Steelers earn key playoff-positoning win

A week after losing a heartbreaker to the New York Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded in style

Thursday night and inched one game closer to clinching the AFC North with a dominant 27-3 win at

home against the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers, who clinched a pla

yoff berth despite the loss last

week, improved 11-4 and now sit a half-game in front of the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC

North. The Steelers would clinch the AFC North with a Ravens loss at Cleveland this week or a win next week against the Browns

Taking the field on a chilly night against an opponent with nothing to play for, the home team’s

defense dropped the Steel Curtain on Carolina, sacking the opposing quarterback four times and

creating two turnovers. Preparation was key in the short week, and it paid off.

But most impressive on the night was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who showed off the long ball

with the offense’s young crop of weapons. The Steelers’ offense resembled the potent assault of the

Philadelphia Eagles with its speedy receivers, do-it-all running back and veteran leadership at

quarterback.

Roethlisberger again great under pressure

The Steelers quarterback was efficient all night, completing 22 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown.

Playing with a broken foot and nose that was bloodied in the first quarter, Roethlisberger played like

his usual self. Several times, he fought off defenders while under pressure and completed

intermediate-range passes. In the second quarter, Roethlisberger connected with Mike Wallace on a

short slant route that ignited the crowd of 61,000-plus at Heinz Field when Wallace sprung free for a 43-yard touchdown.

Wallace becoming a superstar

Speaking of Wallace, in early April, the Steelers front office made a decision to trade their 2009 Super

Bowl MVP wide receiver Santonio Holmes for a fifth-round pick to the Jets. The move was a sign of

confidence in Wallace. The second-year receiver from ‘Ole Miss had four catches for 104 yards,

showing off his speed on several occasions. Wallace has breached the 100-receiving yard mark six times

this season and has even matched a long-standing record set by a Steeler legend, tying John

Stallworth’s record of 24 20-yard receptions in a season.

His performance was also complemented by a consistent rushing presence by running back Rashard

Mendenhall.

Mendenhall: Steeler ground game personified

Although Mendenhall didn’t have his best game of the season numbers-wise, he posed as a valuable

threat, baiting the Carolina defense into selling to out try to stopping the run. Mendenhall was utilized

at the goal-line as a short-yardage back whose job was to punishopposing defenders. On the Steelers’

first offensive play of the game, the third-year running back from Illinois gashed the Panthers’ defense

on a counter for 35 yards. Carolina did well to stop Mendenhall after that, bottling him up for only 30

more yards on the night. But he played the role of a typical Steelers running back very well – attacking

defenders at full speed.

The persistent attack allowed Pittsburgh to control the clock and rest its league-best defense.

Steelers defense punishes young Carolina offense

The Pittsburgh defense played particularly well in the absence its leader, Troy Polamalu. The All-Pro

safety was inactive after suffering an Achilles injury in Week 14. The safety was missed, but other

leaders stepped up. The defense flexed its league-best against-the-rush muscle, negating the

Panthers' only offensive strong point. Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart, the league’s leading

rusher since Week 12, was limited to only 71 yards on 18 carries. Against the pass, Pittsburgh

defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau dialed up blitzes, constantly harassing Panthers quarterback Jimmy

Clausen throughout the night. Clausen, a rookie from Notre Dame, was sacked four times and, on one

somewhat rare occasion when he found enough time to actually get a long throw off, was

Panthers need long-term solution at QB

Dropping another game to fall to 2-13, the Panthers have all but secured the No. 1 overall pick in the

2011 NFL Draft. Assuming Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck forgoes his final year of collegiate

eligibility and declares for the draft, Carolina must at least consider selecting him if they wind up with

the top pick. Although Clausen is only a rookie and hasn’t had enough time to develop as an NFL

quarterback, his throws are inconsistent and his deep ball is very inaccurate.

intercepted by cornerback Bryant McFadden.