CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A few thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 37-19 win over the Carolina Panthers Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
What it means: Frustrated fans can stop writing off the Steelers after they dominated the Panthers on both sides of the ball -- and have a schedule that sets up nicely for them to go on a run. But what should really give fans hope is how the Steelers won. A maligned defense quieted its critics for at least one week when it put consistent pressure on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and kept the Steelers in the game after its offense tripped over itself early on national TV. Jarvis Jones' sack and forced fumble led to the Steelers' first touchdown of the game. The Steelers turned their second takeaway of the game -- and the season -- into a touchdown that sealed the their fifth consecutive win over the Panthers. The Steelers' next three opponents have a combined record of 1-8, though two of those games are away from Heinz Field.
Stock watch: The Steelers had piled up 224 rushing yards by the time Panthers coach Ron Rivera mercifully lifted Newton for backup Derek Anderson with just under six minutes left in the game. Le'Veon Bell continues to look like an All-Pro back, and his 81-yard run helped the Steelers break open the game. LeGarrette Blount put the exclamation point on the Steelers' ground supremacy when he jolted Panthers safety Thomas DeCoud on the way to an 8-yard touchdown run that gave the Steelers a 37-13 lead. Bell has 315 rushing yards in three games, and the second-year man is averaging a whopping 5.9 yards per carry.
Rare three-of-a-kind: In what has to be some sort of esoteric record -- and one crazy coincidence -- the three players who started at center for the Steelers the past season all started the game Sunday night. Maurkice Pouncey and Cody Wallace started at center and left guard for the Steelers, while Fernando Velasco started at right guard for the Panthers. The Steelers lost Pouncey early in the 2013 season opener to a torn ACL, and they signed Velasco. He started the next 11 games at center before rupturing his Achilles tendon. Wallace started the final four games at center, and thus made his first four NFL starts. Wallace played well enough that the Steelers signed him to a three-year contract, and he started against the Panthers with Ramon Foster out because of an ankle injury.
Game ball: A lot of options here, including defensive end Cameron Heyward, right guard David DeCastro and Bell. All are worthy of a game ball, and a handful of others merit consideration, but I am going to go with Antonio Brown, who caught 10 passes for 90 yards and both Steelers touchdowns. The two-time Pro Bowler made a pretty, over-the-shoulder grab on third-and-6 from the Steelers' 23-yard line early in the second quarter when the offense needed someone to make a play. That led to a Shaun Suisham field goal that broke an early 3-3 score. Brown later made a 7-yard touchdown catch that evoked memories of Santonio Holmes' game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIII. That gave the Steelers a 16-3 lead in the third quarter, and they never looked back.
What's next: The Steelers host the 0-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. The Buccaneers were blasted Thursday night at Atlanta, and they will probably have a new starting quarterback in Mike Glennon. The second-year man is expected to take over for Josh McCown, who was knocked out of the Buccaneers' 56-14 loss to the Falcons with a thumb injury. The Buccaneers have been outscored 95-45 and are one of three winless teams in the NFL.
