The Pittsburgh Steelers got back on the right side of the won/loss column beating the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13 in Sin City. Here are my in game observations.
Offense
-First drive started with a nice mix of inside run and short passes. Arthur Smith then tried the toss sweep AGAIN which went nowhere.
-Raiders are attacking our right side. Broderick Jones and Mason McCormick struggling.
-The trick play? I’m not even going there. What in the world???
-Only this offense can take over at the 10 following a blocked punt and then go backwards.
-I honestly can’t think of a more polarizing player in recent memory than Najee Harris (14 carries 106 yards TD, 2 Rec 14 yards). He plays so hard and gives everything he has yet his shortcomings are always highlighted. Many of those are fair such as missing the hole etc but man, can’t ever fault the effort. He was terrific today.
-Zach Frazier left with an ankle injury. We desperately need it to be “not serious.”
-Broderick Jones isn’t 100%. We know that elbow is an issue. That said, he’s got to be better especially in pass protection.
-We’ll never know if Mike Tomlin would have gone to Russell Wilson if that interception would have stood. It was a horrible throw by Justin Fields (14/24 145 yds, 11 Carries/59 yards 2TD) but a roughing the passer call overturned it. That said, Fields’ legs were the difference today and I’m not sure how you replace him with such a patchwork offensive line right now.
-There is ZERO question the Steelers tried to keep George Pickens (3 Rec. 53 yards, 8 targets) happy today. Even up late in the game they were trying to get him the ball. I’m not sure how smart any of that is.
-Pat Freiermuth had two receptions for 16 yards. He did have TD reception taken away by Justin Fields going over the line of scrimmage but man, they have to get Muth involved more.
Defense
-Raiders went 70 yards in ten plays and we never got them to third down.
-Someone should tell Charles Davis that T.J. Watt (2 FF, 2 TFL) punches the ball ALL THE TIME! Even with no sacks, he was incredibly impactful.
-DeShon Elliott is a damn good tackler.
-Beanie Bishop has struggled at times but he made a great play on a screen to snuff it out.
-Watt didn’t have any sacks today but the two forced fumbles were clinical. And came at huge moments in the game.
-Patrick Queen has had a very up and down season so far but he was better today. 13 tackles is a damn good day.
-Payton Wilson was on the field a lot more today and collected six tackles in the process.
Special Teams
-Terrific blocked punt by Jeremiah Moon. Looked very much like something that Danny Smith cooked up from film review.
-Chris Boswell. 4/4 on his field goals. What else is new?
Coaching
-Mike Tomlin has a serious problem on his hands regarding the penalties, especially the mental errors. A few weeks back he brought in officials for a full week. He might need an exorcist now.
-Teryl Austin has the creativeness of a brown paper sack but when you have Watt, Cam Heyward and company that’s OK. He’s going to have to be more assertive in the second half of the season.
Officiating
-If you’re one of those fans who constantly believes the Steelers are being screwed by the zebras then how do you explain today? Two questionable roughing the passer calls and a very questionable illegal man downfield call as well benefitted the Steelers. Raiders’ fans should be pissed.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the score fool you. The Steelers benefited from calls and the legs of Justin Fields and Najee Harris offensively. Defensively, two big forced fumbles by T.J. Watt and some shoddy offense from Vegas was enough. The Steelers will not be able to compete with the teams late in the season on their schedule if they don’t get some things cleaned up. And to be fair, the injuries have been overwhelming too.
Next week
The Steelers host the New York Jets in primetime.
