THE 50-YARD LINE

     Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Your Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their first win of the young season on Sunday as they celebrated their home opener by romping the San Fran 49ers 43-18. Today Mrs. Black-N-Gold looks back at the win with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the game.

GOOD

When you come away with a 43-18 victory, there is ALOT of good to talk about. This game had everything, offense, defense. There is so much that Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know where to start. How about with the QB? Ben Roethlisberger had a phenomenal game as he picked apart San Fran's defense to the tune of 21 of 27 passing for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns, good for a 155.8 rating. Ben's main target yesterday, WR Antonio Brown, was his usual, fantastic-self. AB caught 9 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Let's not forget the offensive line. They did a terrific job of protecting Ben. He wasn't sacked once. The O-Line also opened holes for RB DeAngelo Williams to the tune of 20 carriers for 77 yards and 3 TDs. Yes, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will say that DeWill is working out nicely. Thank you, very much.

Then there was the defense. This game should be the confidence builder that the much-maligned D needs. They held San Fran to just 18 points and remained stout throughout much of the game. They got to San Fran QB Colin Kaepernick most of the day, sacking him 5 times. One of the standouts on D was LB Ryan Shazier who enjoyed a coming-out-party of sorts. Shazier led the team with 15 tackles, 11 solo. He also recorded a sack and 3 tackles for loss. Shazier left the game late with a shoulder injury. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes it's a minor injury as she'd love to see more of this from the former 1st round pick. DE Cam Heyward was another member of the D that enjoyed a big day. Cam had 6 tackles, 5 of them solo with 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. Cam was, indeed, the Man. A performance like this gives the defense something to build on and keep trending upward.

BAD

Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to be a downer but she can't help but wonder: Are the Steelers this good or is San Fran that bad? Consider that the Steelers looked woeful in their opener against New England. Mrs. Black-N-Gold thinks the real barometer for the Steelers will be against division opponents. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the show.

UGLY

As pretty as the Steelers were throughout most of the day, it started out on an ugly note. In the early stages of the game, penalty flags were flying left and right. G Ramon Foster was penalized on back-to-back plays. C Cody Wallace was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Steelers were able to shake off the penalties but did finish with 7 flags for 58 yards. Penalties were a thorn in the Steelers side all last season. Mrs. Black-N-Gold was glad they overcame the early penalties but they need to let the refs keep the laundry in their pockets. Clean it up, Steelers.

The Steelers find themselves in the thick of the AFC North with a 1-1 record. The Bungles lead the way with a 2-0 mark. The Clowns are tied with the Steelers at 1-1. The Baltimorons are bringing up the rear at 0-2. The Steelers travel to St Louie to face the Rams this Sunday. Beware of the trap game. There could be a big letdown following this week's win. Also, don't look ahead to the Baltimorons game next Thursday. Take it one game at a time and take care of business. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!