The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their 2013 season opener Sunday at Heinz Field to the Tennessee Titans and in a game that included only a few plays worth cheering about, here are my winners and losers from week one.
WINNERS:
Jerricho Cotchery – While he only caught four passes in the game for 34 yards, Cotchery made all of his catches count. Two came on third downs on the Steelers opening drive and one resulted in a touchdown on fourth down late in the game. It was the Steelers only touchdown of the game to boot.
Antonio Brown – Brown caught five of the seven passes thrown his way for 71 yards and did not make a mistake as the punt returner. I wish I could jazz that up more, but that is both the long and short of it.
William Gay – Gay was thrown at several times during the game and only gave up two catches by my count. He was credited with two defensed passes and three total tackles.
Brett Keisel – Keisel really looked good Sunday moving down the line and rushing the passer, and he was responsible for six total tackles and a quarterback hit to go along with another pressure.
Robert Golden – The second-year safety registered two special teams tackles during the game.
LOSERS:
Offensive Line – The Steelers offensive line looked anything but gelled together Sunday and once Maurkice Pouncey left the game with his knee injury early, things only got worse. Kelvin Beachum had problems with a few snaps at center and the rest of the line allowed pressures throughout the game. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times in total and that’s certainly not the way you need to start a season. The Steelers rushed for just 32 yards on 15 carries.
Emmanuel Sanders – While he did catch seven passes for 57 yards in the game, Sanders had two critical drops. One was a deep ball early in the game that looked as if it went right through his hands. The play could have been a game changer.
Isaac Redman – Eight carries for nine yards and two fumbles, one of which was lost near the goal-line, is not considered taking the bull by the horns.
Larry Foote – Before exiting the game with a torn bicep, Foote missed two key tackles by my count and maybe even a third.
