I still cannot believe the Steelers won last night. Big Ben used a little more of his magic and Mewelde Moore came up HUGE for the Steelers. I thought he was a great pickup when they signed him and it definitely showed.
Especially considering the Steelers got disasterous news last night. As most of you know, Willie Parker did not play last night and is most likely out until Week 7, the week after their bye week. Well, rookie Rashard Mendenhall started in his place. And did fine. However, the Steelers learned late last night that Mendenhall - who suffered a shoulder injury in I believe the 3rd quarter - is out for the season.
Not only that, but their sarting right guard Kendall Simmons suffered an achilles tendon tear and is also out for the season. Darnell Stapelton replaced Simmons, but I think the Steelers will move Willie Colon to RG (from RT) and place Trai Essex at RT (or just use Essex as RG). Either way, it's another blow to a team that is already without probowlers Willie Parker and Casey Hampton and starting DE Brett Keisel (to go along with injuries to starting punter Daniel Sepulveda, backup quarterback Charlie Batch, and backup linebackers Mike Humpal and Arnold Harrison).
The slew of injuries strikes an enormous blow into the Steelers' chances at winning the division not only because numerous key players are out, but also because the Ravens looked that good. With the injuries comes opportunity, however.
3rd down back Mewelde Moore is now more of an option on downs other than 3rd down. The Steelers can also bring running back Gary Russell off of the practice squad to handle the load. Russell, the former University of Minnesota back, is one player a lot of Steelers' fans like and many will be happy to see him get a chance. I think he can do fine for the timebeing, but the team should also check out the waiver wire to see who is available.
One name is Shaun Alexander. He hasn't been good since his record-breaking season, but the Steelers need someone who can carry the ball forward and not turn it over. I think he is at least worth a look. They also now need to find a replacement for Simmons, and I believe the most likely scenario is for them to call up left tackle Jeremy Parquet, who is a massive 6'6", 321 pounds.
The Steelers face a good Jacksonville team on a short week, so it will be interesting to see how they play. The Jaguars usually have their number and with all the injuries and the soreness that is lingering from last night's slughfest, I'm not sure the Steelers can pull it off. They're literally going to be limping into the bye week.
And while the win against Baltimore was huge, it is also bittersweet because the team (most notably the offense) is now weaker than it was beforehand and will have a tougher time stringing together victories.
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