Steel City Jim

Let's face it, the old adage about an NFL season being Darwinian is accurate. In many cases, those teams that can avoid serious injuries to key players have a real shot at making the playoffs. Those whose teams suffer those types of problems usually end up in the pack. An example is the Patriots last year. They lost Brady for the season and their season went south. This year it's the Steelers' turn. With Aaron Smith out for the season, Polamalu and Keomatu iffy on a week-to-week basis, it is very difficult to bring on replacements with the skill they possess. Opposing teams exploit these absences, and a season can easily be turned around.

Compounding this problem for the Steelers is Ben's concussion problem. Ben is the fulcrum of this team. With him out, the situation takes on much greater proportions. To add to this misery, the Steelers went to Baltimore last night without their No. 2 quarterback, Charlie Batch. The only guy left was Dennis Dixon, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008 who had thrown exactly one pass in a regular-season game up until last night. To make matters worse, it was thought that Ben would play last night until Thursday after practice. So, it was only on Friday morning that they realized that Dixon would be the starter. It was too late to insert a game plan for him. To give them an alternative if Dixon went down, they signed Tyler Palko late in the week. He didn't even know the signals let alone the playbook. But Tomlin dressed Ben anyway and would have let him hand off the ball if it came to that. Talk about going into a key away game crippled ...

I was really ready to mail this one in. I didn't feel that given the circumstances the Steelers had the proverbial snow ball's chance last night. I was prepared for a blowout. In fact, I would have been much less disappointed this morning had it been a blowout. But, lo and behold, the Steelers played a very credible game. Dixon was a very pleasant surprise. He seemed to be very poised and in control. His passes were somewhat errant. But I am sure that the Baltimore defensive coordinator was doing everything he could to confuse Dixon. Dixon has one dimension that has been missing from the Steeler quarterback position since Kordell Stewart was here. He can tuck it in and take off. I was disappointed that Arians didn't have him call his own number more often. I think it could have made a difference. My guess is that they didn't want the kid to get hurt given the backup situation. But the game plan was crying for more Dixon carries last night.

One positive came out of the game. The Steelers didn't give up a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown. That's a revelation. But the nagging negative is that while leading in the fourth quarter, a miracle in itself, they gave up a long drive. Of their five losses, long drives in the fourth quarter have been their undoing in four of them. This is frustrating and unacceptable. I don't know what can be done about this short of getting Polamalu healthy this season. But I am wondering whether Farrior and Harrison are losing a step.

I am also wondering, given the added and obviously deserved attention the league, Congress, etc. are giving to the long-term effect of concussions, how long Ben will continue to play NFL football. One only needs to see the cases of John Mackey and Paul Martha. Martha was a receiver with Pitt and the Steelers in the late '60s and early '70s. He went on to become a respected lawyer in Pittsburgh and was also president of the Penguins. Now, he is suffering terribly from memory problems. Was this due to concussions he suffered in football? I don't know. But it could be. I also remember that Lynn Swann was advised to retire from football after enduring multiple concussions. If Ben hangs it up relatively soon, who could blame him. But Dixon looks like a pretty suitable replacement. Wouldn't you say?

The playoff picture is becoming very clear. New Orleans, New England, Minnesota and Cincinnati look like the cream. Each has an A-No. 1 quarterback. San Diego is coming strong. To me, these are the outstanding teams that will vie for the ultimate prize. Of course, there will be surprises. There always are. But my money is on those four.

-- JIM REICH