Week 7 vs. Bengals

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

i want to commission an oil painting of the exact moment where le'veon stiff-arms kirkpatrick

Best I could do on short notice...

 

[cincygrad]

I don't see this being a close ballgame. I think Cincinnati's defense has been very good against mostly bad offensive football teams. That said, there is a lot of talent on that side of the ball and they have proven playmakers at all key positions on defense. They can cause some trouble. Like all defenses though, they look better if they aren't on the field. Against Green Bay, they held the Packers to next to nothing in the first half of football. They were helped along by an offense that was moving the ball and creating long fields for Aaron Rogers. Things broke down in the second half when the Bengals failed to convert on a single third down for the entire half, the defense was on the field a lot, it was 90 degrees in Green Bay and Rogers started beating a tired D.

I think Pittsburgh poses a real problem for the Bengals offense. This will be, by far, the toughest road environment they have played in this season and the offensive line is shaky even when on their own field. I think time of possession and turnovers will be key to this game and I expect they will be radically skewed in Pittsburgh's favor. I suspect that this will be a 10+ point victory for Pittsburgh.... Most of the damage coming in the last 1.5 quarters of the game.

I was 'sorta' right..... Pittsburgh didn't turn the ball over and chewed up a bunch of yards in the first half. They had trouble on short yardage plays in the second half or they would have completely dominated the clock. Predictably, Cincinnati stopped getting first downs in the second half - Same exact thing that sunk them in GB. At this point, the Steelers are beginning to play like a true contender, while the Bengals appear to be a 6-8 win team.

 

[Ojb81]

Best I could do on short notice...

Soon as I get home from work i'm making that my avatar lol!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

While it's fresh.

Recap.

Got the W, and it's nice to see them end with a victory formation and CIN not try to run a play at the end.

OFC...3 of 5...The stats and the final score suggests better, but the RZ trips ending in FGs really irked me. Okay McDonald, who played well btw, dropped a back shoulder TD, but some of the play calls were just awful. Grimble played a handful of snaps, not one target in the RZ, one play were AB looked like he was the only route.

Tomlin has not been much of a gunslinger this yr, so I was surprised with the 4th down pass, but it was wide open...still could not get 6 though...something they had to see during the week. I'm not going to beat a dead horse in a dbl digit win, but at some point Haley will have to use more of the roster.

DEF...4 of 5...they were shaky in the 1st half on 3rd down, but they were winning the battle up front really the entire game. They started getting Dalton on the ground in the 2nd half, and coking off the run. When they went up 29-14 Butler stayed aggressive....back 4 gave up some plays for 1st downs but taketh 2 away so I say a great day for them. I'm guessing CIN struggled to get 100 yds total in the 2nd half.

ST...4.5 of 5...near perfection....hate to see that many FGs, but in this game, they were as good as gold the way the DEF was playing...the 4th down pass could only have been better if they got 6 off it.

Outlook...now 3-0 in DIV, 5-2 overall and with BAL losing to MIN today, the Steelers are up 2 games in the loss column on both CIN and & BAL...this a dangerous game next week @ DET. This team plays well with their back to the wall, but has not handled prosperity well under Tomlin.

They really need to close the deal in DET going into the bye.

Good recap ATL!

I have to admit I didn't get to follow the game very closely yesterday but I did record & rewatch (only because they won).

Coaching... Only 1 penalty for 5yds? Holy crap that's gotta be some sort of Tomlin-era record. Hats off to Tomlin & Co for keeping the guys disciplined through 4 quarters of play. Ballsy coaching on the 4th down plays. Only converted once out of the 3, but nothing seemed detrimental to the outcome. Icing the game in that manner was a great statement to a division rival. Offense continued to show weakness with struggling to finish drives (1/6 in the RZ) & looked miserable on 3rd downs (2/11). Thank God for Bell stepping up in the last few weeks or they would still be in trouble. Haley is a pile. Defense was stout overall. Showed some weaknesses early on, but they tightened up. Butler seems to be dialing up the pressure more & more. Hopefully that continues. B+

Offense... For the most part the unit played well. Obviously they have a recipe working for them with Bell, but they need to figure out a way to convert better & finish drives with more than 3pts. The rushing attack was on point between the 20's. Stellar blocking from the big guys up front & Nix. They were dismantling people out there. Allowed 0 sacks! Ben seems to be playing much smarter lately. His accuracy & timing are getting better as well. Hopefully that equates to more confidence every week. Would love to see him get the TE's more involved. McDonald, JJ & Grimble are all worthy of production on a weekly basis but doesn't seem like Haley is tapping into that potential very often. B

