Allen Rossum earned his paycheck this week. The dangerous return specialist took a kickoff 98 yards early in the first quarter to put The Burgh on the scoreboard. Rossum seems to have filled the void at returner that the Steelers have struggled to find since the departure of Antwaan Randle-El.
Willie Parker rushed for 100 yards for the third time in as many games this season. Parker actually has run for over 100 yards in his last four games dating back to last season. Parker ran for 133 yards on 24 attempts. In case you haven’t heard—this guy is REAL fast. His running vision seems to be steadily improving as well. Parker could very well be in the midst of career year this season. Najeh Davenport should not be slept on as a back up either. Najeh ran for 47 yards on only 5 carries. The majority of his yards came on a 39 yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter.
The Steelers D has looked nearly invincible this season. It has become a generally accepted fact that you cannot run the ball against The Burgh. Niners star running back Frank Gore was held in check rushing for 39 yards on 14 carries. His longest run of the day was for 11 yards. Alex Smith completed only 49% of his throws. Smith threw 1 TD pass and 1 Int. His interception proved to be a costly one, as Brian McFadden returned it 50 yards for a Steeler touchdown. That guy with long hair led the Steelers defense with 8 tackles.
Ben Roethlisberger finished the game 13 of 20 for 160 yards and 1 TD pass. While Big Ben didn’t set any passing yardage records on Sunday, he did play a relatively mistake free game. He didn’t force any throws and was able to take what the Niners’ defense gave him. Heath Miller led the Steelers with 82 yards on 4 catches. Santonio Holmes caught 3 passes for 49 yards. Hines Ward left the game with a knee injury. However Ward was quoted saying that his MRI results revealed no damage. His status against Arizona next week is questionable.
The Tomlin Era couldn’t have started off any better. 3 games-3 W’s. None of the Steelers games have really been close yet this season. The Steelers offense has looked good, and the defense has looked unbreakable. The Arizona Cardinals are on deck. Good luck Whisenhunt—you’re gonna need it.