Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the 2024 season with a 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons yesterday and in case you missed it, here’s my postgame observations. Anyway, welcome to the morning after edition of Hot Reads which focuses strictly on the game.
Where’s Warren?
Jaylen Warren had four touches on Sunday. I’m going to chalk this up to him returning from a hamstring injury but if that wasn’t a problem then it’s absolutely criminal that he only touched the ball that many times. If this was more about Arthur Smith getting used to his personnel then I hope he recognizes it and corrects it asap. If this was really related to the hammy then I ask, why play him at all?
Officiating
I try to remember that the officials are starting the season just like the players are but there were some pretty bad calls yesterday. For starters was the inability to let both teams know the Steelers had a first down. Both teams believed it was fourth and short so the Steelers ran a quick dive into the line where they were stuffed. Both teams thought it was a change in possession but it was eventually ruled second and 11. Had they known it was first down I’m guessing the play call would have been different.
Officiating Part 2
I’m curious. The officials called George Pickens for offensive pass interference for a little shove which allowed him to make a catch and big play. What I found curious was that Pickens would catch another ball in which he did basically the same thing. What’s the difference? The bigger issue regarding Pickens was the ‘down by contact’ call when it was beyond obvious he was never touched while on the ground. Just brutal.
Fields vs Wilson
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about since the game ended. Would Russell Wilson have made the same plays that Justin Fields did with his legs? Conversely, would Wilson have hit some bigger plays in the passing game than did Fields. To me, this is the QB issue in a nutshell. I can see situations every week where fans will say, “the other guy would have done this or done that.” It’s gonna be a long season in this regard.
On the Injury Front
Mike Tomlin would only say last evening that the injury sustained by punter Cam Johnston was “severe.” I’m not a doctor but it sure seemed to me like his knee popped in and out of place. Hoping for a quick recovery. There are two former Steelers’ punters out there, Pressely Harvin III and Brad Wing. I’m guessing one or both are brought in.
Officiating Part III
Even the linesman himself admitted to T.J. Watt that he “may have made a mistake” on his offside call that negated a strip, sack and fumble recovery for Watt. It was not a good day for the zebras across the NFL period.
Random Reads
Not only did Chris Boswell nail all six of his kicks but he also did a damn nice job of punting once Johnston was out. Fans often forget that place kicking and punting are two very different things… The Steelers find themselves in first place this morning. They are the only AFC North team without a TD and the only AFC North team without a loss… I had no problem with Broderick Jones defending his teammate yesterday. He drew a personal foul for it as did the Falcons’ defender so they were off-setting but I like it when Jones plays with a nasty disposition… My gut feeling is that Kirk Cousins is going to be a lot better as the season goes on. Big mistake by Raheem Morris in not playing during preseason. He looked incredibly rusty and indecisive… Don’t forget, the Steelers kick off at 425pmET next week in Denver.
Hot Reads is presented by Frank Walker Law
