Good Tuesday to You Steelers’ Fans!
The Pittsburgh Steelers can now safely say they have it all covered. One win, one loss and one tie. The good news is that despite nearly blowing a 20-point lead the Steelers held on to beat Tampa Bay 30-27. Getting that first one in the win column is always significant and for this team, after least week, it was sorely needed. Let’s get onto the good and the bad from last night.
Outside of a poor throw and a fumble that his own man recovered, Ben Roethlisberger was really, really good last night. He was 30 for 38 for 353 yards and three scores. He had some help from his receivers at times but that’s what every good QB needs. He was sacked three times and hit a number of others which was expected with a new right side of the line.
Chris Boswell is in a serious funk. I don’t believe it to be physical either. He’s missed another field goal and an extra point last night. The Steelers can’t continue like this. Bringing in another kicker for some competition could light a fire under his ass.
I’m not going to make more out of this than necessary but I hope you now realize why Vance McDonald is different from Jesse James. I’ll leave it at that.
Bud Dupree picked an excellent time to remind us he’s still on this team last night. Besides the pick-six he also had a sack and a pass defended.
I think it’s very safe to say that Artie Burns has regressed. He just isn’t good right now in coverage. At the current rate I don’t see the Steelers giving him that all-important fifth year. The bigger problem is that Coty Sensabaugh is not even close to being the answer.
Tweet of the Day… JuJu enjoyed the stiff arm as much as the rest of us!
Tell that man get off you then!!!!!!! @VMcDonald89 Go Crazy!!! ???????? pic.twitter.com/T6vo2F4Upy
— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) September 25, 2018
The Steelers’ two minute drive before the half was as good as it gets. The entire offense was clicking and everyone was on the same page. Really, really good stuff.
James Washington is slowly becoming a guy Big Ben can rely on. He made a few really good catches over the middle in key spots.
The personal foul call on Jon Bostic was totally legit. He led with his helmet all the way. Bone-headed play by a guy who otherwise played a very good game.
Speaking of bone-headed… Darrius Heyward-Bey CANNOT get a 15-yard penalty for barking at the official like that. Veteran leaders don’t make those mistakes in key spots of games.
Mike Hilton has a hyper-extended elbow. Mike Tomlin called it ‘significant’ but Hilton claims he’ll be ready for Sunday night.
Let’s talk about officiating for a second. The war on defenders hitting quarterbacks is out of control. The NFL will say “look at the ratings. They’re up.” The reason for that is just what the league wants, more offense which means more interest in fantasy football which is a multi-billion dollar business. Someone from the NFL needs to step up and admit what is going on here. This is no longer about player safety. This is about keeping quarterbacks from being hit and being injured so that fantasy players stay interested in the game.
Were you concerned about James Conner’s ability to run the ball late in games and grind down the clock? Don’t be. Conner picked up over 40 of his 61 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
Lastly, the penalties. If Mike Tomlin wants to shake the idea that he’s lost control of this team then the penalties need to stop. There’s not much you can do about the personal fouls on the QB right now but the mental errors and special teams’ penalties have got to stop. The Steelers are far and away the most penalized team in the league right now, almost 40 through three games.
On to the Ravens!
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
QH is presented by
