A win is a win is a win is a win…. I honestly am still trying to figure out what in the hell I saw today. For the record, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on the final play of overtime. Chris Boswell’s 53-yard field goal sealed it. On a day when the Steelers lost both T.J. Watt and Najee Harris to injuries, created five turnovers and had an offense that often resembled a train wreck, the Black and Gold somehow found a way to win. Here are my rapid-fire observations.
UPDATE: As of this publishing, Watt is believed to be done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Najee Harris will reportedly be out “for sometime.”
Offense
-Mitchell Trubisky(21/38 194 yards 1TD) wasn’t as terrible as many will have you think. He made several plays with his legs and didn’t make any crucial mistakes. Could he have done more? Certainly but this offensive line is epically bad.
-Speaking of that, when your wide receiver is your leading rusher? You’ve got issues. The Steelers ran for 75 yards on 22 carries with Chase Claypool leading the way with 36 yards on six runs. This offensive line unit gets little to no push. No one is getting to the second level. There’s no “hammer,” no guy you can’t get in behind and if Harris is lost for an extended period, things could get worse.
-Terrific job by the Steelers TEs Zach Gentry and Pat Freiermuth. They combined for seven catches and 115 yards. Freiermuth had some really big catches too.
-Diontae Johnson had some incredible, battle-like catches today totaling seven for 55 yards.
-Matt Canada included Derek Watt more today than all of last season.
-Canada did some different things on offense but his overall play calling remains questionable at best. The one thing that drives me nuts about play-callers is that they constantly try to “surprise” the defense rather than use what works. Todd Haley suffered from it and so too does Canada. Keep it simple Matt!
-Kendrick Green being inactive today speaks volumes on how bad the Steelers missed on him. Hard-working young man but he just doesn’t have the skills.
Defense
-T.J. Watt authored another amazing performance before exiting with an injury. It’s believed to be a pectoral injury which could cost him his season. Six tackles, a sack and an INT/FR.
-I’m going to go ahead and credit Brian Flores with this. The Steelers tackled better today than any time in recent memory. They wrapped up very well and didn’t miss nearly as many tackles as we’ve seen in previous seasons.
-Minkah Fitzpatrick was brilliant. A pick-six and ten solo stops were just part of his day. He was everywhere today.
-Ahkello Witherspoon had an overall great day but I don’t understand how he could play so far off Ja’Marr Chase near the goal line. Joe Burrow must have been laughing while throwing.
-Cam Heyward is such a steady presence for this defense. So vital in so many ways.
-I’m not really sure about the Inside Linebacker rotation. Way too much Robert Spillane especially seeing as Devin Bush looked much better.
-I really like Demarvin Leal. Terrific motor and he was good against the run and pass.
-Cam Sutton looked like a different player at times. Much more aggressive in coverage and willing to take some risks.
Special Teams
-Can’t really blame Chris Boswell for missing that first one in OT. 54 yards out and it hit halfway up the upright. Obviously he redeemed himself.
-Pretty good day for Pressley Harvin III. Looked much better than at any point last year.
-Gunner Olszewski is going to make some big returns this year.
Officiating
-Every time a defender uses his shoulder it is not a penalty. The call on Minkah near the goal line at the end of the game was ridiculous. Wasn’t targeting the head and didn’t hit the head. Let them play damn it.
Coaching
-Awful challenge by Tomlin. The officials are not going to overturn a call like that. It would be showing up an official and we can’t have that!!
-Tomlin blowing a kiss to the camera and then dancing in the locker room doesn’t sit well with me and I really like Tomlin. Sometimes you need to read the room. Your team was lucky, very lucky, to escape with a win and don’t we in Pittsburgh expect to win period? Why are we celebrating like this?
Feature Image courtesy post-gazette.com
