben Roethlisberger handled the pressure significantly better than Kolb. Maybe I've just become accustomed to Roethlisberger taking severe beatings every week and a constant barrage of pressure just looks normal to me. But, in my opinion, I thought the offensive line had another solid game in pass protection.
- Arizona had a big weakness in the secondary and the Steelers exploited it. They didn't throw 30 times in the first half, but they did plenty of damage with the shots they did take. These kinds of strategic moves -- and the fact that they made a high percentage of the plays that were available -- bode well for the rest of the season. Sure, they're a team that likes to throw the ball deep regardless of opponent, but they seemed to take more shots against the Cardinals and I was happy to see it. I would also like to mention that the Patriots have a very shaky pass defense.
Light on the bad news and some of it is nitpicky...
- Only forced one turnover, which brings them to three on the season. They're getting better at protecting the ball, but it's high time they started forcing their opponents into some bad decisions and mistakes.
- Nine penalties, though I think a third of those were on Taylor and at least one of those was ticky-tacky. Still, they can't commit nine penalties against New England and Baltimore and expect to win. Out of the nine penalties committed, three resulted in first downs for Arizona and there were two on the touchdown drive in the second quarter that helped keep that drive alive.
- I was also surprised to learn that the Steelers had 93 yards (taking out two kneel-downs by Roethlisberger). I figured the total was more like 60 or 70 yards, since they didn't seem to be in synch all game. Part of the issue was the attacking front seven for Arizona, but a larger part of the problem was that the Steelers weren't blowing up big holes for their backs. I think it's time to let Mendenhall get in there for four or five carries and see how it goes. If the line is pushing people off the ball, keep Rashard in. If they're not opening up holes, then it's time to put in Isaac Redman. Mendenhall averaged 2.5 yards a carry and Redman averaged 4.8. There's no question that Mendenhall is the more talented back, but there's also no question that Redman can do more with less. If there isn't a hole, he puts his head down and pushes ahead for at least a few yards. I don't think Mendenhall should lose his job, he's still their best option, but he's no longer the best option for every situation, so they need to start a committee approach. That also means getting Mewelde Moore involved, which will be covered in further detail in the Patriots preview.
- I love that Mike Wallace ended up with 118 yards and a touchdown. But, if you factor in that 95 of those yards came on one catch and that he was targeted seven times, that makes for a pretty inefficient game. I know that Wallace doesn't run a lot of high percentage routes, but they need to do better than three catches on seven targets. That would involve throwing more short passes his way, including some more of those quick slants that seem to have found their way out of the game plan.
- I still don't know if the Steelers are good, bad, great, average, or dominant. Right now, they're still miscellaneous. The good news in this bit of bad news is that they've won the games they were supposed to win thus far, so they're a 5-2 enigma instead of a 3-4 or 2-5 enigma. I guess that we can say we'll know more after Sunday's game against the Patriots. I just wish I knew more now.
I'll say that I'm satisfied by Sunday's performance, but I'll also say that I'm still worried.
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