Welcome to “Quick Yinzing”, a fast reaction article where a member of the SCU staff gives their initial post-game impressions without digging into any films, stats, or other analysis. It’s as real as that car ride home or sobering down at the bar following the game!

There was every indication heading into Sunday night’s primetime meeting that the Pittsburgh Steelers would key-off of the momentum they gained in a major win against the Tennessee Titans as they faced a Green Bay Packers team that was struggling. That isn’t how this game went down, however, and as a result, an overtime period looked to be certain…except that one player had other plans despite an earlier mistake.

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The Steelers offense got on the field first after the opening kickoff – and a nice Martavis Bryant return – and quickly moved the chains on a drive that was capped by a short pass to tight end Xavier Grimble. A great play by Antonio Brown helped keep things moving. Unfortunately, Chris Boswell missed the PAT.

Packers quarterback Brett Hundley then struck gold on two big plays in successive drives that put the Steelers defense on notice. Artie Burns was flagged for hands-to-the-face and then burned by Randall Cobb deep for a score. After Ben Roethlisberger threw a pick, running back Jamaal Williams made Ryan Shazier and Sean Davis miss for another quick touchdown.

The game then became something of a back-and-forth affair with Hundley and Roethlisberger both facing pressure from the opposing defenses and both offenses digging deep to put points on the scoreboard.

https://twitter.com/SNFonNBC/status/934984036606533632

It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Steelers defense really rose up to make a big stand, but after Roethlisberger’s second interception, L.T. Walton and Cam Heyward both logged sacks that had Mike McCarthy out of sorts, calling for a 57-yard field goal that was ridiculously off target from Mason Crosby.

The Steelers offense took advantage of the short field and scored with a touchdown pass to Brown after a 53-yard march and a two-point conversion that went in Pittsburgh’s favor to tie the game once again.

Le’Veon Bell‘s fumble was uncharacteristic of the rusher, but it allowed the Packers to remain in the game and Hundley marched the Green Bay offense 77 yards to grab a four-yard touchdown on the ground by a leaping Williams. That left both teams scrambling to be the first to score with two minutes left in regulation.

With just 17 seconds left in regulation, Roethlisberger got the Steelers offense on the field and found Brown along the sidelines on a pass that looked like it may have been out of bounds, but a review showed that Brown was able to drag his toes and control the ball as he fell onto the bench area. It was an amazing play and the officials confirmed that it was a completion, earning loud cheers from the Heinz Field crowd.

Issa catch. #TonyToeTap pic.twitter.com/doep53zYfs

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 27, 2017

Brown followed that up with another fantastic two-feet-in catch on the sideline with 13 seconds left on the clock. A flag thrown on the field was picked up and with nine seconds, the Steelers opted to quick toss to Bell who slipped on the turf. The play forced Boswell, that early miss on the PAT somewhere buzzing in his brain, out onto the field to kick a 53-yard field goal for the win in a stadium everyone in the NFL knows is a tough place even when there is barely a breeze.

And…the kick was good!

The Steelers were able to hold on to win, 31-28, in a game they were expected to win by a two-touchdown margin. Pittsburgh moves to 9-2 on the season, tied with the New England Patriots at the top of the AFC. It wasn’t pretty that the Steelers struggled against the Packers, but drops and some letdowns in energy hurt – as did penalties. They’re things they should clean up before they play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.

THE KICK IS GOOD!

The @steelers beat Green Bay in a thriller 31-28. #HereWeGo #GBvsPIT pic.twitter.com/ujcTUWzQq8

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 27, 2017