in 41-17 win over Atlanta It was the kind of dominant win that tantalizes Steelers Nation with hints of the complete team this 2018 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers might become. After taking a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter Joshua Dobbs Jersey , the Steelersr17; offense seemed to retreat into its shell in the second quarter, squandering two excellent scoring opportunities r12; an overthrown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown on a crossing route which looked like it might have been one of his trademark catch-and-run TDs r12; plus an ill-advised, up-for-grabs pass by Roethlisberger on a 1st-and-goal play from the Falconsr17; 7-yard line which was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback. At halftime, the Steelers led by the slim margin of 13-10, and many of the Steelers Nation faithful were heard muttering r0;here we go againr1; under their breaths. But when the Steelers returned to the field following the intermission, they were all business. The defense promptly halted a Falconsr17; drive, after which the offense resumed running the ball effectively with James Conner, just as theyr17;d done in the opening quarter. On a key 3rd-and-13 play, Ben hit Conner on a screen pass and No. 30 rambled for a 23-yard gain, breaking tackles along the way. Then, on a 3rd-and-5 play from the Falconr17;s 9-yard line, Ben timed his throw perfectly on an out-route to Brown in the front corner of the end zone for the TD that increased the lead to 20-10.With a little under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Steelersr17; defense once again stepped up to thwart the Falcons and force a punt. Roosevelt Nix broke through the line and made a diving block of Matt Bosherr17;s punt, and Bosher recovered the ball but was stopped by Tyler Matakevich on the Falconsr17; 18-yard line. The Steelers promptly scored another TD on a 3-yard Conner dive over the goal line which broke the game open at 27-10.While Atlanta scored one TD in the fourth quarter, they never challenged again as the Steelers added two more TDs r12; the first on a picture-perfect, 47-yard pass from Ben to Brown, and the second on a strip-sack by T.J. Watt as he ran down Matt Ryan from behind and the loose ball was recovered in the end zone by L.J. Fort. As impressive a win as this 41-17 thumping might be, the score doesnr17;t begin to represent the Steelersr17; level of dominance over the Falcons. Without those two screw-ups by No. 7 in the second quarter, we easily could have been looking at a total of 50-some points r12; and this in a game where Ben didnr17;t even post one of his better passing efforts (19/29 for 250 yards). Perhaps most surprisingly of all, there was the Steelersr17; much-maligned defense holding down its end of the bargain while allowing only 17 points r12; a total which would have been still smaller if the Steelersr17; defenders hadnr17;t taken so many costly, defensive penalties that enabled Atlanta to sustain its scoring drives. Equally surprising were the two splash-plays by Nix and Watt that led directly to 14 points for the Black-and-gold. This is something we havenr17;t seen nearly enough of in recent weeks.Reading the tea leavesNobody can deny the magnitude of this win, especially for a Steelers team that came into the game winless at home. We also have to appreciate the fact that, coming into the game at 1-3, Atlanta needed a win just as badly as Pittsburgh. But make no mistake Derwin Gray Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , the Steelers werenr17;t exactly facing the cream of the 2018 NFL crop in this matchup. While Matt Ryan certainly has his defenders, her17;s not Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. As surprising as the Steelersr17; defensive performance might have been, you still had the feeling this game might have been much more competitive if the Steelers had been facing a premier quarterback. So while therer17;s much to like in this win, the Falconsr17; infamous choke in Super Bowl 51 apparently signaled the beginning of an extended decline for the team which nowadays doesnr17;t look anything like a serious contender.On the other hand, as recently as Week 4, Atlanta had the Cincinnati Bengals on the ropes before a late TD pass from Dalton to A.J. Green pulled out the win for Cincy. With Pittsburgh traveling to Paul Brown Stadium next weekend, perhaps itr17;s a good sign that the same Atlanta team which played the Bengals so evenly in Week 4 was no match for the Steelers the following week. But then you look at the Baltimore Ravensr17; lackluster effort in losing 12-9 to the Cleveland Browns, and it seems pretty difficult to make comparisons based on the teamsr17; showings against common opponents.Some definite positives on offense, however, were the play of Conner (21 carries, 110 yards, plus 4 receptions for 75 yards, 2 TDs) and Antonio Brown (6 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TDs). On defense, the play of T.J. Watt (team tackling leader with eight, plus the strip-sack) and the marked improvement shown by 2018 first-round pick, Terrell Edmunds (second in tackles with seven) were quite promising. Overall, the defense appears to be improving r12; albeit slowly r12; and thatr17;s certainly a welcome sign. Special teams were generally solid during the game, including the aforementioned, blocked punt by Nix. As for the kicking game, Jordan Berry had a very respectable game on punts, while Boswell still managed to leave us with some lingering doubt by missing his first point-after kick.The one factor that keeps emerging in characterizing this win is consistency. Except for the Steelersr17; second-quarter foibles and the bad kick by Boswell, the Black-and-gold were remarkably consistent throughout the game. And somewhat atypically for this team in recent years Derwin Gray Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , they made this victory look ridiculously easy, as it might have been even a bigger rout. This tends to reassure the fan base that, when the Steelers come out well prepared for a game r12; and when their defense, kickers and special teams