Steelers Week 15 Reaction

 I have been dragging my feet this morning before writing this one. Steelers lose in a matchup that if you look at the stats would appear as though they got dominated. I still think this one was closer than the numbers suggest, but at the same time it was a brilliantly executed game from what could be the best team in football. A lot to be frustrated with if you're a Steelers fan, lets get into it: 

Shaky Start -> Signs of Life ->Najee Fumble

I feel like a lot of Steelers games start in a similar fashion, and a lot of the time that is ok. In the first quarter, the Steelers showed no signs of life at all. After getting the ball first the Steelers tried to establish the run game, it didn't work and they went 3 and out. Then the defense did well of bending not breaking and holding the Eagles to a FG. The Steelers got the ball back and tried to establish the run game again, didn't work, 3 and out. Luckily on the next Eagles drive the Steelers defense was ready to pick up the offense, TJ Watt forced a fumble on Jalen Hurts with the Steelers recovering it just past mid field in Eagles territory. The offense went 3 and out again on the ensuing drive being forced to punt. The Eagles then gifted the Steelers a golden opportunity on the punt, fumbling on the return at the 10 yard line. The next drive requires its own paragraph. 

The Steelers getting the ball on the 10 yard line lined up for a running play. Big, sorry, ginormous TE Darnell Washington was blocking a standard sized DB. Getting a little too excited with his big size mismatch, Washington drives the DB all the way through the back of the end zone shoving him right up against the stands. The DB fairly reasonably reacted by shoving Washington in the facemask which elicited a large kerfuffle between both teams with probably 20 players pushing and shoving. Generally after something like this the refs will call offsetting personal fouls and everyone moves on. This time, the refs called 2 personal foul penalties on the Steelers, 1 of them was accepted for 15 yards which effectively ended the Steelers hopes for a TD after the second fumble, instead having to settle for 3. Things happen, calls happen, they won't all go your way but this was one of those calls that surprised me watching the game in real time. At least it was hilarious to watch Washington manhandle a player 100lbs lighter than him. 

You just can't fail to capitalize on drives against a team with as much fire power as the Eagles. Philly scored a TD on their next 2 drives while the Steelers still struggled to muster any offense pushing the lead up to 17-3. Finally the Steelers offense started to show signs of life. Jaylen Warren came into the game and was able to jump start the rushing offense. The Steelers started getting first downs and then finally a touchdown to make it a 1 score game before the half. They managed a nice defensive stand and got the ball back to add 3 more to the tally and it was a manageable 17-13 lead going into the second half. With the Eagles getting the ball after the half, they had a nice drive that ended in a FG, but it was now the Steelers turn in a 1 possession game with the offense finally rolling. They hit a few great running plays in a row, were marching down the field and had some great positive momentum for the first time all game. Russell Wilson pitches it back to Najee Harris for a routine sweep play, Najee drops the pitch, fumble recovered by the Eagles. From that point on the Eagles scored another TD then snuffed out any hopes of the Steelers comeback with some great clock management that will be discussed later. All and all, this ended as a 2 score game, but if Najee doesn't fumble there we could be looking at a completely different game script. Hard to win when you have unforced errors against an elite team. 

Clock Management

I know this is a Steelers post, but I need to take a section to gush about the Eagles end of game clock management in this one. After the Steelers punted down 2 TDs with 10 minutes 29 seconds left, the thinking was: play the field position game and force a 3 and out and get the ball back. The Eagles proceeded to slowly and methodically march down the field with short passes, runs and 3rd down conversion after 3rd down conversion all the way until the clock hit 0. That's right, the Eagles ran nearly 10 minutes 30 seconds straight off the clock to end the game. I was in absolute awe watching this in real time, the Steelers chances of winning were slim already but the Eagles slammed the door shut in masterful fashion. Their ability to dominate the possession game is terrifying entering the playoffs, especially when they face high powered offenses. You can't score if you never get the ball. 

The Steelers Miss George Pickens

If the last 2 games have proven anything it's that George Pickens is an elite NFL wide receiver. Nobody else on the Steelers roster even comes close to matching Pickens' talent and the stats are telling the same story. In the 12 games with George Pickens, the Steelers have passed for 229.3 yards per game. Nothing insane, but also not a bad passing offense. Without Pickens in 2 games the Steelers have passed for 143 yards per game, which would be 30 fewer yards per game than the NFL's  worst passing offense in the New England Patriots. We've seen it with the eye test too. When the offense has struggled this year, Wilson has tossed up a 50/50 moonball to Pickens who seems to come down with the big catch more often than not. This threat of a contested catch requires a ton of attention from opposing defenses, and even when they do everything they can it still doesn't matter. In this one, the Steelers had nobody get open pretty much the entire game. The run game suffers because Najee and Warren become the Steelers only viable weapons, Russ takes more sacks trying to find the open man downfield and overall the offense grinds to a halt. Pickens brings a lot of antics and off field issues along with his immense talent, but we've now proven once and for all, the Steelers are screwed without him.

TJ Watt Injury

Ugh. It was a fantastic game from Watt up until he left the game in the 4th with an apparent leg injury. He forced a fumble on Hurts, had another big sack and overall was the game wrecking presence Steelers fans have come to expect. In the 4th quarter Watt came up limping on a non-contact injury after rushing the passer. He left the game and it has been reported that he's dealing with an ankle injury. The Steelers are 1-10 all time without TJ and are set to face the Ravens in a game that has implications on the division on Saturday. Here's hoping TJ heals up and can be out there, otherwise the defense very quickly becomes average. 

Clinched the Playoffs!

Lol, despite it all, the Steelers are playoff bound this season! Tough game and annoying injuries aside, this is a fantastic result from a team that was projected to be last in the division when the season started. The next few weeks will be important for seeding, but Steelers fans can rejoice in January football again no matter what!

Ok that's it, yeah my paragraphs got small by the end, it was an annoying game. That being said, Najee doesn't fumble there and we could be looking at another disgusting Mike Tomlin grind it out style victory. The real important game comes Saturday against the Ravens. The Steelers have played Lamar tough his entire career, but a lot of their defense will be pinned on TJ Watt's health. Take my ankle TJ! Go Steelers!