Game Balls and Goats (Steelers vs. Lions)

GAME BALLS

Antonio Brown. He's looking more and more like a top No. 1 receiver. Coming into the season, I had my doubts that he could be "the man." Antonio has erased all doubts. Not only is he proving that he's the man, but I think he has the potential to be even better than what we've seen this season.

Ben. This was one of the best games Ben played all season. There were a couple plays where he held onto the ball too long but, for the most part, he did what he needs to do.

Offensive line. Coming into the game, I said the offensive line didn't need to be great (there's no chance of that), but they had to be good. And they were good enough. They gave Ben time to make plays and they held their own against one of the toughest defensive lines in the league. DeCastro was a beast. He's starting to live up to the billing.

Haley. He gets credit for doing what a lot of Steelers fans, including our very own Truck, have been screaming about for years ... allowing Ben to run more no-huddle.

LeBeau. One of the biggest criticisms of LeBeau is that he doesn't make adjustments. In the first half, Ike was locked up one on one with Megatron. That's an impossible task for any cornerback, and Ike got burned on a couple plays and Stafford threw for more than 300 yards in the first half. But in the second half, adjustments were made, including giving some help to Ike, and the defense shut down Stafford and Megatron.

GOATS

Ike Taylor. It's easy to make him the Goat for allowing a couple big plays by Calvin Johnson. Yeah, he got burned, but how many cornerbacks can go one one one with Megatron? Some of the blame for that strategy in the first half has to go to LeBeau for putting Ike in that position, but that's how he wanted it and he struggled. What bothered me more than giving up a couple big pass plays was the two easy interceptions he dropped. Ike stepped up in the second half, but he was the biggest Goat in the first half.

Ike also was caught out of position a ton and had two huge holding calls. The second quarter scoring was all his blow up.

However, like you said, Lebeau made shockingly, adjustments, bringing will Allen in for over the top help and it paid dividends.

I agree with everything you have already stated...also shockingly lol.

Gameball – O-line. Yes, the QB and WRs made great plays. But that O-line protected Ben better than ever against a defense built to sack QBs. Give David “Many-Have-Called-Him-A-Bust” DeCastro credit for handling one of the most powerful (and disruptive) D-linemen in the league in Ndamukong Suh.

Goat – Ike Taylor. I disagree with many that Ike single-handedly hosed the 2nd quarter. We take this guy for granted when he is assigned to the top WRs in the league and often asked to do so with no help over the top. Please help me find another team that does not provide over-the-top coverage on Johnson. Seeing Johnson run a crossing pattern 40 yards deep is an indication that the Steelers don’t believe in using their safeties for deep coverage. The responsibilities of the safeties on this team are run support and jumping underneath routes (reference the Patriots* game). Having said all that, dropping 2 interceptions that could have been deathblows to the Lions is inexcusable. And they were passes that should have been picked. If I’m a QB or OC for another team, I would throw his direction every time because the only negative is a potential incompletion. If Ike decides to pick off a pass every once in a while, he’ll become a much more feared defender. Great guy with exceptional abilities and taken for granted by the fan base … but needs to make those plays that great players are expected to make (and ultimately change the game in the Steelers favor).

PS: Fire Haley

GB: Ben, Brown, O-line
GG: None

The play where the lions scored their first TD, the over the top help bit on an underneath route, leaving Megatron wide opened for the play. The only way Ike was going to make the tackle was to go low, but even that would've been a risk.