I had a bad feeling about this game all week. It appeared the Steelers were about to face a team with it's back against the wall. Not only was it a must win for the Bengals, they had a certain quarterback with something to prove.
Neil O'Donnell proved that he is still a big play leader, who is as smart as he is good. I hope Bill Parcells gets to look at the highlights to see what kind of player he threw on the trash heap.
Even with Neil's heroics, this was a game the Steelers gave away. The way I see it, this game should not have been close. The fumble by Richard Huntley was the play of the game. Instead of being 17-3 for Pittsburgh, it was 10-9. Take a look at the picture at the top of this page and decide if Huntley was down or not. I think the ref's blew this call, and the game.
Momentum is a big word in football, and that call was a momentum killer. Give the Steelers credit. They continued to fight, and still managed to keep the game going in their favor. The problem is, this football team is lacking the killer instinct to put a game away. Time and time again they failed to put that final nail in the coffin. This allowed Pickens and O'Donnell the chance to pull off their demoralizing comeback.
The coaches can share the blame for this loss, as well as the players. Even an armchair quarterback such as myself knew the pass on fourth and twelve was going to Pickens. He never should have been in single coverage. This game should have ended on that play, and everone could have went home happy.
Instead, the team now falls into the category of mediocrity. They risk the chance of falling right out of the playoff race. How important does next weeks Ravens game become? I would go so far as to say it is a must win. They will need some momentum to carry them into Arrowhead stadium the following week.
Isn't it amazing? All they have to do is win two games in a row, and this loss will be all but forgotten.
On a positive note, Kordell had his best game of the year. He should be able to grow from that for next week. Jamaine Stephens also filled in admirably after a slow start. And, believe it or not, I thought Dwayne Washington played well.
The only problem was Neil O'Donnell played better.
