My Hines Ward Blog

It's week 6 in the NFL and the Steelers have a bye. Going into a bye and being 4-1 is fantastic for the Steelers who need the extra time off for Hines Ward and Troy Polomalu to heal up. Were playing great on both sides of the ball right now and getting Ward and Polomalu back will make us that much better.

Let's take a look at the AFC picture at this point in the season. The Steelers are the top dawgs in the north division at 4-1 and they are 2-0 in the conference which is huge. NFL teams have to win there conference games. Baltimore is on our heels at 3-2 and they are 1-2 in the conference. Cleveland is 2-3 and the Bengals are 1-3.

New England is on top of the AFC East at 5-0 and they look tough again this year. I figured the Patriots getting caught cheating would have put a damper on their winning. The Colts are 1st in the AFC South at 5-0 just like the Patriots. I think the Colts look weaker than the Patriots and I look form them to lose a game before the Patriots.

The AFC West is comical with the Raiders on top at 2-2 and all the other teams are tied for 2nd at 2-3. I truly believe that the Patriots, Colts, and Steelers are the only heavy weights in the AFC this year. I know things can change on the fly and a team like Tennessee could emerge as a contender in the next few weeks. As a Steeler fan I don't care about the NFC standings because it does not affect us.

The week 6 game that is huge for the Steelers is the Patriots - Cowboys game on Sunday afternoon. We want the Cowboys (who we despise) to knock off the Pats so we can hang with them in the overall AFC standings. I'm always thinking playoffs and a first round bye at the end of the season. The Cowboys - Pats game should be a wild one and I will be tuning in to watch. Lucky for me, I have the NFL package and I get all the NFL games each week in my home! That way I never miss a Steeler game and I get to watch all the big time match ups like the Cowboys-Pats game on Sunday.

The Steelers have the #1 ranked NFL defense by giving up 9.4 points per game. The Defense is giving up 72 rushing yards per game and 163 passing yards per game. These stats tell me that we have a one damn stingy defense right now and we need to maintain this level from here on out! The stats for the Steelers offense are not as impressive as the defense but they are solid.

We are the 6th ranked offense averaging 26.4 points per game. The stat that astounds me is that we are averaging 167 rushing yards per game! The only team that has more rushing yards per game is the Oakland Raiders at 194 yards per game. We are only averaging 184 passing yards per game but when you run the ball effectively you don't have to throw a lot.

The stats show that the Steelers are playing tough defense and the offense is pounding the ball with an effective running game. Our running game is keeping the opposing teams defenses on the field for extended periods of time and our swarming defense is holding opponents to very few points.

I know it's early in the season my fellow Steeler fans but you have to be jacked up by what we've done so far. It looks as though Mike Tomlin is the real deal and the players are motivated and well coached and the game plans are sound. I still miss seeing Cowher's jaw on the sideline but Tomlin and his winning ways are growing on me.

Pray to the football gods that the Pats get spanked by the Cowboys and the Colts have a lousy bye-week!