Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Kickoff
Any way you slice it, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-1 and are atop the AFC North. Behind them are the Bengals at 2-4 with the Browns and Ravens sitting at 1-5. The Steelers’ 23-9 win over Cleveland wasn’t a thing of perfection by any means but there were some real positives to take from it.
-100 yards rushing on 28 carries against the league’s top run defense.
-Six sacks
-The usage of Darnell Washington as a receiver.
-The youthful play of Aaron Rodgers
-Broderick Jones holding his own
All of these things of course come with perspective as always but on their end they should be seen as real positives. I still have concerns about this team as the schedule stiffens and the temperatures drop but for now, they are doing the things necessary to get wins and that’s all that matters.
Offensively…
How can anyone not like Aaron Rodgers flicking the ball while on the run hitting one receiver after the other? Rodgers had four TDs in week one but I would argue his mobility and overall play Sunday were every bit as good… Darnell Washington proved that he could be a dynamic tight end Sunday with three receptions for 62 yards. Coupling that with his blocking and it’s difficult to keep him off the field… I thought Arthur Smith called his best game Sunday. Getting Rodgers out of the pocket – sometimes on play action – worked several times. He did a great job of designing some runs that allowed the backs to get a head of speed while slicing through the Cleveland defense… Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell make a very nice 1-2 combo… I still worry that at some point the lack of a number two wide receiver is going to hurt us.
This Guy Gets It
Defensively…
DeShon Elliott with 12 tackles and several “lights out” hits. Reminds me of another 25 that used to play in Pittsburgh… Patrick Queen is playing his best ball as a Steeler right now. He’s everywhere… Alex Highsmith has heard the chatter about losing his starting job or possibly being traded. He played extremely hard until he kind of ran out of gas. Understandable given his time off… That said, Nick Herbig is a pass rushing nightmare right now… Jalen Ramsey had six tackles and two sacks. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t supposed to play this week… Middle of the Field. Defense gave up way too much there. Some of it was situational but still, way too much in that area.
Special Teams…
I don’t want to speculate but it didn’t look good for Miles Killabrew. He was helped from the field after hurting his knee… I’m actually surprised the turf at Acrisure Stadium hasn’t cost Chris Boswell more often. Maybe someday the Steelers will have a place of their own… Ke’Shawn Williams Hello!! That young man likely made himself some money with his performance returning punts Sunday.
Jonesing
Let’s not get too crazy with our praise of Broderick Jones because he had help on Sunday with all-pro Myles Garrett. That said, the young man took a pretty giant leap forward with what can best be described as a “really good day at the office.” The Browns had clearly watched tape because early on they were bringing Garrett inside on twists or stunts. That’s something that Jones and Isaac Seumalo have struggled with this season. While the wily veteran Aaron Rodgers was quick to get the ball out on several occasions, Jones’ play was better than most had anticipated. Garrett ended up with one tackle on the afternoon.
Random Reads
Dare I say that the offensive line is improving over the last three games… The Bengals will not be an easy out Thursday. I think defensively they are a mess but that’s still a lot of firepower on offense… Trey Hendrickson left their game Sunday with back issues. Something to monitor on a short week… I’m not sure how Aaron Glenn survives the week. The NY Jets are really bad and getting worse… James Franklin had to go. You can’t lose at UCLA and you sure as Hell can’t lose at home to Northwestern. They need a huge hire – a big name – because they’re losing recruits like crazy… Imagine the draft capital the Browns could have had they traded Myles Garrett. I say this because they are already selling off guys and we aren’t halfway through the season… The loss to Seattle doesn’t look quite as bad now does it.
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