TROY POLAMALU
Strong Safety
Mother Nature decided to make Sunday's game on the shores of Lake Erie a defensive battle, and the occasional rain and snow along with winds gusting to 48 miles per hour ensured that would happen. In these kinds of games, it usually is left to a defensive player to come up with a big play.
As usual, Troy Polamalu was up to the challenge.
In the third quarter of a 6-6 tie, the Browns were facing a third-and-short when Seneca Wallace tried to get the ball to tight end Evan Moore at the sideline right in front of the Cleveland bench. But when Wallace let go of the ball, Troy Polamalu already had made his move and was standing in front of Moore when the pass arrived to make his second interception of the season. The Steelers took the takeaway and promptly marched for the game's only touchdown in what ended up being a 13-9 victory.
Polamalu is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Ryan Clark, who had four tackles and a sack that helped force the Browns to settle for a field goal on one of their drives into scoring territory; Lawrence Timmons, who had five tackles and a sack; Ike Taylor, who lined up on Browns leading receiver Greg Little for most of the game and held him without a single catch; and Antonio Brown, who caught six passes for 90 yards and handled punts and kickoffs flawlessly in what had to be difficult weather conditions.
