Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Kickoff
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many, many times in the future, but you take a win in the NFL any way you can get it. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a 24-6 lead in the second half before ultimately beating Minnesota 24-21. It came to that conclusion due to a series of events inside the final five minutes and much of it had the fingerprints of Mike Tomlin all over it. Within those five minutes, there was much to debate and we’ll certainly do that on the podcast this week, but for now, let’s embrace being 3-1 and on top of the AFC North… Despite a lot of work still to be done.
Defensively…
Whether it was Teryl Austin or Mike Tomlin or both, the Steelers’ defense looked different on Sunday. There was more blitzing and there were more guys around the line of scrimmage and it clearly made a difference for a large part of the game. Six times Carson Wentz was sacked and twice he was picked off. The Minnesota running game was limited to 70 yards on 20 carries and I’ll be honest; the Vikings’ OL was a mess in the second half with several starters out or playing hurt. But that shouldn’t change the way we look at what the defense accomplished Sunday. Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig each had a sack and a half while T.J. Watt and DeShon Elliott picked up interceptions.
Offensively
It really was a tale of two halves for the Steelers in some ways but there were some positive signs Sunday. For starters, the team ran for 131 yards on 29 carries. That included 99 yards on 19 carries by Kenneth Gainwell. With Jaylen Warren a late scratch, Gainwell picked up the slack and then some also scoring two touchdowns. His success was due to an offensive line that seemed to get some swagger back. They were more aggressive and Arthur Smith was more creative in his play design and play-calling. Obviously the passing game got a big boost from D.K. Metcalf’s huge first half as well.
Beautiful
The Hustle Play
What Payton Wilson did late in the game will not appear in the box score other than to say “a tackle.” It was way more than that however as the linebacker ran down the Vikings’ Jordan Addison inside the five-yard line. It was the end of a play in which the Steelers’ busted their deep coverage leaving Addison wide open. Wilson’s hustle resulted in the Vikings’ needing almost a full minute more to score. As things turned out, that minute turned out to be pretty huge. If you’re a parent, show your children that play. Never give up kids.
D.K. and His Crew
Hard to have any issue with what D.K. Metcalf did in the first half right? Four receptions for 121 yards and a score. The second half saw him have just one target and one catch for five yards. One has to wonder… Would a more significant threat at the WR2 have kept things open for him? Roman Wilson clearly isn’t an option and Calvin Austin III can give you only so much. If the Steelers are still winning by the trade deadline I have to believe that a second wideout will be a priority.
Snap Counts
It appears to me that the Steelers are much more willing to play certain guys more or less based on matchups than in years previous. Pat Freiermuth for example played just 15 snaps on offense yesterday. Darnell Washington meanwhile had 48 snaps. Go back to last week in New England. Muth and 38 snaps on offense to just 20 for Washington. You’ll notice that the Steelers’ run game was better yesterday. I’m not saying that’s all on Muth, but it’s hard to ignore the numbers.
Injuries
From the sounds of it, Calvin Austin III will miss a few weeks. Not sure at this writing as to what the injury is other than upper body. Jalen Ramsey should be OK after the BYE… Check that…. Hearing Ramsey could miss a few games.
Random Reads
For those of you already planning the Ravens’ funeral I suggest you may want to slow down a bit. The Steelers had a three-game lead on Baltimore last year too and you know how that ended… Don’t be mislead by Cleveland’s loss in Detroit yesterday either. The Lions scored on a punt return and defensive TD in 34-10 win… In other words, the Browns’ D is really good… While his hustle play is the big story, Payton Wilson had his best overall game of the year Sunday. He was coming downhill like a mad man… There is no question that Nick Herbig rushes the passer as well as anyone right now but he struggles to set the edge against the run which is why he will always be a situational guy… I’m hoping that Kaleb Johnson gained some confidence yesterday. He had a couple of nice runs against a tired Vikings’ defense and those had to feel good… The crowds at the Ryder Cup were embarrassing.
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