Sep 19 2004
Ravens 30, Steelers 13
Click here for final game stats from NFL.com.
So I went to Champps at Southpoint today to watch this game. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I went to Champps last year for the Steelers’ Week 2 game at Kansas City. The Steelers were pretty thoroughly dominated in that game, too…
You have to blame the defense for this one. That unit couldn’t stop Jamal Lewis on the the first drive, and when they did clamp down on the defense, they forced Ravens QB Kyle Boller to beat them… and he did, constantly finding tight end Todd Heap open in the secondary. At one point, Boller had more rushing yards than Duce Staley.
If there was any bright spot for the Steelers today, it was the play of rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger in the second half. Tommy Maddox, who was flustered enough to go after a linebacker after a perceived late hit and cost his team 15 yards and, ultimately, 3 points, injured his elbow in the third quarter and sat out the rest of the game. It was just as well; Maddox was 4-for-13 for 67 yards and looked flustered by Baltimore’s defense.
Roethlisberger stepped in, though, and engineered a couple of solid late-game touchdown drives. He did throw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a TD in the 4th quarter, but overall, he showed a lot of potential for future games. Depending on the severity of Maddox’ injury, though, that potential may have to become kinetic quickly. His development will be interesting to follow.
It will definitely be more interesting than today’s whitewashing was. I’m not sure what annoyed me more — the game itself, or the eerie silence of that small, demure, young woman sitting at the end of the bar and wearing a Ray Lewis jersey.
Oh, well. At least the service was good and the barmaids were hot.
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You know I was impressed with Roethlisberger’s composure out on the field today … that had the potential to be a LOT uglier … you’re right … his progress will be fascinating to follow.
Also, could they have replayed Maddox’s injury any more times? It looked awful … I guess they’re saying right now that it’s either torn or strained muscle … that’s a difference between a couple of games or a good chunk of the season. Looks like the rookie might get more playing time than he anticipated.
Angela aka Steelers fan by proxy
Hey, Angela, when’s J.J. going to stop by this blog and comment on our team?
Good question … I’ll link your blog to mine and maybe he’ll get the hint.