Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday!
The Kickoff
There’s no such thing as “the easy way.” For the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning games and just making it through games for the fan base is always hard. So it was therefore fitting that with the AFC North title on the line and a playoff berth as well, the Steelers did it the “hard way.” Their 26-24 win over Baltimore sends them to the postseason where they will host the Houston Texans. Be patient my friends, the game will be the final one of the weekend on Monday Night.
Cam
No one played a better game on defense last night than did Cam Heyward. Possibly playing in his final game, the elder statesman was a constant presence with his hustle and overall activity. It is truly amazing that after leading the NFL this season for snaps by an interior lineman, that he would have that kind of performance still in the tank. Let’s also remember that he replaced Darnell Washington offensively during the ‘tush push.’
Kudos to…
Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith made life miserable for Lamar Jackson at times. I’m grateful that Highsmith doesn’t have to live with that missed sack because he played really well… Adam Thielen and Marques Valdes-Scantling aren’t much, but they both made a couple of really nice plays in key spots… Pat Freiermuth isn’t used nearly enough but he came through once again last night… The entire offensive line did a pretty damn good job.
Very Telling
Concerns
Any time you can have your best players not come through and you still win is a good thing. The secondary was a mess at the worst times last night. The big plays to Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely just shouldn’t happen that way. I have no doubt that Houston is already looking at three-wide sets to the same side of the field… Chris Boswell is one guy who is owed some grace by the fan base. How many times has this guy saved this team from itself over the last decade? I know he’d be the first guy to not make excuses for his missed PAT, but like I said, he’s picked up this team far more than he’s let it down. That said, he’s missed at least one kick in his last three games so yeah, I’m concerned a bit.
Rodgers Pays Off, Sort Of
Mike Tomlin wanted Aaron Rodgers so he could win games like the one last night. There’s no question his steady hand and experience paid off significantly in the fourth quarter. But in many ways, fans and pundits have viewed the acquisition of Rodgers a bit differently. Last night was very much a “playoff” game despite it being the end of the regular season. Therefore, if things don’t go well next Monday night, will the bringing in of Rodgers have lived up to the hype? I’ll answer that a week from tomorrow.
Let’s Talk About Arthur
Steelers’ Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has had a very up and down season as most OC’s do, but last night was yet another adventure on his roller coaster. The final play of the first half – which I agreed with the decision to go for the TD – was a bad call for one very important reason. Rodgers had to have been given another play to go to as soon as he saw the numbers weren’t in the team’s favor. That, in my opinion, is a dereliction of duty by Smith. I also do not understand the continued use of Jonnu Smith as a blocker, especially on screens. It makes zero sense to me.
No Fears Tomlin
The guy that has told us for years that he doesn’t live in his fears (although he has many times) definitely lived up to that last night. The only thing I wish is that the play call decisions had been a little more creative. I’ll leave it at that, but I appreciated his aggressiveness last night.
Officiating
I still have no idea what ‘illegal contact’ is or what pass interference is or what defensive holding is. Calvin Austin III was mugged a couple of times well outside of five yards and the officials didn’t even blink. The Yahya Black call for diving at Lamar Jackson’s legs was really bad. How do you see that but not the trip?
Random Reads
Shame on the official in the Colts’ game for throwing out WR Alec Pierce. “Making contact with the official” was more like, ‘the official walked directly into him’… There were moments when I really did wonder if that was Tomlin’s last game. He was very aggressive and there were a host of former players on hand too… Joe Burrow didn’t exactly pull a ‘Brett Favre’ but it was damn close… I think Artie went away from the run too often last night. Jaylen Warren was averaging almost five yards per carry… Kevin Stefanski is officially out as the Browns’ head coach. He’ll make a nice offensive coordinator for someone… I think John Harbaugh will follow Stefanski out the door this week as well… Welcome back D.K. Metcalf!
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