Heh heh, remember this? There were a couple things suggested for this week's Throwback Thursday concerning the Steelers, but nothing caught my attention like this gem. Sure the orchestral score gets a bit grating for some, but man...this brings a smile to our face.
In a Monday Night Game that was notable for a Candlestick Park generator blowing up to cause a power outage and subsequently delay the game, the 49ers had entered the conversation as a playoff power for 2011. They already proved they weren't just a cute little team with trick plays after they went into a 5-0 Detroit Lion house and came out with a win, but now the question was if they were a team that was Super Bowl-good.
Well, if the familiar 20-3 beat-down Pittsburgh suffered at their hands was any indication, the answer was "yes". This game had everyone talking about how the Niners were positioned for a deep run in the playoffs. Unfortunately, due to several special teams blunders, the 49ers' Super Bowl aspirations would be cut short against the New York Giants.
OK, back to this game. While the offense was pretty pedestrian (Alex Smith threw for under 200 yards), the defense was just ferocious. Aldon Smith nailed 2.5 sacks which I believe gave him the record into the most sacks in a season for a 49er rookie, while Carlos Rogers yanked an interception in the endzone taking away the one time the Steelers had any momentum.
Now, to be fair, Ben Roethlisberger, was playing on an injured foot and you could tell as he hobbled around all night. His offensive line wasn't helping him either because he would get nailed by the Justin Smith/Aldon Smith connection on nearly every pass play. Obviously, if he wasn't injured the score would have turned out differently. If it changed the victor is anyone's guess.
Here's hoping the 20-3 is the magic number for this 49ers team going forward.