The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't make it very easy on themselves, but in the end, they were able to come back against the Indianapolis Colts to earn a 23-20 victory. The Steelers lost the turnover battle 3-1 but still managed to win the game because they basically dominated in all other areas. But Hines Ward knows that's not something that the Steelers can afford to do game in and game out, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"We had three turnovers," Hines Ward pointed out. "You can't do that, especially on the road ... [but] I like the resiliency of the guys coming back at the end."
Two of those turnovers were generated by the pass rush of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, both of whom were in Ben Roethlisberger's face all night long. Mike Tomlin didn't sound particularly happy about how the Steelers played, but he doesn't seem surprised about how close the game was.
"It wasn't easy by any stretch," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "We didn't anticipate it being [so]. They fought us tooth and nail."
For more reaction we go to the Steelers blog
Behind the Steel Curtain. They seem to echo many of the comments made by the player and coach, perhaps with a hint more optimism.
When you lose the turnover battle 3-1, it's hard to blowout teams. But the Steelers dominated Indianapolis despite the very impressive performances by Freeney and to a lesser extent Mathis. Lots still to clean up from an execution and ball-security standpoint, but plenty to like from this game. 2-1. Go Steelers!
