Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Kickoff
As I stated last night, you never apologize for a victory and you certainly never apologize for one against your biggest rival. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-22 win was not without its share of controversy but unlike Jesse James’ catch or Joe Nedney’s acting job, these benefitted us. You take the ‘W’ and now enjoy an extra day of rest before the Miami Dolphins come in on Monday night. The Steelers will need it. Four guys in concussion protocol and several others banged up means this team needs every second of extra time that they can get. For now, let’s enjoy the win, especially one at Baltimore.
Delaying the Inevitable?
Aaron Rodgers was pretty defensive when asked about Mike Tomlin’s job status as were many of the players. My question isn’t so much about Tomlin as it is the season in general. Are we headed towards another early postseason exit? If we even get there in the first place? I hate to be negative but I know what I saw on Sunday. The Steelers were literally two calls away from walking out of Charm City with a loss. The good news is that they didn’t. The bad news is that there are still huge concerns about this team. The Ravens outgained the Steelers by 102 yards. They rushed for 217 yards on 40 carries while the Steelers ran 17 times for 34 yards. You aren’t going very far at all with numbers like that. Facts are facts.
Kudos to…
D.K. Metcalf had a huge day receiving going for almost 150 yards. His best play however may have come when he filled in for an injured Ben Skowronek on punt team. He took Dirt Bag’s role of “gunner” and did a nice job. With WRs commonly known for their “diva tendencies,” this was a nice break from that… Imagine taking your first NFL snaps at left tackle late in the game against your biggest rival. Dylan Cook found himself in that spot when Andrus Peat went down. They give him plenty of help but kudos to Cook for sure… Patrick Queen can be polarizing when you talk to Steelers’ fans but I don’t know how anyone would question his toughness. Already playing less than 100% he was forced to leave with a recurrence of the same injury. He eventually made his way back into the game.
Officiating
I mentioned in our weekly game preview the “Three-Point Stance” that this would be referee Alex Moore’s first Steelers-Ravens game. As it turned out, probably not the best idea by the NFL. Moore seemed very unsure of himself at times and clearly his crew wasn’t much different. I have no idea what a catch is anymore and I don’t believe the officials do either.
Random Reads
Not sure how Jonnu Smith – even with Darnell Washington out of the game – went without a catch. What a disappointment he’s been… Despite their loss in Buffalo the Bengals are still mathematically alive even at 4-9… Feel awful for Zach Ertz. Brutal way for his season and perhaps career to end… The Ravens proved that the Steelers aren’t the only defense with communication issues. The swing pass that Jaylen Warren scored on also featured a wide open Pat Freiermuth… The Steelers have given up 470 yards rushing in their last two games… I’m not even going to wade into the waters that the College Football Playoffs have become… And here’s something you see almost every year at this time, the Cleveland Browns have officially been eliminated.
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