Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Sunday.
The Kickoff
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in trouble. If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, you have. The team finds a way into the postseason, suffers a litany of injuries and then flames out in round one. Two of those three dubious items have been obtained. The third just feels like it’s a matter of time. They played most of yesterday’s loss with one starter in their secondary. They were also missing a starting defensive lineman and their best player was far from 100%. Offensively, they played their third straight game without their best offensive weapon, George Pickens. Now, just for fun apparently (and NFL TV money) the Steelers will get three days of rest before hosting the 14-1 Chiefs. Merry Christmas everyone!
It’s Hard to Evaluate
There are some common themes this morning. The injuries were too much to overcome… the coaching was terrible… and Russ is cooked. OK, first of all, Russell Wilson knows he made two critical mistakes yesterday. That doesn’t mean he needs to be benched as some are suggesting. Secondly, you can’t complain about the coaching if you’re also citing the injuries. There’s only so much Teryl Austin could do with almost half of his starters out. I have significant issues with Austin but I’m not sure what else he could have done Saturday.
How It Breaks Down
The Steelers can win the division with two wins regardless of what the Ravens do. That’s a tall order considering the Chiefs and then Bengals come to Acrisure. Cincy could still be in contention but we’ll know more after today. Baltimore travels to Houston Wednesday and then hosts Cleveland in their finale. I’m of the mind that I’m worrying about this week first.
Pickens
Why is George Pickens, who hasn’t played in three weeks, searching his name on Instagram? Apparently he was looking for ‘hot takes’ he could reply to and that’s what he did. He found a year old post and then challenged the poster physically. Why does it seem every star receiver we get is also as mature as a six-year old? Spend more time getting healthy George.
The O-Line
The Ravens did an excellent job yesterday of taking away Wilson’s first option on many of his straight dropbacks and that was by design. Forcing him to his next option meant the offensive line had to protect longer and as expected, it didn’t go well most of the time. The lack of consistency with this unit is largely a product of their youth but I can’t help but wonder if Pat Meyer is the guy to coach this group. This week they face their third-straight really good defense and if they aren’t on the same page it’s gonna be a long day. With Troy Fautanu expected back next season there is some hope but there’s a way to go.
Random Reads
I knew T.J. Watt wasn’t 100% the moment I saw the play go away from him. He literally stopped running and let others pursue the ball carrier… Minkah Fitzpatrick has become a real lightning rod for fans. Some see him as a superstar who is doing his job on the back end of the defense. Others see him as paid way too much for a guy who makes so few splash plays… It was nice to have a game at least where officiating really didn’t factor into the outcome… So cool to see these college football playoff games at on campus sites. I would argue they need to be that way for the quarterfinals too… Cam Heyward was a little quiet yesterday but still had six tackles and one for loss. Bear in mind he didn’t have Larry Ogunjobi next to him too… I think the best outcome – should they not win the division – is for them to have to go to Houston… RIP Ricky Henderson. I miss that type of baseball… Hope you enjoy some football today despite the outcome yesterday. It’s a great time of year.
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