I already ran through a brief recap of the Green Bay Packers' end of regulation loss in Pittsburgh. The more I think about the loss, the more I'm OK with it. The Steelers didn't expose any new weaknesses. It showed that they have lousy special teams (missed FG), CB Jarrett Bush can't cover anyone (in fact, we can't trust anyone in the secondary in coverage beyond the starting 4 of Williams, Bigby, Collins, and Woodson), and LB A.J. Hawk is lousy in pass coverage. None of these things are surprises. They are still the same team they were during their 5 game winning streak, and as long as QB Aaron Rodgers keeps playing great, they can beat anyone at any time.
The Packers are still in the lead for the wild card spot. Just win the next two games, and they control their own destiny.
This loss reminded me of the inexplicable November loss in 1997 against the Indianapolis Colts, when a great Packers' defense had a breakdown against a struggling offense. The Packers went on to play Denver in the Super Bowl that year, and I'm sure everyone remembers how it went. It's not a perfect comparison because the 1997 Colts were 1-10, and they probably don't remind anyone of the 2009 Steelers.
There were only 5 injuries during the game (LB Nick Barnett, RB Ryan Grant, WR Greg Jennings, LT Chad Clifton, LB Brad Jones) and all 5 returned during the game. Barnett had the scariest injury, his knee buckled under him without any contact, but he was obviously able to shake it off.
New dime CB Josh Bell, signed back on November 24th, has apparently entered the SS Derrick Martin memorial dog house of blown assignments. Unfortunately there aren't many options to turn to. Rookie CB Brandon Underwood has been battling a hip injury, and maybe (big maybe) he could play better if he can return soon. From Greg Bedard at JSOnline.com:
On the final Steelers touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace, CB Josh Bell was supposed to play underneath Wallace at all costs. Packers had three deep safeties on the play.