Good Victory Monday to you Steelers Fans.
It wasn’t pretty but few wins are in the National Football League. The Steelers moved to 3-3 on the season with a 23-20 overtime win against Seattle last night. They now enter the BYE week with Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit next up on the schedule. Here are my observations from last evening.
Offense
- There was a noticeable uptick in the Steelers’ running game when Joe Haeg took over for the injured Dan Moore in the second half last night. Same thing happened when Haeg started in place of Chuks Okorafor in Green Bay.
- Ben Roethlisberger played one of his most consistent games last night until that fumble in the fourth quarter. And yes, it was a fumble. His arm had already completed the throwing motion and he was trying to bring the ball back to his body when he lost it.
- Another solid night from Pat Freiermuth. Keep moving those chains rook!
- Chase Claypool has to be a bigger part of this offense. I’m confused as to why he isn’t.
- Kendrick Green is making progress and that’s all I can ask. He battles his ass off play after play which is appreciated by all of us.
- Loved the run plays to Diontae Johnson and Eric Ebron. One resulted in a 20 yard gain while the other resulted in a TD. Need to see more of this creativity.
- Kalen Ballage showed a few decent moments last night which is good because we have to have someone capable of spelling Najee Harris.
- Speaking of Harris, he ran 24 times for 81 yards and collected 7 receptions and a TD. I’m just worried he’s taking too much of a beating.
- Not sure why Ray Ray McCloud is getting so many more snaps than James Washington. Has to be something related to slot receiver.
Tweet of the Day… Such a dominant player right now.
The longer you watch this, the more push-ups @CamHeyward will do pic.twitter.com/dbbvuLDllU
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2021
Defense
- Not sure how you can say T.J. Watt isn’t worth the money. Like any EDGE rusher, there are moments where he isn’t making an impact but when the team needed him he rose to the occasion.
- Every single week I say the same thing in this spot. Cam Heyward is just incredible. He is having an all-pro season and there shouldn’t be a debate about it.
- Tre Norwood had a terrific game and was one of the few Steelers not missing tackles.
- There sure were a lot of those last night and in some key situations too. Gotta clean that up.
- Devin Bush did not have a good night against the run. He has to get off blocks and find his lanes. The Seahawks were going right at him and we couldn’t stop it.
- Does anyone bat down balls better than we do?
- D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett combined to catch 8 balls. I’ll take that especially when none of them are for touchdowns.
- Isaiah Buggs is dong a better and better job on the D-Line. Not sure why they went with Chris Wormley so much in the second half instead of him once it became obvious what Seattle was doing.
- Alex Highsmith is getting closer and closer to being a monster pass rusher. There were glimpses last night and next comes the consistency.
Special Teams
- Does anyone look more relaxed on a game-winning kick than Chris Boswell? Dude is Ice.
- Ray Ray McCloud nearly popped a couple of kick returns last night. I’m telling ya one of these is going to the house.
- Kick coverage was poor last night. Starting drives out over the 30 and 35 yard line just can’t happen.
- Pressley Harvin III had an up and down night but when it mattered he boomed one.
Coaching
- Mike Tomlin had every reason and every right to rip the officiating in his postgame comments last night. How in the world do you allow a play to stand where the receiver is clearly bobbling the ball out of bounds but two plays later you want to review what was an obvious catch?
- Secondly, how do the officials not go back and look at the time? There was one second left on the clock after Geno Smith spiked the ball. Not three.
- I believe the Steelers were stunned that Seattle came out running in the second half. Tomlin himself said at halftime that they expected the Seahawks to push the ball down the field through the air. It was like a boxer expecting a jab and instead they get hit with a couple of haymakers.
SteelDad Mailbag
Get your questions to me this week! Shoot me an email to contactscblitz@gmail.com with the subject “mailbag” and I’ll be sure to answer. Whether it’s the Steelers, the NFL or something random I guarantee I’ll have a reply!
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