Steelers Now
Steelers fans across the globe couldn’t believe their eyes on Monday night as their favorite team played a football game that didn’t give everyone constant heart palpitations for three hours. The first half was essentially a rock fight between the two squads, but contrary to their previous second-half letdowns, Mike Tomlin’s club came out firing on all cylinders in the second half to put this game out of reach in a hurry. This felt like complementary football at its finest, with the offense, defense, and special teams units pulling their weight en route to an impressive win.
The franchise has now made history with 23 straight home games on Monday Night Football, a streak that spans all the way back to October of 1991.
That’s not the only history being made, though. It feels fitting that this would be the first-ever iteration of dudes & dudes without any “losers” on the list. Consider me impressed.
After signing a one-year deal in the offseason, Gainwell’s breakout campaign continued on Monday night to the tune of 126 yards from scrimmage. He hauled in all seven of his targets on the night, and half of his rushing attempts were deemed successful as well. His signature play came on a run that bounced to the right side, easily brushed off a safety that was working downhill, and proceeded to rip off a 38-yard scamper. Aaron Rodgers stated his wish to get Gainwell paid in the offseason, and you better believe that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will be lobbying for him to remain in the fold.
The number one priority for the Steelers coming into this game was figuring out a way to slow down the Dolphins’ rushing attack that had been one of the most efficient and explosive units lately as they’ve shifted philosophies on that side of the ball. In the bitter cold, this unit was up to the task. By holding them to a 29% rushing success rate on early downs, Teryl Austin’s troops forced their opponent into a style they simply didn’t want to play with more true dropback situations. Captain Cam Heyward led the group with three stops; the much maligned Patrick Queen was frequently around the ball, while the rest of the front controlled the point of attack. Mission successful.
You’ve probably heard me say that offensive line depth is the biggest oxymoron in the sport, but Cook was clearly out to prove me wrong by not allowing a single pressure on 30 pass sets. It’s a blessing to get that type of play from your fourth-stringer, but what made it even more impressive was that the Steelers didn’t feel the need to tie up excessive resources to help him either. The offensive line in general started to wear down the opposition as the game wore on because the time of possession was in their favor for once. It’s too early to make long-term...
