Steelers exhibit good, bad, and ugly in win over the Packers
To quote the most honorable and memorable Sir Robin from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
“You tit! I soiled my armor I was so scared!”
Yes, that is how I was feeling with about 4 seconds left in Sunday night’s Steelers/Packers game.
In a game where Ben Roethlisberger tallied 4 TD passes, 351 yards and a passer rating of 106.8, you might think, considering how well the defense has played this season, that for once, we’d have a relaxing, calm and relatively easy win. Especially against a Packer team who was being led by Brett Hundley, who had thrown more than 3 times as many INTs as he had TDs (7/2).
But that wouldn’t be the Steeler way. At least not the Steeler way that we have come to expect so far this season. Inconsistencies, mental mistakes, bad luck and questionable calls all culminated in me nearly “soiling my armor” with 4 seconds left – waiting as Chris Boswell attempted a record-tying 53-yard field goal to win the game.
Why need I have worried? It was Boswell. A man who, to quote another movie, “Is so money he doesn’t even know he’s money”.
FG made – disaster averted. Steelers are 9-2 and hold serve for one more week.
Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly of last Sunday’s game.
Good
Ben
33 of 45, 351 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 106.8 rating
Those are solid, nearly great numbers by Ben. Let’s just start with the completions. Ben was on time and on target repeatedly all night. The fact that for most of the first half his receivers had the drops big time hurt him. Eli Rogers, Martavis Bryant, Jesse James and Justin Hunter all had drops that I can remember. I think Le’Veon may have had one as well. The point is, this could have been a game where Ben completes over 80% of his passes. He deserved to if his receivers could have hung on to the ball.
Let’s talk about the INTs. Let’s start with the second one. That’s not on Ben – that (in my view) is on Chris Hubbard. He disengaged from the lineman, allowing him to leap up into the passing lanes and tip the ball. When the O-line allows the defenders to get up, that’s on them. The first one – well, the ball may have been the tiniest bit behind Rogers, but really that was just a damn good play by the defender. The ball was close enough to where it needed to be for Rogers to catch it, but Randall just made one hell of a play. Heck, they do pay those other guys too.
Ben was, despite those two INTs, on top of his game. The throws to AB in between the soft zones that the Packers were playing were perfect. AB, as we’ll get to, is a different creature, but even AB can’t do the stuff he does if the ball isn’t where it needs to be to allow him to do it. Ben is back to being Ben.
Bell
95 yards on 20 attempts, 12 receptions for 88 yards – 183 total yards from scrimmage
He may not have gotten any scores out of the game, but Bell was a key element in the offense, as he should be. If he doesn’t drop one passes, and doesn’t manage to get dumped for a two-yard loss near the end of the game on a dump off he would have had over 100 yards in receptions, and was that close to 100/100 game.
There was a lot of chatter about how Bell might have lost a step. You may be surprised to hear me agree. I do. He has looked less elusive and not nearly as explosive to me this season. Still, we are comparing elite to elite. Even with a little less speed and shiftiness, he’s so damn good.
Just ask Ha Ha Clinton-Dix once his ankles heel from being broken so many times.
Brown
10 receptions for 169 yards, 2 TDs
The last two games have been AB at his very best. He abused the Packers secondary on multiple occasions and would have had, even more, yardage and maybe TD’s if Ben didn’t miss him streaking down the sideline in single coverage, having totally beaten his man off the line.
I am running out of expletives to describe Brown. He’s just too damn good. Let’s just enjoy watching him do the things he does.
Boswell
Game-Winning 53 yard FG.
Mr. Chris “Money” Boswell. The Wizard of Boz. I don’t care what anyone says – hitting a 53 yarder at a mega super clutch time to win the game in Heinz field earns you the title of Killer B.
Boz the Bee!
ALL-FREAKING-PRO
2 sacks, 6 combined tackles (3 solo, 3 assists)
Cam Heyward is a grown ass man and an ALL-PRO. That is all.
Bad
Someone Isn’t Being a Good Neighbor
Rogers did make a clutch catch – but that felt like a surprise. 3 catches on 7 targets for 21 yards. 7 targets from a QB who is playing at a special level at the moment. That’s not being a good Neighbor. Mr. Rogers needs to get his sweater and think about what he’s done.
They Still Stink (but at least they weren’t ugly)
Just two plays prior to Brett Hundley throwing his first ridiculous TD pass, it was third and 5 at the Steelers 43. Hundley was sacked by Stephon Tuitt and the Steelers were about to get the ball back.
Unfortunately, the lights got in one of the ref’s eyes and he called an illegal use of hands penalty on Artie Burns. Watch the replay. I don’t believe Artie’s hands were in the face of the defender. They might have waved in front of them closely, but if anything they hit the guy slightly in the neck, not the face.
Apparently, the refs are no better at anatomy than they are at deciphering the NFL rulebook. They stink.
Ugly
Secondary (blame it on whomever you want)
Hundley to Cobb for a 39-yard touchdown. Hundley to Williams for a 54-yard touchdown. Hundley to Adams for a 55-yard touchdown. Need I say more? Probably not, but I’m going to.
Blame it on Artie Burns. Blame it on Coty Sensabaugh. Blame it on Mike Mitchell or Sean Davis. Blame it on the pass rush if you want (although I think that is just silly). Blame it on Carnell Lake, because you know, he’s actually out there making the mistakes that are being made. I’m sure he is telling the guys “Hey, we are so good you need to mess up a few times a game just to throw everyone off their guard. We’ll stop doing it later in the season when it really matters”. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
I don’t care whose fault it is. It’s ugly.
I miss Joe Haden.
Conclusion
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The bottom line is winning, and they won. It wasn’t pretty, and it was far more dramatic than it needed to be. A friend who is a Packer fan couldn’t even believe it. We’ll have to see if this is a turning point for Brett Hundley, or if the kid just got lucky that the Steelers secondary was having mental flatulence too often (That means brain farts).
They still won. They are still 9-2. So @ me all you want, the bottom line is that is all that matters. When and if they start losing these games then I’ll listen to the problems.
Now, like me, go and clean your armor.
