The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the St. Louis Rams by a score of 12-6. There were some positives that came from this game, and there are some big negatives. Even though they got the win, the negatives might be outweighing the positives this time around.
First, let's take a look at the good stuff. Wide receiver Antonio Brown looked great, as he always does for this team. Week in and week out, Brown proves why he is one of the best players in the NFL. Le'Veon Bell's return to the field was another bright spot, putting up 132 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
Defensively, Stephon Tuitt was probably the biggest bight spot. Tuitt totaled six tackles, including two tackles in the backfield, and one sack of quarterback Nick Foles. Also, it was nice to see the defense force a turnover, coming via a late interception of Nick Foles. In reality, the whole defense can be considered a positive as they played their best game of the season, even without one of their best players in linebacker Ryan Shazier.
Now, on to the negatives. First, the offensive line was not good at all. Sure, the Rams defensive front is great, but Big Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times, one of which resulted in injury. The Rams also got in the backfield numerous times, not giving Le'Veon Bell anywhere to run. There is no way that the team will succeed without Roethlisberger if the line plays like this. They will need to open holes for Le'Veon Bell, who will see more touches, while needing to buy more time for backup quarterback Michael Vick, who is not as good at extending plays as Big Ben is. The other negative was really the offensive unit. Even though two players played great, the team only put up 292 yards and 12 points. Those numbers will have to increase soon.
Wait, there's one more negative. Pro bowl quarterback, lifetime Steeler Ben Roethlisberger sprained his left MCL and suffered a bone bruise, injuries that could keep him out for 4-6 weeks.
Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported that the team is more concerned with the bone bruise than the MCL sprain. Roethlisberger also said that the bruise is causing the pain that he is feeling.
With Mike Vick quarterbacking in the coming weeks, the offensive unit will have to step up, particularly the offensive line because the team will probably run more often. Getting wide receiver Martavis Bryant back week five will be a huge help, but the fact remains Vick is on the downhill swing at this point in his career. So, don't be surprised if Big Ben is out there in three or four weeks, limping around a little. He knows how good this team can be and he will do anything he can to help the team out.