Pittsburgh Steelers Run Over Carolina Panthers: Instant Reaction
Sep 21, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Penalties were frequent, early, and set a tone that it could be a pretty awful night for the Steelers and Steeler Nation. The first half was just simply awfully executed from the top down. The second half was a different story – night and day if you will – and you have to ask the question, “Have the real Steelers emerged for 2014?” It was the kind of game where the majority of things went the Steelers way.
There were two major differences that took place in this game: 1) The Steelers finally scored a touchdown in over eight quarters and 2) The defense stood tough and DLB finally began sending enough defenders to put pressure on the quarterback. That lead to errant passes and turn overs.
A field goal filled first half lead it’s way to an early second half Carolina turnover resulting in a Steeler touchdown after a penalty gave the Steelers another fresh set of downs during their field goal attempt. That touchdown was the first touchdown scored by the Steelers offense since the second quarter on opening day against the Browns. That’s almost nine full quarters.
The touchdown came at the hands of a “Ben being Ben” type of play that found a soft lob of a pass in the hands Antonio Brown in the corner of the end zone. It looked so similar to the Super Bowl XLIII pass from Ben to Santonio Holmes to win the game. That Sunday night pass-catch was just about as beautiful. The Steelers weren’t done there. The offense continued to produce with big plays when Le’Veon Bell ran for 81-yards (the longest run since the 70’s… really?!) followed by another Ben to AB TD connection.
The splash plays continued when the Panthers muffed a punt and the ball bounced its way into the end zone where the Steelers were on the bottom of the pile with the ball for a touchdown. That put the Steelers up 30-13, and pretty much sealed the game in the fourth quarter. It was a very timely play because the Panthers had just come within ten points after a Greg Olson touchdown. The momentum for the Panthers was over, and the Steelers continued to run and steamroll over the Panthers during the final quarter. A LeGarrette Blount touchdown late in the 4th put the final score at 37-19.
If someone told me that the Steelers would thump the Panthers that badly right after the loss to the Ravens last week, I would have told them where to find the Clemente Bridge and jump off.
It was a great night, and finally one of those nights to feel really good about the W. However, the win comes at a fairly large cost. The defense lost three defensemen to injuries, all of which could be serious. Ryan Shazier went down first with what looked like an ankle injury (but later told it was a knee), then Jarvis Jones when down with a hand injury, and finally Ike Taylor went out with an arm injury. From the replay, it looks as if Taylor is done for the season and potentially his career with a broken arm after teammate Lawrence Timmons hit him dead on with his helmet during the play that resulted in the arm injury. Full reports are sure to follow on Monday.
If these three are out for a long time, it could be rough trying to fill the holes. To give them credit, Sean Spence and Arthur Moats filled in rather nicely with Antwon Blake struggling against the rookie sensation Kelvin Benjamin. It might not be all that bad should the young linebackers have to sit for a couple of weeks.
As mentioned before, this was a great win by the Steelers that saw many winners and very few losers (other than the Panthers). The Steelers next three games are against the Bucs at Heinz Field, and then Jacksonville and the Brownies away. Three very winnable games that could have them sitting at 5-1 before they hit a tougher part of the schedule.
Crazy how an embarrassing loss followed by this pounding on a solid defensive team can change the outlook of the season.