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Week 2 Game Recap: Pittsburgh Steelers 14, Chicago Bears 17
Pittsburgh Steelers
| QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 23 - 35 - 221 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 6 - 1 |
Make no mistake, Roethlisberger played well enough to win, but he could have played better. Big Ben was outstanding on a game-opening 92-yard TD drive, and he seemed to take well to the Steelers new identity as a pass-first team. He calmly rolled out and converted a play-action fake pass to Matt Spaeth on fourth-and-goal to cap the drive, and then started the team down the field again on the next drive before he threw an INT on a deep ball intended for Mike Wallace because he was hit as he threw. Big Ben wasn't quite the same after that, with some erratic accuracy, some drops by Santonio Holmes, and more blitzes from the Bears. He scored on a two-yard bootleg punctuated by a leap over a would-be tackler in the second half, but that score was set up by a long Rashard Mendenhall run. Roethlisberger did make enough plays to get the Steelers in field goal range twice in the fourth quarter, including a great stretch to get a key first down, but he also took a costly sack that added just enough distance to make Jeff Reed miss the first attempt. In his defense, he threw a TD pass to Santonio Holmes, before the second missed attempt, but Holmes let it go through his hands. A performance that solidifies Roethlisberger's fantasy value, even his rep as a clutch QB, but one that surely must feel empty for him.
| RB Willie Parker, Rush: 14 - 47 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) |
Parker ran more decisively and with a better initial burst than he showed last week. He actually had multiple good gains on well-blocked straight ahead runs, and drove his legs very well after contact. Parker also got two goal-to-go snaps, one where he got the carry, and one where they play-faked the handoff to him. He's still the lead back, but the Steelers were willing to abandon the run early against a stout Chicago run defense. On the plus side, the Steelers pass offense is functioning well enough to give him some goal line opportunities down the line, and one of his best blocked runs was a short yardage carry. Parker does still look slow in his cuts, and he is at his best by far going straight ahead.
| RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 2 - 13 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) |
Moore caught a pass lined up in a five-wide set at the goal line, but a good form tackle by Al Afalava kept him out of the end zone. Moore also caught a pass out of the slot, and had a nice run in one of the fourth-quarter drives that ended in a Jeff Reed miss. He's quickly becoming the Steelers version of Kevin Faulk.
| RB Rashard Mendenhall, Rush: 3 - 39 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets) |
Mendenhall barely got any work as the Steelers were not committed to the run, but he did have a nice gain on a reception that started with him falling down, and ended with him crossing the field and getting a first down. Later on that same drive, he showed the burst and second gear that got him drafted in the first round on the Steelers longest run of the day by far, setting up their second touchdown.
| WR Hines Ward, Rec: 6 - 57 - 0 (7 targets) |
Ward is getting a lot of targets that perform the same function as a run - very quick targets near the line of scrimmage that allow him to get run after catch yards. He also had one downfield target converted right before Roethlisberger's interception. He has taken a back seat to Santonio Holmes in terms of prominence in the target pecking order, but he is still a key cog in the passing offense.
| WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 5 - 83 - 0 (14 targets) |
Holmes had a nice stat line, but it could have been a lot bigger. He dropped multiple passes, including a TD in the fourth quarter, and he also slipped on what could have been a good gain in the second half. He did get open at will downfield, and he also had a good run after catch, highlighting his natural ability to set up blocks, and it could have been a longer gain if he hadn't slipped. He is the centerpiece of the Steelers new pass-first attack.
| WR Mike Wallace, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (3 targets) |
Wallace had another key late catch to get the Steelers in FG range on the second drive that ended with a Jeff Reed miss, and he was targeted deep (and behind Peanut Tillman), but Roethlisberger was hit as he threw, and the pass was grossly underthrown.
| TE Heath Miller, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (4 targets) |
Miller was once again Roethlisberger's safety valve, but there are very few called passes to #83. Even with more footballs in the air, the Steelers are content to pass mainly to the wide receivers, leaving Miller out in the cold in the game plan.
| TE Matt Spaeth, Rec: 2 - 10 - 1 (2 targets) |
Spaeth caught the fourth-down play action pass TD in the first quarter, and another pass in the third, but he is not threatening to expand his role in the Steelers pass-heavy offense, even though he is a good receiving TE.
