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Good Victory Monday to you Steelers fans.
It just couldn’t be easy could it? The Pittsburgh Steelers won their last two games against division opponents, including the last one in overtime and then had to wait… With the Colts getting stunned by the Jags we just had to make sure the Chargers and Raiders didn’t tie. Easy right? Wrong. The Raiders kicked a field goal as time, IN OVERTIME, expired to send them AND us to the postseason. Here are my thoughts on the game yesterday in Baltimore.
Offense
- This offense continues to be below average but much of that yesterday was due to the absence of Najee Harris in the first half.
- Two things of note regarding Ben Roethlisberger. First, he was much better in the second half/Overtime than he was in the first. He ended up 30/44 for 244 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Secondly, he also took the glove off of his throwing hand after halftime too. Take that for what you will.
- Both Chase Claypool and Ray Ray McCloud take a lot of crap from fans and sometimes it’s deserved. But both guys made plays yesterday.
- Pat Freiermuth was tremendous. Should have probably gotten that first down late in regulation but that doesn’t take away from his effort.
- Joe Haeg was commendable in his work replacing Dan Moore. Not great but he did enough. His face mask penalty though was an absolute killer.
- Kudos to Zach Gentry. The former college QB has made himself a professional tight end that can be relied upon for blocking and an occasional catch.
- Ray Ray McCloud is often maligned because he gets targeted so often. First, that’s often because he’s beating his man while other receivers aren’t. Secondly, the guy has made some big catches this season – many in heavy traffic – yet he keeps coming back. Let’s not forget the fourth down reception that saved the season.
- I cannot state how important the return of Najee Harris to the game was in the second half. He didn’t rush for many yards (11 carries for 28 yards) but he did grab four crucial receptions (two of which went for first downs) for 37 yards. He won’t be 100% for next week but who is at this point in the season?
- Diontae Johnson is flat-out uncoverable at times. Is that a word? It should be!
Tweet of the Day… In case you hadn’t seen, we will play in Kansas City Sunday Night.
See you Sunday night!@FedEx | @OurFordStore | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/0R9KF7wmac
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 10, 2022
Defense
- Congrats to T.J. Watt who will share the record with Michael Strahan for sacks in a season. The first half play in which was deemed an “aborted play” should have been a sack. If they are calling Strahan’s final sack an actual “sack” then that one should have been.
- Minkah Fitzpatrick made an exceptional play to knock the ball from Marquise Brown on the sidelines.
- I think Isaiahh Loudermilk is making himself into a player for the future. He isn’t there yet but the direction is promising.
- There’s a real possibility that we could see a complete turnover at the inside linebacker spot. They just aren’t getting the job done. Devin Bush is just bad. Joe Schobert has been a disappointment. Robert Spillane plays his ass off but is so limited athletically…
- Joe Haden’s importance on defense isn’t just because of what he does. He also allows other guys to be more aggressive and he allows the play-caller a wider variety of things to do.
- Superb interception by Cam Sutton in the end zone.
- Montravious Adams is super quick off the ball at times and almost to a fault. There were a few times that he penetrated too far into the backfield creating running lanes for the Ravens. That’s something he can work on though.
- My guess is the Steelers will move on from Terrell Edmunds but I give the guy credit. He works hard and plays with enthusiasm and he occasionally makes some plays. He’s good in the box but outside of that I’m not sure what you do with him.
- Check out our new t-shirt celebrating T.J. Watt…
Special Teams
- That Chris Boswell guy is pretty good huh?
- Pressley Harvin III returned to action and I have to believe it was due to his ability to pin the opponent deep. Harvin had at least three opportunities to do that that I can recall and the best he could do was the 15. He has to be able to get the ball inside the ten.
- Ray Ray McCloud gives me a heart attack every time he returns a punt or kick but he had some very nice returns.
- Wasn’t at all surprised to see John Harbaugh pull out a fake punt yesterday. The problem? Danny Smith and his punt return team seemed caught off guard. Punter Sam Koch threw a nice ball but the receiver had slipped.
Coaching
- We all understand the reason PHIII was out the last few games. Losing a parent is not easy at any age. That said, Mike Tomlin should have stuck with the hot hand, or foot in this case in Corliss Waitman.
- Danny Smith is a lot like coordinators in that he can overthink things at times. He was asking PHIII to get far too fancy with angled punts in situations where they weren’t necessary.
- Matt Canada should be credited with some creative calls Sunday. He was a bit handcuffed with Najee Harris out in the first half but he managed to mix things up with jet sweeps and reverses. Still, he just makes too many strange calls for me.
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