Big Ben Might as well have been cheerleading on Monday Night

The Steelers seemed outmatched by the 49ers on a Monday Night game which included two power outages at Candlestick Park. The story of the game was the 49ers defense which sacked Ben as well as intercepted him 3 times, hit him 8 times, recovered 1 fumble, accounted for 9 pass deflections and totaled 6 tackles for a loss. The comparison's with the 49ers defensive efforts shows a very lack luster performance from the Steelers. Missing suspended linebacker James Harrison surely hurt but given Ben's injury, one would think that the black and gold defense should have found a way to be the story of the game instead.

The Steelers defense left Alex Smith untouched and only attained 3 tackles for losses and four pass deflections. Even more telling were the 6 more total tackles that San Fran gained over Pittsburgh's defense. So far the Steelers are ranked 24th in defensive turnovers compared to finishing 5th in that category last year. Seemingly, their opportunistic nature of the past has faded away leaving an older and less efficient defense. On the other side, the 49ers are currently ranked 17th in that category and more impressively their 15 game streak of not allowing a rushing touchdown matches the 1985-86 Bears for the longest since the 1970 season.

Ben Roethlisberger finished the game with 25 completions for 44 attempts and 330 yards. Alex Smith threw for 187 yards with 1 TD and completed 18 for 31 passes. Along with not throwing any interceptions, Smith was clearly the more efficient quarterback last night. The 6 more passing first downs that the Steelers gained over the 49ers could be more deceiving than Ben's numbers but if you watched the game you would have realized how little that stat means. Most of those throws were in an effort to come back in the game while Ben's deep passes sailed over receivers and didn't look nearly as accurate as they usually do. To his credit, a lot of the intermediate throws he made hit his wide outs in a timely manner but there were several chances for key plays that could have made a difference in the game's outcome. The ability to step into his throw on deep passes just wasn't there.

As defenses in the NFL know all too well, a healthy Ben would have been able to avoid rushers and make big plays with his arm as well as his feet. His 6'5 241 lb. frame is usually a nightmare for defenders to take down but as we saw last night, a hobbled ankle provided a sort of kryptonite for the 49ers. For a moment, the frustration on Ben's face as well as his words of disgust were clear for everyone to see. Even more evident of his lack of abilities was the anguish he showed when trying to complete passes during pre-game warm ups. Monday Night football analyst and former 49er Steve Young, questioned the Steelers decision to start Roethlisberger on numerous occasions, before and after the game.




The question is a valid one regardless of Ben's proven ability to play well with injuries in the past. A very capable back up in Charlie Batch was available on the sidelines for the Steelers. Besides being a seasoned veteran, Charlie also has shown that he possesses the mobility to extend plays with his feet. The question is whether or not he's still capable of winning a game for the Steelers if need be? It's hard to answer since he hasn't had any meaningful playing time in quite a while. Ben has been quoted as saying "I'll go out and play at 5 percent." Sure that may work against inferior teams but when facing top defenses such as San Francisco's,  playing hurt hasn't worked out too well for him and the Steelers.

Over the past four games, the Steelers have only averaged 13 points while Roethlisberger was suffering from thumb and ankle injuries. Another telling stat from last night's game of Ben's performance was that all three of his interceptions came from throws that were thrown 14 yards or more. The big play ability that the Steelers thrive on was definitely hindered. If victorious last night, the Steelers would have secured the lead in the AFC North and gained the top seed in the AFC playoff race. They are now tied with the Ravens at 10-4. One has to question if Charlie Batch could have helped accomplish that feat and if Batch wasn't ready to play, should Ben have sat in the 4th quarter to get some extra rest? With the Rams and Browns left on the schedule, all is certainly not lost. By winning out along with at least one loss from the Ravens, the Steelers can still win their division and secure a home playoff game as well as a first-round bye. Unfortunately their chance of clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs was lost on Monday night in San Francisco.

It's highly possible that the Steelers realized that Batch or any other quarterback on their roster couldn't carry the team on their back as Roesthlisberger has done so many times before. Especially now with a defense that isn't as vaunted as they use to be, this conclusion seems more reasonable. After all, he's apart of a small group of quarterbacks in the league who when mostly healthy, always give their team a chance at winning. Besides being an "iron man", fans love Ben's ability to lead his team to victory, especially when it matters most in the 4th quarter.

So again if the Steelers feel that their back up QB's wouldn't be able to handle even the Rams or Browns, I have no problem with Ben starting the final two weeks of the season but if they jump out to an early lead he should certainly be a spectator. His ankle needs all the rest it can get in order to make a deep playoff run. One thing that could help Ben's healing process is a stronger running game which the Steelers still possess but are suffering offensive line injuries and hesitated to give Rashard Mendenhall over 15 carries in the game. On Monday the Steelers took 51 of their 66 snaps out of the shotgun which equals to 77.3 percent compared to just 35.2 percent of the time in previous games. Despite not even being able to sniff the end zone and only reaching San Fran's 19 yard line, the shotgun will be a crucial method towards keeping Big Ben upright for future contests.    

After the game, when asked about how the injury affected him Ben said, "I'm not going to make excuses." Followed by, "I played a bad football game. I turned the ball over, and that one is on me."

These words are another example from many, of Ben's determined attitude and leadership which have helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls and appear in one more last year. After last night's debacle, I just can't help but wonder if their quietly asking themselves, can Big Ben continue ignoring his injuries and master another heroic performance?