Chicago Bears
| QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 27 - 38 - 236 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 |
Cutler's game was like night and day compared to week 1. He was much calmer in the pocket and more willing to accept checkdowns, or even throw the ball away. Cutler moved around well under pressure, and the Steelers did bring the pressure, especially in the second half. His accuracy was mostly great, although he didn't air it out all day. Cutler's arm strength from bad platforms bailed him out a few times, and he was very impressive on a 97-yard drive in the first half, managing the offense, and also making plays based on his rare talent. Both of his TD throws were good reads and decisive strikes, one in between two converging defenders to Kellen Davis, and one on a quick slant to Johnny Knox. Cutler had a few short throws on the game-winning drive, but Devin Hester helped him on a low target that ended up being the key conversion of the game. Cutler looked like a winner today, and the rest of the team fed off of his energy.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 13 - 29 - 0, Rec: 5 - 33 - 0 (6 targets) |
Like the Steelers, the Bears showed little interest in establishing the run. Forte's best run of the day was modest run on third and long. His best reception of the day, on the Bears game-winning drive, ended in a fumble forced by James Harrison that Greg Olsen recovered. This was expected to be a bad matchup for Forte, and it lived down to expectations. The Bears also spelled Forte for a bit in the first half during the 97-yard drive, and he surrendered a few goal-to-go carries to Adrian Peterson. His owners have to heartened by Cutler's improved play as the silver lining from this game.
| RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 3 - 16 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) |
Peterson got extensive work on the 97-yard drive that began with his drop. He had the Bears best run on the day during that drive, and he also converted a key third-down inside the 10. The Bears should be encouraged to use Peterson again in this way going forward.
| WR Johnny Knox, Rec: 6 - 70 - 1 (9 targets) |
Knox flashed all kinds of surprising skills for a fifth-round pick. He's very quick and fast after the catch, he has sticky hands, and a big catch radius for a small wide receiver. He climbed the ladder to make a third-down conversion, and did it again on a spectacular catch that he couldn't hold when he did the ground. Knox used his body to shield the defender on his quick slant TD like a vet, and his more decisive running style made him fare better on quick targets than Devin Hester did.
| WR Devin Hester, Rec: 4 - 21 - 0 (7 targets) |
Hester was barely used except on short passes, where his penchant for dancing and trying to find an opening was smothered by the Steelers relentless pursuit. He did make the key third-down catch of the game to set up the game-winning field goal on a low target from Jay Cutler, and he'll do better when Cutler actually has time to let a deep route develop.
| WR Earl Bennett, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (2 targets) |
Bennett had two catches, one a nice tough run on a screen to convert a long third down, but his run as Jay Cutler's main target was cut short by a Johnny Knox breakout game. He will at best rotate with Knox going forward. He was replaced by Knox in two wide receiver sets during the second half.
| TE Kellen Davis, Rec: 5 - 38 - 1 (6 targets) |
An injury to Desmond Clark forced Davis into the lineup, and while he had an ugly drop early, he redeemed himself as the game went on. He was Cutler's safety valve a few times, and he made a good catch in between defenders on a bullet from Cutler to score the Bears first TD. He also made a falling catch in the red zone on the second TD drive, and he might have cinched a role in this offense even when Clark is healthy with this performance.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) |
Olsen actually had the best day of any Bears receiver as a downfield target. He got open for a long pass in the first half, but Tyrone Carter walloped him in a double knockout reminiscent of the end of Rocky II. Olsen returned to the game, and took another hit from Carter later on to help key the Bears second TD drive. He also made the catch to get the team inside the 10 on that drive, and made a game-saving fumble recovery on the drive that led to the game-winning field goal.