Steel City Blitz
I’m guessing the majority of us aren’t crazy about playing a postseason game on Monday night but here we are. The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans in the final game of the NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend tonight in the Steel City. If there’s any good news about playing the final game it’s that there are plenty of lessons to have learned. Here are few ‘teachable moments’ that I hope the Steelers were paying attention to Saturday and Sunday.
There’s been lots of speculation about the future of Green Bay Head Coach Matt LaFleur but there should be none about their kicker Brandon McManus who missed two kicks on Saturday night in Chicago. He wasn’t alone though as Lin Elliott and Eddie Pineiro both missed PATs on Sunday. But this is more than just about kickers. Return men had their share of trouble while protection units also nearly gave up blocks. I have the utmost faith in Danny Smith, but I’m sure he has shared numerous reminders with his unit.
The Philadelphia Eagles held a fourth quarter lead against the San Francisco 49ers yesterday afternoon, and lost. The Green Bay Packers led the Chicago Bears by 18 points at halftime and by 15 points after three quarters Saturday night, and lost. The Jacksonville Jaguars had a four-point lead with four minutes to go against the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon, and lost. The Carolina Panthers had a four-point lead with under three minutes to play at home against the Los Angeles Rams in the first postseason game, and lost. In other words, whether you are winning or losing, the game isn’t over until the clock says so.
Remember the old days when it was three yards and a cloud of dust? Couple that with great defense and you had yourself a pretty damn good chance of winning in the postseason. That’s not necessarily true anymore. Of the five games played so far in the postseason, three of the teams that rushed for more yards than their opponents LOST. I firmly believe running the ball still matters but I don’t know that it’s all about ‘total yards’ anymore. Running efficiently when you do run is the key.
Whether or not the Steelers learned anything from this weekend is a moot point if they don’t play mistake-free football. Houston is an excellent team but as we saw this weekend, no one is unbeatable.
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