play at least well enough not to be conspicuous liabilities r12; they can make short work of opponents like Atlanta and also can be competitive with the better teams in the league. When we look back later in the season, this win might be viewed as a turning point for the 2018 Steelers. After the previous four regular-season games r12; all of which seemed very much like an extension of the preseason in terms of being unprepared and out of sync r12;perhaps this is the game that shows the team finally has turned the corner and is ready to start performing up to its capabilities.Next Sundayr17;s face-off on the road against the Bengals will be an excellent opportunity to test the theory that the Steelers have truly righted their ship. In the past, Pittsburgh has been able to beat Andy Dalton mainly by pressuring him into any number of serious mistakes. So if the Black-and-gold defense truly is beginning to come together, therer17;s no doubt that Big Ben and company bring more than enough firepower to the fray to secure the win and move Pittsburghr17;s record to 3-2-1, while dropping Cincinnati to 4-2. But because of the Steelersr17; relatively slow start, getting the win in this first of two matchups against the Bengals will be every bit as crucial as the victory over the Falcons. A loss would drop Pittsburgh two full games behind Cincinnati with 10 games remaining r12; not a very desirable position for the defending AFC North champions. So the arrow definitely is pointing upwards for the Steelers in the wake of this impressive win. If their improvement extends into the weeks ahead, we might even see the end of calls for Mike Tomlinr17;s head and a wholesale reconfiguration of the entire Steelers' organization. Well ... a guy can dream anyway. You want Steelers topics that donr17;t involve former receiver Antonio Brown and former running back Ler17;Veon Bell? I aim to please."Itr17;s been a contentious and combative time for the Steelers, and the drama just never seems to end. Most of the drama has revolved around two former Steelers--receiver Antonio Brown and running back Ler17;Veon Bell. After nine years performing at a higher level than any receiver in team historyr12;not to mention six years performing at a higher level than any receiver in NFL historyr12;Brown is no longer a Steeler after being shipped off to the Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. As for Bell, who amassed 5,336 rushing yards and 2,660 receiving yards between 2013-2017, he has left for a new contract with the Jets. Both Brown and Bell were all-time Steelers greats, two of the most prolific offensive weapons in all of football. And the way they left the organization, well, it wouldnr17;t have been any uglier had they pulled a T.J. Houshmandzadeh and wiped their cleats with the Terrible Towel on the way out the door. Their absence could severely cripple the Steelers Super Bowl, nay, playoff chances in 2019. The odds of Pittsburgh being better after these losses are slim, really, really slim.So, why are we talking about it on Behind the Steel Curtain? Why are they talking about it on all the other Steelers media outlets? I canr17;t speak for the other writers at BTSC, and I certainly canr17;t speak for those other Steelers media outlets. But when it comes to yours truly Derwin Gray Jersey 2019 , I hear you loud and clear! No more AB! No more Bell! Theyr17;re yesterdayr17;s news (quite literally, I mean). Letr17;s focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and topics related to them.Gotcha! With that in mind, Ir17;d like to preview a bunch of Steeler-related topics I will explore between now and the start of training camp, subjects that are bound to have your mouth watering for the 2019 campaign to get here and get here fast!Below, I will introduce some topics via article titles Ir17;ve conjured up (though, keep in mind, these are just working titles at the moment) followed by a quick synopsis of what I hope to cover in these articles. Wonr17;t you join me? This week in the Steelersr17; depth chart: Trey Edmunds: Who the hell is he? Perhaps more than perennial All-Pros, people like to read about the unknowns, players who probably wonr17;t make the team. If her17;s still around by the time I get to it, I will find out who Trey Edmunds is. Who are B.J. Finneyr17;s favorite Game of Thrones characters? B.J. Finney probably likes the show Game of Thrones, and Ir17;ll bet he has some favorite characters. If he does, I will find out who they are. Norm Johnson, Kris Brown or Todd Peterson: Who was the best Steelersr17; kicker between 1995-2002? Kicks get chicks. A day in the life of Mike TomczakThe interest in this is self-explanatory. Joey Porterr17;s secret to sexy pre-game trash-talking absPeezy not only liked to talk trash before games, he exposed his abs to his opponents for greater effect. We all want sexy abs. I can see my article going viral and being discussed on some daytime talk show just in time for bikini season. Ir17;m really excited to explore this. The time I went to that Steelers game in 1984, and something happened that my dad and I still cherish to this dayReaders love this kind of stuff, and any article written along these lines always tops that dayr17;s Steelersr17; news cycle. Former Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox or Mike Connorsfrom the old detective show, Mannix: Who wore it better? Gold. In the kitchen with Ramon FosterFoster, nicknamed The Big Ragu, loves to bake lasagna. People love lasagna. They also love articles about offensive linemen. What would be better than to combine the two topics in one piece? Whor17;s more passive-aggressive: Ben Roethlisberger during one of his interviews or your girlfriend/wife when texting you during an argument? Ryan Seacrest, get ready to discuss this article on your daily radio show. Did the show Breaking Bad ever jump the shark? Omar Khan caps off each of the show's five seasons My first serial feature. There you have it. You wanted articles not related to Antonio Brown and Ler17;Veon Bell. Ir17;m here to please you, the reader. Stay tuned for a fun and informative offseason full of relevant Steelers news.
