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ARTICLE
By Teresa
Varley The Steelers
lost their first preseason game, falling to the Green Bay Packers 13-9 at Heinz
Field, bring their record to 1-1. The Steelers starting defense
stopped the Packers, but the first-team offense, who were almost flawless
against the Saints last week, struggled some and failed to score, turning the
ball over on the first drive of the game. Ben Roethlisberger, who was two for
two for 14 yards and a fumble, played the first two series and knows that things
will change once the starters see more playing time. "We did a bunch of no-huddle stuff,
but we didn't really get into a rhythm," said Roethlisberger. "That's kind of
tough when you're only playing two series. We weren't out there as much as we'd
normally like, but we were at the point where we had to come
out. "Last week, we made a big play
early, so that always helps. This week, it was tough. We had a couple of third
downs, and they [Packers] made a real good play on one third down to knock the
ball out of my hand. So, it was tough." The Steelers defense swarmed early
on, with Troy Polamalu applying the pressure to Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
The Packers weren't able to move the ball and were forced to punt after a quick
three-and-out. It wasn't much better for the
Steelers on their first offensive series. Najeh Davenport, who got the start at
running back, opened with a five-yard run but was stopped for no gain on his
next carry. On third-and-five, Cullen Jenkins
pressured Roethlisberger, sacking him and forcing a fumble, which Jenkins
recovered on the Packers 42-yard line. Neither team was able to generate
much offense, until the Steelers got rolling late in the quarter.
"We stumbled a little bit," said
The Steelers finished the quarter
with 83 yards, most of them coming on the late, while the defense held the
Packers to only 22 yards in the quarter and no first
downs. I think we came out and played well
today. We got after them a little bit," said defensive end Aaron Smith of the
early performance by the defense. "It seemed a little bit more fluid out there.
It didn't seem so fast. It slowed down and guys felt a little bit more
comfortable." The Packers went three-and-out to
start the second quarter and Batch got the offense rolling again. He fired a
strike to Santonio Holmes, hitting him at the Packers 12-yard line for a 49-yard
gain. Kevan Barlow went off left tackle for a five-yard game, but was stopped
for a loss of two on the ensuing run. On third-down Batch looked for Nate
Washington in the end zone, but the incompletion forced Reed to come on for a
27-yard field goal, giving the Steelers a 9-0 lead. Aaron Rodgers, who came in at
quarterback late in the first quarter, put together the Packers best offensive
drive at the end of the half. Noah Herron had a 14-yard run, followed by a
13-yard reception from Rodgers. Rodgers then went to James Jones for completions
of five and 21 yards. He hit Ruvel Martin for 17 yards, giving the Packers a
first down at the Steelers 17-yard line. The Steelers got a break, though,
when an apparent touchdown was nullified because Martin stepped out of the end
zone and came back to make the catch. The Packers had to settle for a 32-yard
field goal by Dave Rayner to end the half with the Steelers up
9-3. The Packers came out in the second
half and moved the ball effectively. Rodgers engineered an eight play, 71 yard
drive that took a little over nine minutes and ended in a three-yard touchdown
pass to Carlyle Holiday to give the Packers a 10-9 lead. After stopping the Steelers, the
Packers moved the ball down again, finishing their drive off with a 52-yard
field goal by Mason Crosby, to extend the lead to 13-9. Quarterback
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