There is an AFC team that has outscored its opponents 62-20 in two straight wins, has a quarterback who set a season high with four touchdown passes, tied it and then set a new high with five TD passes, and held its last opponent to just 104 total offensive yards.
It’s not the Patriots, and it isn’t the Colts. This team is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just might pose the stiffest challenge to those teams when the postseason arrives.
The Steelers haven’t been perfect. They’re 6-2, with losses to Arizona and Denver. But they have convincing wins over Cleveland, Buffalo, Seattle and Baltimore. And they just might be getting better.
On Monday night, the Steelers’ defense played like the old Steel Curtain, forcing four turnovers and holding the Ravens to only 104 total yards in a 38-7 rout. Linebacker James Harrison was a monster on the field, with two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and 3 1/2 sacks.
Ben Roethlisberger went 13-for-16 for 209 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes.
It might have helped to have members from the Steelers’ Super Bowl champions of the 1970s on hand. It might have helped to be playing at Heinz Field, where the Steelers are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 119-26. It also probably helped playing on Monday night, when Pittsburgh has won its last 12 games playing on Monday Night Football. Add the fact that Baltimore crushed the Steelers 31-7 and 27-0 in 2006 and you have a recipe for revenge.
But the stats show how good this Steelers team is. They are eighth in the NFL in total offense, second in rushing. They’re ranked first in defense and first against the pass and have allowed the fewest points per game at 12.3.
Roethlisberger is second behind the Patriots’ Tom Brady in TD passes with 20 and has thrown just six interceptions after throwing a league-worst 23 last year. Willie Parker ranks second in rushing with 768 yards.
We’ll get to see if the Steelers can hold off the upstart Browns, who have gone 5-2 with three wins in a row after their season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, on Sunday. Then after games against the lowly Jets, Dolphins and Bengals, we’ll see if the Steelers can hand New England its first defeat of the season on the road in Week 14.
If they do, they might just be able to win their second Super Bowl in three years.
Patriots only unbeaten team: The New England Patriots survived their biggest test so far by beating the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Sunday. Their 24-20 win snapped a three-game losing streak to Indianapolis, which included last season’s AFC championship game. It proved that they can win by scoring less than 41 points. And it made them the only unbeaten team left in the NFL at 9-0, while the Colts dropped to 7-1.
The difference this season against the Colts might be wide receiver Randy Moss, who had nine catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. His biggest catch came in the fourth quarter, when he hauled in a 55-yard pass from Brady to the Colts’ 3. That set up a touchdown, pulling the Patriots to within 20-17. New England scored the winning TD on its next possession.
But don’t count the Colts out in a rematch during the postseason. They proved that they can play with the Patriots and hold them with a strong defense. The Colts picked off Brady twice. Offensively, Joseph Addai ran through the Patriots’ defense for 112 yards and a 73-yard TD catch.
Peterson runs by Chargers: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is turning heads again. And those are of defensive players who watch him scoot past them on the way to the end zone. Three weeks after running all over the Chicago Bears with 224 yards and three touchdowns, Peterson breezed by San Diego Chargers defenders for an NFL single-game record 296 yards and three TDs in a 35-17 rout.
“I set my bar high, because I know anything is possible when you continue to work hard,” Peterson said.
Peterson had scoring runs of 64 and 46 yards, outshining Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson, who finished with just 40 yards and one TD. He also went over the 1,000-yard mark in rushing and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie record of 1,808 yards.
Peterson gained 253 yards in the second half as the Vikings (3-5) came back from a 14-7 deficit. The Chargers (4-4) had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Week 9 Leaders:
Passing: Drew Brees, Saints,
35-49, 445 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT.
Rushing: Adrian Peterson, Vikings, 30 carries, 296 yards,
3 TDs.