Welcome to the Jungle

24
13

Sorry if my last recap sounded a little angry...I was a little pissed after watching the Defense blow the game and the poor play calling by the coaching staff. Much better job this week.

Steelers win the toss, the entire city of Cincinnati sheds a tear.

The Steelers come out with Dan Kreider blocking for Parker. Excellent choice by the coaching staff. Parker gets 4 to start the game then Ben hits Hines for a first down. It's great to have him back. The drive stalls around midfield and Superman comes on for his only punt of the game.

On a side note, Superman appeared on the Hines Ward Show this week and was asked what was his worst Halloween costume ever. His answer? A cowboy. No word on what his best costume was. I'm betting on this:

Cincy read two stanzas of Casey at the Bat during the commercial break. "Hope springs eternal in the human breast"...apparently. Carson came out firing and looking for Ocho Cinco as they drove down the field into the red zone. Solid defensive plays from Farrior, Haggans and Ike stop the drive short and force a field goal. 3-0.

The Mayor of Cincinnati declares free ice cream for everyone if the Bengals can hold on to the lead.

Holmes gets two to start the next drive on a reverse. Parker around the outside for 12. Ben hits Hines over the middle for 8. Second and short. Tomlin policy as been to run the ball and pick up the first down in these situations.

Not today.

Long ball for Holmes is complete, down to the 16. Marvin Lewis challenges in the hopes of maintaining free ice cream.

Ben to Hines for six.
Hines just owned Bengals first round draft pick Leon Hall on this route.
7-3.

Palmer tries to hit Ocho Cinco deep, but Ike and Anothny Smith are all over it. Kenny Watson fumbles on 3rd down, but the Bengals recover...and punt.

Ben hits Heath and Holmes on consecutive 3rd and 4 plays to pick up key first downs and keep the offense on the field. Parker chips in with a few solid carries and Hines pulls in a pass to get inside the 10. Parker for 1. Incomplete pass. 3rd down. Media nation is waiting for Ben to throw a pick and blow it.

Instead he finds Hines across the middle with a beautiful pass right between two defenders. 14-3.

Palmer comes out looking for Housh. Apparently he's had enough of throwing to Johnson. The Bengals convert a few 3rd and shorts and wind up driving the ball down to the Pittsburgh 2. Marvin Lewis calls a timeout with a little over 2 minutes to play to strategize for the 4th and short on the 2. His strategy? Take the points. Field goal. 14-6.

"Good teams get in the end zone. Teams like us kick field goals." -TJ Houshmandzadeh

If you look up 2-minute drill in the dictionary, you'll see a video of this drive by the Steelers. Absolutely perfect. Parker picks up 32 on the first play to take the clock down to the 2-minute warning. Ben goes for the deep ball to Nasty Nate, but the pass is broken up. It was a good look and Nate was in single coverage. Not a bad play.

Holmes picks up 10 and 12 on short outs. Parker picks up 3 to get the ball down to the 10. Ben finds Hines at the sticks on 3rd and 7 and he makes a lunge for the goal line.

This picture was too good not to post.
First and goal at the 1.

Parker off-tackle for the score with 4 seconds to play in the half. Perfect drive. 21-6 at halftime.

For the only time all game, a team goes 3-and-out. Good thing it was the Bengals coming out of halftime.

Parker carries the team on his back down the field. The only other positive gains before the red zone was a scramble by Ben and a pass to Heath. Willie gets a breather and Naj' comes in to pound the ball. Najeh gets 3, forcing a 3rd and long. Ben scrambles out of pressure and tries to force a pass on a ball he should have thrown away. Interception.

The Bengals come out firing, trying to get back in the game. Palmer tries a few shots deep, but the secondary is all over it. The underneath stuff is available, and Cincy moves down the field. They convert on a 4th and 8 pass to Chad Johnson that Coach Tomlin challenges. Coach is 0-3 on challenges this year. Oh well. Palmer hits Housh for the Bengals only touchdown of the game.

21-13.

Willie gets a breather and Cincy gets a heavy dose of the Najinator. Power football down the field with some passes mixed in to Hines and Holmes. Reed tacks on a 40-yarder to extend the lead. 24-13. Solid 7 minute drive to put the game away.

Palmer hits Housh for thier biggest play of the game for 28 yards to start the next drive. The Bengals looked like they were going to desparately air it out, but then ran three consecutive running plays. Watson was getting dangerously close to the 100-yard marker, and it was time to put a stop to that. James "Silverback" Harrison dropped a sledgehammer on Watson and stripped the ball.

Your work here is done.

It's time to "RUN THE BALL". Parker for 3. Parker for 5. Naj' for 3 and a first down. One more seals the game. Parker for 2. Two-minute warning. Flip over to the Browns game shows them throwing on 2nd and 3rd down when St. Louis has 2 timeouts left. Incomplete pass on 3rd down stops the clock and makes Cleveland punt to give St. Louis the chance for their first win of the season.

Channel surf back to KDKA. Parker for 5. Naj' for 3. Victory formation. Game.

Flip back to the Erie station. Cleveland commits a pass interference penalty on 4th down to keep the Rams drive alive. Bulger throws a pick and the Rams continue to wallow in misery. Cleveland moves into second place in the division.

Stats n'at:
Parker- 22 carries, 126 yds, 1 TD
Roethlisberger- 19/26, 230 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Ward- 8 catches, 88 yds, 2 TD
Anthony Smith- 9.5 tackles, 1 Jacked Up! highlight hit on Housh.
Defense- matches their league-best average of 13.0 points allowed per game.