Steelers defense too much for Chargers.
PITTSBURGH, PA - It was an still night in Pittsburgh with no wind about but there was a buzz in the air. That buzz was the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Both teams knew the Steelers defense would have a big impact on the outcome of this game and unfortunatley for San Diego, that impact favoured Pittsburgh as they came away with a 28-10 win. The Chargers got the first little win by winning the toss and electing to kick. However neither offense could get going with both defenses dominating early until Steelers FB Carey Davis made a catch followed by a spectacular dive into the end zone for an 8 yard TD with 46 seconds remaining giving the Steelers a 7-0 lead. The second quarter saw much of the same, with defenses getting on top forcing lots of 3 and outs. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger eventually had another breakthrough finding Santonio Holmes for his second TD pass for the night. Holmes made a great catch in heavy traffic to put the Steelers up by 14 with just over 6 minutes before halftime. San Diego eventually got on the board with RB Darren Sproles running for a 14 yard TD on a sweep play, closing the gap to 14-7 with just over 2 minutes to go. The score would remaining like this heading into the break.
Another very defensive quarter saw the only score come with just 10 seconds remaining as Rashard Mendenhall rumbled over for a 14 yard TD putting Pittsburgh up 21-7 going into the last. In the final quarter, Chargers K Nate Kaeding got San Diego a bit closer nailing a 39 yard FG with under 10 minutes to go. But that's as close as they got. RB Willie Parker sealed the game with a 6 yard scamper through a mess of players, making it 28-10 PIT.
In a post-game interview, Charger QB Philip Rivers took an apparent swipe at his team's defense, saying that the defense is dragging this team down and they need to lift their game and support the offense. "We need to be on the field more than the other teams offense and right now, our guys aren't making that happen. If we aren't out there, we can't score. If we don't score, we don't win. Simple".
.................Team Stats.................
...........San Diego | Pittsburgh...........
Total Offense.222 | 389
Pass Yards.....145 | 203
Rush Yards......77 | 186
First Downs.....14 | 13
Turnovers.........0 | 0
3rd Downs....2/12 | 6/13
Penalties......4-35 |4-42
T.O.P.........28:09 | 31:51
Individual Stats
Passing
P. Rivers (71.5 rating) 15/30, 200 yds
B. Roethlisberger (102.5) 18/30, 203 yds, 2 TD
Rushing
L. Tomlinson 15 carries, 55 yds
D. Sproles 3 carries, 18 yds, TD
W. Parker 27 carries, 135 yds, TD
R. Mendenhall 2 carries, 17 yards, TD
Recieving
M. Floyd 6/80
A. Gates 4/40
V. Jackson 2/44
L. Sweed 4/55
M. Spaeth 4/21
H. Miller 3/41
S. Holmes and C. Davis TD each
Defense
E. Weddle 10 tackles (5/5)
S. Cooper 8 tackles (3/5)
S. Merriman 7 Tackles (5/2), 2 TFL, 2 pass def
T. Polamalu 10 tackels (6/4), pass def
A. Smith 8 tackles (5/3), 3 TFL, 3 sack
C. Hampton 6 tackles (6/0), 4 TFL, 2 sack
Kicking
N. Kaeding 1/1 FG (38 long), 1/1 XP
J. Reed 4/4 XP
Punting
M. Scifres 7/312, 4 in 20, 3 TB
D. Sepulveda 6/222
Returns
D. Sproles 5 KO return/145 yds, 5 PR/55 yds
S. Logan 1 KO return/21 yds
Player of the Game: Willie Parker (27 carries-135 yards, TD; 2 catches-20 yards)
The Chargers (2-2) have a bye next week to try and figure out a few things on defense. Pittsburgh (4-0) head to Detroit to face the 2-2 Lions.
10-14-2009, 07:59 AM
