Steelers Week 1 Reaction

 It's so good to be back. In classic Steelers fashion yesterday they pulled off the win thanks to a bit of good luck and not beating themselves. On paper the Jets seemed like a lighter week 1 opponent but the game still went right down to the wire. There was a lot to criticize but also a lot to like about this one and at the end of the day they came away with the win which is all I can ask for. Lets break down some of my thoughts on the Steelers' week 1: 

Aaron Rodgers Looks Great

Hard to start anywhere else! Coming into this one I would've called the passing game the biggest question mark for this year's Steelers. Rodgers answered those questions with his performance on Sunday. It felt like Rodgers did what you want a star QB to do, respond when your team needs it. The Steelers defense struggled, especially against the run, early in this one. The Jets got off to a 3-0 lead but Rodgers responded by converting 2 straight 3rd and 10s en route to a TD drive for the Steelers. The Jets then stormed ahead 19-10 with 2 min to go in the half and Rodgers lead a perfect 2 minute drill to get the Steelers into the end zone again keeping the lead manageable at just 2. After failing to score in the drive after the half, the Jets expanded their lead with another TD, but Rodgers responded immediately with a slow methodical TD drive to get the Steelers within 2 again then a Jets fumble on the ensuing kickoff allowed the Steelers to score another Rodgers passing TD to take the lead. End of the game the Jets score once again to make it a 1 point game but with the clock dwindling, Rodgers got the Steelers right to the edge of field goal range to set up the game winning field goal and the Steelers escape with a victory. 

Is this what having a good QB is like? It's been so long I can't even remember. I kid, but seriously in a game where the Steelers struggled in a lot of aspects, they needed their QB to pick them up and will them to victory. Playing like this is a dangerous game, and against better teams than the Jets the Steelers probably don't pull off the win, but it was the Jets and he did enough. My favorite part of this game was seeing Rodgers' passing chart after. He completed passes all over the field to 7 different targets. A big issue Steelers fans had in the past was our QBs not targeting the middle of the field. Russ had a great deep ball but mostly used it along the sidelines, Fields was more likely to roll out or hit his first option on checkdowns, Rodgers is a different animal who showed yesterday his poise in the pocket and ability to utilize his entire personnel anywhere on the field. The Jets did drop a couple of should be interceptions and one of the TD passes was just a flip to Jonnu Smith, more of a run play if you ask me, but Rodgers was the only QB this week to finish with 4 TDs and he didn't even have a turnover. I'll take it!

Lost the Battle in the Trenches

It was a win, which is nice, but there were some ugly aspects to this game that need to get cleaned up for the Steelers to reach their full potential. Starting on offense, the offensive line was frankly terrible yesterday. It's a miracle Rodgers performed as well as he did because it felt like he was under pressure the entire game. Rodgers was sacked 4 times, largely due to breakdowns from Broderick Jones. The Steelers also weren't able to establish their usual identity running the football because there were simply no lanes. I will say I saw a lot more Kenneth Gainwell than I was prepared for. Gainwell is more of a shifty speedy back, one that really benefits from strong offensive line play to create holes he can burst through. The Steelers did not have that at all and Gainwell suffered as a result. It's no surprise that the running game looked somewhat more effective once they started going to Jaylen Warren, more of a power back. Still, no matter who they called upon the running game was bad all game and I think a big portion of the blame lies on the offensive line. 

Then there's the defensive line. Time after time in this game the Jets were able to run the football up the middle for big gains. The Steelers were missing their first round pick at DE this year, Derrick Harmon, but still were featuring vets with Cam Heyward and his new contract and Keanu Benton. To give them credit, the Steelers run defense did tighten up in the second half after making some adjustments, but a big reason they needed Rodgers heroics in this game was because the defensive line let them down early. I have a lot of faith that the talent on the Steelers will figure this out so it's not a big concern for me going forward, just a disappointing showing in week 1. 

Jalen Ramsey 

I can already tell I'm going to have a lot of fun having this guy on the Steelers this year. Near the end of the second half Justin Fields rolled out to the sidelines, looked like he was about to tuck and run, Ramsey pursued him near the sideline and Fields got the ball out just as Ramsey absolutely demolishes him with a hit. This of course prompted the Jets to get pissed at a guy hitting their QB which drew a 15 yard personal foul penalty for their retaliation. I loved that because one it was a clean hard hit, if you're going to roll out that far as a QB you have to expect to get hit, two it pissed off the Jets who he continued to chirp the entire game. At the end of the game after taunting and chirping for a full hour the Jets had a play on 4th down to try and stay in the game and potentially get into field goal range for the win. Fields hit Garrett Wilson with a perfect pass but Ramsey blows him up as soon as he touches the ball forcing a drop and clinching the game. 

My favorite team hasn't had the league pest in a long time! I always talk about how much I love the Pat Bev types or the Brad Marchands, now the Steelers have one of their own. I know for sure there will be a game or more where Ramsey does something stupid that goes for a penalty or riles up his opponent into having a big game, but that is also going to be super entertaining! One thing is for sure, you are going to notice Ramsey every game and I am here for it. 

Bow Down to BosGod

 I remarked yesterday and maintain today, if almost any other kicker in the league is on the Steelers, they lose this game. Bos started his day with a 56 yard FG to give the Steelers a 10-9 lead. When he set up for that one I thought to myself what a luxury it is to have a kicker that can nail these, it cuts the yards the Steelers need to get to score down by 5-10 which can be huge. Little did I know how huge it really was. In the dying minutes of this one the Steelers got the ball to the 39, ran a play and lost 5 yards. Ran another play and gained nothing then all of the sudden it was 4th and long outside of most kicker's field goal range. No problem for Bos, they run him out there and he drills a career long 60 yard FG right down the middle of the uprights with probably 10 yards to spare. Incredible stuff from a guy who is in my mind the best kicker in football and one of the best all time. I lost count of how many games he won the Steelers last year and he did it again here. 

That's that! 1-0 feels good! Especially when the Ravens were on the receiving end of a massive Bills comeback last night. Great day to be a Steelers fan, football is back baby!