Steel City Blitz
Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Monday.
The game of football can be very complex. From play calls to coverages football can be a lot to take in. On the flip-side however, there can be some really ‘easy to explain’ parts of the game. One of those is the simple aspect of keeping your defense fresh. This isn’t rocket science after all, but it’s also not a guarantee of success. While it might not be a guarantee it does go a long way towards bringing victory. According to the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, over the last four games, the Steelers’ opponent has been on the field for roughly 20 more plays than they have have (72.5 to 53.5). Couple that with also having one of the older defenses in the NFL and what you have is the recipe for a tough day at the office. Look no further than Thursday night’s loss in Cincinnati where the Steelers ran 54 plays to the Bengals’ 72. That also led to a roughly nine minute advantage in time of possession as well. Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Darius Slay are all over 30 plus while Jalen Ramsey will turn 31 this coming week. In other words, the Steelers have to get off the field more often. This particular pattern just can’t continue.
With Baltimore on their BYE week, that left the Cleveland Browns as the only AFC North team in action this week. Their victory over the Miami Dolphins – which will likely bring an end to the McDaniel Era – gives them two wins. It also means the Ravens have sole possession of the cellar in the division. Laugh all you want to but the Ravens are in no way out of the race. They are getting healthier and will face a less difficult schedule than the Steelers. The two teams do have two games against each other however.
As bad as the trends were against the Steelers heading into last week (Mike Tomlin now 0-7 on the road against AFCN teams on TNF), they seem to be better heading into Week eight. Tomlin is 7-2 overall in games following Thursday Night Football. Next week’s opponent, the Green Bay Packers, took their first lead of the game with under two minutes to go to beat Arizona 27-23. A score that Cardinals’ fans should recognize…
And no, I don’t mean a player’s girlfriend… Pat Freiermuth picked up a lot more snaps than he had in previous weeks. He had 37, Darnell Washington had 36 while Jonnu Smith had 40. I would chalk this up to how the game unfolded. With the Bengals in front in the second half, that meant the Steelers were going to do a little less running and more passing so I’m going to suggest that’s why Freiermuth saw his playing time go up. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that ‘Muth played as...
