Steel City Blitz
Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday!
There’s no such thing as “the easy way.” For the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning games and just making it through games for the fan base is always hard. So it was therefore fitting that with the AFC North title on the line and a playoff berth as well, the Steelers did it the “hard way.” Their 26-24 win over Baltimore sends them to the postseason where they will host the Houston Texans. Be patient my friends, the game will be the final one of the weekend on Monday Night.
No one played a better game on defense last night than did Cam Heyward. Possibly playing in his final game, the elder statesman was a constant presence with his hustle and overall activity. It is truly amazing that after leading the NFL this season for snaps by an interior lineman, that he would have that kind of performance still in the tank. Let’s also remember that he replaced Darnell Washington offensively during the ‘tush push.’
Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith made life miserable for Lamar Jackson at times. I’m grateful that Highsmith doesn’t have to live with that missed sack because he played really well… Adam Thielen and Marques Valdes-Scantling aren’t much, but they both made a couple of really nice plays in key spots… Pat Freiermuth isn’t used nearly enough but he came through once again last night… The entire offensive line did a pretty damn good job.
Any time you can have your best players not come through and you still win is a good thing. The secondary was a mess at the worst times last night. The big plays to Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely just shouldn’t happen that way. I have no doubt that Houston is already looking at three-wide sets to the same side of the field… Chris Boswell is one guy who is owed some grace by the fan base. How many times has this guy saved this team from itself over the last decade? I know he’d be the first guy to not make excuses for his missed PAT, but like I said, he’s picked up this team far more than he’s let it down. That said, he’s missed at least one kick in his last three games so yeah, I’m concerned a bit.
Mike Tomlin wanted Aaron Rodgers so he could win games like the one last night. There’s no question his steady hand and experience paid off significantly in the fourth quarter. But in many ways, fans and pundits have viewed the acquisition of Rodgers a bit differently. Last night was very much a “playoff” game despite it being the end of the regular season. Therefore, if things don’t go well next Monday night, will the bringing in of Rodgers have lived up to the hype? I’ll answer that a week from tomorrow.
Let’s Talk About Arthur...
