Steelers Week 6 Reaction

 Sorry I'm late! Holiday Monday then was slammed and a little sick yesterday so here we are on Wednesday. This game doesn't really need much of a recap though anyway, the Browns stink and the Steelers took care of business in a stress free manor. With all the teams in the NFL suffering an embarrassing loss or two at this point, it's unclear who the actual cream of the crop is this season. I think that really opens up the possibility that the Steelers are truly contenders, not just in the Lohensports world! Anyway, quick recap incoming: 

 Smooth Sailing

Ok, maybe I was a little nervous in the first half for like a quick second. The game started off with the Steelers marching down the field easily 3 separate times. My favorite part of the offense early was how they got big Darnell Washington involved right away, and kept going back to him. On the first play of the game the Steelers faked a run and hit Washington with a pass. The big man rumbled down the field for a 30 yard gain to get the team in FG range while the announcers marveled at the size of the lad. I am a firm believer that this guy needs to get more touches. It's rare you get a 6'8 300lbs man who is that agile with good hands so I'm glad to see the Steelers using him as a weapon. The Steelers kept getting stops whenever the Browns got a chance, largely due to some poor QB play from their rookie Dillon Gabriel. To be fair to Gabriel, this was a third round pick that's now been tossed into the fire on the QB carousel team of the last 30 years. It's not exactly a great infrastructure for success, and he looked to be over his head in this one.

Steelers kept getting stops and getting the ball back only to be stopped near the red zone for FGs. The Browns managed to get a FG of their own to end the half and at this point despite the Steelers thoroughly outplaying the Browns so far, it was only a 9-3 game. When I say I was a little nervous, it's only because in a 1 possession game all it takes is one critical blunder and all of the sudden you're on the ropes. We saw the Browns beat the Bills with some similar nonsense. The Steelers quieted all of those concerns immediately after the half with a TD on their first drive, and from that point on it was in the bag. The Browns to this point haven't scored more than 17 points in a game, getting a 2 possession lead on them should be as good as done, which it was. 

Dropped Picks

I swear watching this one the Steelers could've had 5+ interceptions on Dillon Gabriel. There were tons of passes where he over threw guys, threw it right at a Steeler or mistimed routes to his receivers, and the Steelers just failed to capitalize. This is a defense that has locked in lately, and the Browns aren't world beaters so it's no wonder they still held them to 9 points, but against good teams they're going to have to capitalize on those mistakes. Not much more to say about it, the game could've been more lopsided if they took advantage of these, but it really wasn't necessary in this one. 

Shout out Rodgers

I have to say, I am just beyond glad that the Steelers have actual good QB play again. It takes seeing the highlights to really understand the impact Rodgers can have. One play that stood out was a play-action call where Rodgers sold the fake handoff so well it had the defenders turning and chasing the RB buying himself a full 3 seconds to get the ball out, an eternity in the NFL. Mastering the fake handoff is an underrated QB skill that's often overlooked, this time it resulted in a big play for the Steelers. There's a sense of calm with a good QB that the offense is going to be able to figure something out even if everything doesn't go their way immediately. Rodgers didn't do anything immaculate in this game, but he didn't have to. Like I said earlier, for most of this game the Steelers were in the territory of 1 critical mistake blowing the game up. If there's anyone on the roster you can trust to play mistake free football it's Aaron Rodgers. 

Honestly, that's that! This wasn't a particularly interesting game. If you weren't a fan of either team, I wouldn't blame you if you just skipped this one. I am beyond excited that the Steelers are a team that just takes care of business this year. In past years with maybe more talented teams we'd see the Steelers make these way closer than they need to be, is that behind them? Lets find out when they face the Joe Flacco Bengals tomorrow!