Halftime thoughts – Steelers 3 Falcons 3

It’s all even in the first half in Heinz Field, as the Steelers and Falcons are tied at 3 after a competitive first half that I felt the Steelers won, but yet they could not convert some plays.

Here’s some general thoughts and numbers on the first half.

* The Steelers are 3-for-8 in 3rd down conversions, and some of those squarely fall on Dennis Dixon, who missed two passes that he should have made. The second one cost the team a better chance for Jeff Reed to make a field goal, which he then had to try from 55 yards and missed. They have to get better with that number in the 2nd half.

* The run game has put up 56 yards on 18 carries for a 3.1 average, but they have to keep pounding away. Early on it looked like the O-line was able to push around the Falcons smaller D-line a bit, but then they got away from that in the second quarter. Rashard Mendenhall has 41 of the 56 yards, and is running with some power early on.

* Dixon has been tentative at times, and seems to be aiming his passes more than just letting go. The pick he had was awful, and I haven’t seen him really use his legs much, and wonder if he’s pulling a Kordell and trying to prove he doesn’t need to run to be a good QB. Dennis – you have the ability to run in spots – do it.

* Dixon is 10-for-16 for 91 yards with a pick, Matt Ryan is 10-for-16 for 106 yards.

* Love the intensity of the Steelers D in the first half, as the team seems to be feeding off the crowd. I still think the D makes a big play in the second half, and with Troy running around in the secondary, I’ll say ‘Head and Shoulders’ makes a game-changing play.

* Very close game to this point, and I have felt this would be a 3-5 point game, and I am sticking to it. Steelers find a way to pull it out, winning 13-10, just like a year ago.