Monday Night Football 1

The Monday Night Football game was an extraordinary game, one that had a little something for everyone.  Preceding the game, all three of the game analysts picked the Steelers to win, making it seem as though the game would be a walk in the park.  It was anything but. 

             The opening few minutes had Bengals fans shaking their heads, and the announcers smirking with satisfaction at 'calling it right'. Cincinnati fumbled the opening kickoff, and the Steelers capitalized by turning the turnover into a touchdown. 
             The home Bengals never gave up, even after an exciting flee-flicker to Antwaan Randle-El, who threw a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace to extend the Steeler lead to 20.  The Steelers have NEVER lost a game in franchise history when leading by 20, a telling statistic for a storied franchise.              But to me the story of the night, which will likely go overlooked by the media, was the fight in the Bengals.  There was never a point in the night when they looked like they were ready to pack it in.  The Steelers have a stifling defense that can put significant pressure on any offense.  Not enough can be said about the defensive unit, which is living up to all of its preseason hype.. In the face of this Steeler D, the Bengals put together a few drives and capitalized on every Steeler mistake.  Within the last five minutes of the game, Cincinnati was in a position to win the game. 
            On the last drive, Carson Palmer was pressured on every play, as the Steelers brought at least five defenders every snap.  Despite the defensive surge, Palmer was poised and collected in the pocket, and got rid of the ball relatively quickly.  He led the Bengals down the field, and an unfortunate drop by rookie Jordan Shipley sealed their fate.  Had Shipley caught the pass, it would have been first and goal for the Bengals. 
            Although the Bengals move to 2-6 on the year, they put forth a valiant effort against the division leading Steelers.  This Monday Night Football exceeded its hype, and set a high precedent for next week’s anticipated matchup between Michael Vick’s Eagles and Donovan McNabb’s Redskins.