Steelers face business as usual, win or lose
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell played 52 of the Steelers’ 59 offensive plays Sunday against the Chiefs.
Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey hauls in a first-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Sunday against the Chiefs at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers didn’t want to spend a lot of time dwelling on their Week 3 thrashing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago. They were eager to move forward from that 34-3 loss.
In much the same way, the team will move on from its 43-14 whipping of Kansas City Sunday night at Heinz Field in Week 4.
You can’t ride an emotional roller coaster and get too high with the highs or too low with the lows when you’re playing a 16-game football schedule in 17 weeks.
“We just went about business as usual,” said Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey of how the team handled its poor game two weeks ago at Philadelphia. “Coach (Mike Tomlin) does a good job of rallying the troops and getting us ready for the next game.”
The Steelers improved to 3-1 with the win. Perhaps more impressively, they did so in dominating fashion against yet another 2015 playoff team. Pittsburgh’s win over Kansas City was its third win already this season over a playoff team from last season. They have just two remaining games against returning playoff teams, Oct. 23 at Heinz Field against New England and a rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals. They already beat the Bengals, 24-16, in Week 2.
But, as Pouncey cautioned, that doesn’t mean there will be smooth sailing for the Steelers by any stretch, starting this Sunday at Heinz Field against the New York Jets (1-3).
“We’re in the NFL. These guys get paid to play the sport,” Pouncey said. “Every team is good. You have to respect every team you play.”
If anyone was doubting how good the Steelers actually were coming off the loss in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh likely changed some minds against the Chiefs.
Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 27 passes for 300 yards and five touchdowns, throwing as many incomplete passes as he did touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different receivers and threw TD passes to four different players, including two to Antonio Brown.
In his first game back after serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy, Le’Veon Bell lined up at wide receiver, H-back and in the backfield. He gained 178 total yards, which included 105 rushing yards on 12 carries in the second half.
Anyone who doubted how ready Bell would be to handle a heavy workload certainly had those questions answered. Playing for the first time since tearing an MCL and suffering a PCL injury last Nov. 1 against Cincinnati, Bell played 52 of 59 snaps and had 18 carries and five catches.
“I always feel like I have something to prove,” said Bell. “I’m never really satisfied with my past year or the year before, the game before. I always have a chip on my shoulder, feel like I was doubted.”
The Steelers defense knows what it’s like to be doubted.
After recording just one sack in the first three weeks and having issues with missed tackles in the loss to the Eagles, Pittsburgh had four sacks and forced two early turnovers against the Chiefs that both set up short touchdown drives.
Defensive end Cameron Heyward had three of the sacks, but isn’t ready to say things are fixed.
“It’s just this week,” said Heyward. “I thought everybody got pressure. I might have gotten three, but it wasn’t just me. (Stephon) Tuitt had some really nice pressures. I just cleaned up the trash.
“When we get turnovers and give our offense some short fields, it puts the defense in the right spot because we know what (the opposing offense) has to do.”
The Steelers didn’t allow the Chiefs to score until the fourth quarter, after Pittsburgh had taken a 36-0 lead. And Pittsburgh’s defense did so despite missing inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and strong safety Robert Golden.
Playing in place of Shazier, arguably the team’s most dynamic defender, Vince Williams had a team-high 15 tackles and a sack, while Jordan Dangerfield had five tackles playing in place of Golden.
But with Roethlisberger playing the way he did, it made the job of the defense much easier.
The Steelers’ Pro Bowl quarterback’s three TD passes on three consecutive throws in the first quarter and Pittsburgh’s 22 first-quarter points are a team record.
Pittsburgh also has now won 11 straight games started by Roethlisberger coming off a loss. In those games, Roethlisberger has thrown 27 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
“I guess I hate losing,” said Roethlisberger. “You want to win every game whether it is coming off a win or a loss. I think that speaks for all of us that we want to bounce back.”
Roethlisberger matched George Blanda for the third-most five-TD games in NFL history with five. Tom Brady and Dan Marino are second with six each, while Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have done it 10 times. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who suffered an ankle injury at the end of the first half, was in a walking boot Monday. … Linebacker Jarvis Jones, who also suffered an ankle injury against the Chiefs, feels he’ll be ready to play Sunday against the Jets. … Despite playing in just one game, Bell already ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing with 144 yards. His 44-yard run in the fourth quarter was Pittsburgh’s first 20-yard rushing play this season.