Week 8 Review - Saints 20, Steelers 10

Goal line problems.

Key 3rd Down defensive failures.

A horrendous turnover that essentially handed the game to the opponent.

One look at the calender shows that this is 2010, but anyone who watched the entire Sunday Night Football showdown between the Steelers and the Saints may have thought it was 2009 all over again.

In the end, even with managing to get stuffed on an entire series from the 6-inch line, allowing New Orleans and their Pro Bowl QB to endlessly convert 3rd Down after 3rd Down, and looking like a team that was a shade slower all night long.......the game was there for the taking.

The end came when TE Heath Miller - one of the most dependable players for this franchise during their two Super Bowl runs - fumbled a huge pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger that would have put the Steelers in line for a game tying field goal or go ahead TD.  The momentum that had built up for the team was gone at that point, and the Saints easily put the game away.  Watching from the sideline, Miller looked like a kid who had lost his puppy.  While everyone watching the game knew that Darren Sharper - a Pro Bowl defender - had simply made a Pro Bowl play, the Steelers TE simply couldn't believe his misfortune.

So in the end, the Steelers visited Louisiana and came back with an L that could have easily been a W, and the Steeler Nation is left wondering whether or not this team has the extra gear it is going to need to win a tough AFC North. 

So let us take inventory from Week 8 of the 2010 Steelers season:

Positives

1.  DE Ziggy Hood - In his first NFL start, Ziggy Hood showed the promise that made him a 1st Round Draft Pick.  The return of DE Brett Keisel in Week 9 should only make him that much better.  While the absence of Aaron Smith could be sensed by the lack of aggressive blitz packages on early downs, Hood showed the power and speed needed to handle the double teams he will have to take on as the season progresses. 

2.  Woodley's Hammy - The hamstring injury of OLB LaMarr Woodley was overlooked during the week leading up to this game, overshadowed by the possible season-ending injury to Smith.  For a player like Woodley, speed is a key factor to his effectiveness.  Seeing him get around the end last night was a good sign.

3.  CB's Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden -  Both starting CB's have stepped their game up this season.  McFadden seems to have gotten better in his one year vacation in Glendale.  Ike has actually been "Swaggin" this year, making big open field tackles and getting his butterfingers around an INT last night.

4.  When a Loss isn't really a Loss - Yes, the Steelers now have 2 losses.  Yes, the confidence of this team may be a bit shaken by the way the 4th Quarter played out.  The positive?  This wasn't a Conference or Divisional game.  If a loss was going to happen during this road trip, THIS was the game for it to occur.

Negatives

1.  Goal Line issues return - an old friend returned last night.....isn't this why RB Issac Redman is on the roster?

2.  CB William Gay - even playing in the Nickel, the shortcomings of Gay are exploited.  He misses assignments, misses tackles, and flat out looks like he has no business on the field.  If the Steelers have one defensive weakness, it's pass defense on 3rd downs.  The Nickel CB is a prime candidate to be picked on every week, so Gay needs to pick up his game - pronto Tonto.

3.   Lack of timing/communication on pass routes - The potential TD that WR Emmanuel Sanders stole from Hines Ward was only the tip of the iceberg for the Steelers.  The timing of the passing game was seriously disrupted by an average pass rushing team, and the results were a terrible 1st half by Ben.  The running game has managed to break off a few big TD's this year, but until the passing game gets on track (which could take weeks considering the amount of time Ben was away from this team), the Steelers are going to have problems.

The biggest negative for the week?  How about the loss of OLB Thaddeus Gibson to San Fransisco on waivers today.  For a team that relies on always having a LB ready to step in and play, the loss of Gibson now puts the team in the position of being one big injury away from having to tap a weak free agency pool for a backup.

The team now heads to Cincinnati with a chop-licking game against a struggling Bengals squad.  No matter the outcome, its safe to say that we will know alot more about where the Steelers are heading after this game.