1)The Good-A "W" is always a good thing and there was a good bit of good in this game. QB Ben Roethlisberger continues to impress, going 20 for 25 with 1 touchdown and a 95.2 passer rating. He did, however, toss a wind-aided interception, his first in 208 passes. Also, congrats to Ben for setting a new franchise record with his 339th completion of the season. Speaking of records, congrats to RB Le'Veon Bell for becoming only the third rookie in Steelers history to garner over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a season. There were more good things, as well. The defense was able to hold Cincy to 4 of 14 on third down conversions. Special teams recovered a Bungles fumble on a punt return at the Cincy 1-yard line that turned into a touchdown for the Steelers. Speaking of special teams, WR Antonio Brown returned a punt 67-yards for a touchdown, his second TD of the game. And we were able to hear some less familiar names make contributions: LB Terence Garvin (who blew up the Bungles punter on the Brown return), DL Ziggy Hood (fumble recovery), LB Vince Williams, C Cody Wallace, T Kelvin Beechum and NT Al Woods. Good job!
2)The Bad-As stated above, LB Terence Garvin's block on Cincy P Kevin Huber was really bad. Bad meaning good. Another bad thing about the game, this one bad meaning bad, was that LB LaMarr "Love the Tub" Woodley was injured for what seems like the millionth time in his Steelers career. Those of you with #56 jerseys may want to ask Santa for a new one for Christmas with a different player's name and number.
3)The Ugly-Sorry, Mrs. Black-N-Gold still has issues because this team still has them. The offense came out guns-a-blazing in the first half, via the no-huddle. The Steelers tied the franchise record for most points in the 1st quarter at 21. In the second half, the offense was flickering. The O also only converted a measly 2 of 10 third downs. The special teams were not without their faults, either, giving up 150 yards on kick returns. I also couldn't help but wonder why they can't play a complete 60 minutes. Inconsistency continues to haunt this team.
The Steelers still have a slim shot at the playoffs as we look at the standings. The Bungles still lead the AFC North at 9-5. The Baltimorons are second at 8-6. The Steelers follow at 6-8. With their latest loss, the Clowns round out the division at 4-10. The Steelers will battle the Green Bay Packers on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field on Sunday. We'll see if the black-n-gold can bring Green Bay a lump of coal for Christmas. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
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