Defense... Great group effort yesterday. Like I said before, the overall performance was stout even if they looked shaky early on. They allowed the Bengals to finish 2 drives in the 1st half but the entire 2nd half was a shutout. Bengals didn't reach the RZ once in the 2nd half. Defense compiled 4 sacks, 4 PDs, 2 INTs, and a plethora of QB pressures on their way to holding their offense to only 179 total yards. Epic! A

ST... The Boz is the man. Perfect 5/5 on FGs & 2/2 on XPs. Drilled a few FGs in the 40+ range. Berry averaged 45yds on only 2 punts, but netted 35. Typical solid day at the office with one particularly memorable 51yd boomer. Coverage units were solid. And shoutout to Golden on that fake punt. Mechanics could use some refinement lol, but the pass was on the money! A+

Overall... Looks like this team is starting to take shape. Offense is finding its rhythm but still has work to do. Defense is starting to make waves throughout the league. Could it be that opponents may actually start to fear playing the Steelers defense? Been quite some time since we've seen or heard that. Pass rush is still clicking, run defense is better & the backend is solid. Consistency is key though. Only injury to note was McDonald who suffered some sort of knee injury. He was listed as probable to return so I don't think he's at risk to miss week 8. A-/B+

Outlook... Heading into Detroit before the bye week. Gotta keep this momentum going! Steelers have a good 2 game grip on the division now. Bengals & Ravens both stay in conference this week against the Colts & Dolphins, respectively. Steelers & Browns have bouts with the NFC North. Detroit is a good team with a great defense. They just got smacked around by the Saints so I wouldn't be surprised to see a very fired up team this week. Plenty of motivation for them after back to back conference losses & being in desperate need of a rebound before heading to Lambeau for a crucial divisional matchup in week 9. Steelers need to bring their A game with them on the road this week. Detroit's high powered passing game is tough to stop. Stafford has been playing well this season. That seems to play well into the Steelers' strengths right now. Pass rush & secondary will need to continue their recent level of play. Hopefully they can get Tuitt back this week.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Good recap ATL!

I have to admit I didn't get to follow the game very closely yesterday but I did record & rewatch (only because they won).

Coaching... Only 1 penalty for 5yds? Holy crap that's gotta be some sort of Tomlin-era record. Hats off to Tomlin & Co for keeping the guys disciplined through 4 quarters of play. Ballsy coaching on the 4th down plays. Only converted once out of the 3, but nothing seemed detrimental to the outcome. Icing the game in that manner was a great statement to a division rival. Offense continued to show weakness with struggling to finish drives (1/6 in the RZ) & looked miserable on 3rd downs (2/11). Thank God for Bell stepping up in the last few weeks or they would still be in trouble. Haley is a pile. Defense was stout overall. Showed some weaknesses early on, but they tightened up. Butler seems to be dialing up the pressure more & more. Hopefully that continues. B+

Offense... For the most part the unit played well. Obviously they have a recipe working for them with Bell, but they need to figure out a way to convert better & finish drives with more than 3pts. The rushing attack was on point between the 20's. Stellar blocking from the big guys up front & Nix. They were dismantling people out there. Allowed 0 sacks! Ben seems to be playing much smarter lately. His accuracy & timing are getting better as well. Hopefully that equates to more confidence every week. Would love to see him get the TE's more involved. McDonald, JJ & Grimble are all worthy of production on a weekly basis but doesn't seem like Haley is tapping into that potential very often. B

Defense... Great group effort yesterday. Like I said before, the overall performance was stout even if they looked shaky early on. They allowed the Bengals to finish 2 drives in the 1st half but the entire 2nd half was a shutout. Bengals didn't reach the RZ once in the 2nd half. Defense compiled 4 sacks, 4 PDs, 2 INTs, and a plethora of QB pressures on their way to holding their offense to only 179 total yards. Epic! A

ST... The Boz is the man. Perfect 5/5 on FGs & 2/2 on XPs. Drilled a few FGs in the 40+ range. Berry averaged 45yds on only 2 punts, but netted 35. Typical solid day at the office with one particularly memorable 51yd boomer. Coverage units were solid. And shoutout to Golden on that fake punt. Mechanics could use some refinement lol, but the pass was on the money! A+

Overall... Looks like this team is starting to take shape. Offense is finding its rhythm but still has work to do. Defense is starting to make waves throughout the league. Could it be that opponents may actually start to fear playing the Steelers defense? Been quite some time since we've seen or heard that. Pass rush is still clicking, run defense is better & the backend is solid. Consistency is key though. Only injury to note was McDonald who suffered some sort of knee injury. He was listed as probable to return so I don't think he's at risk to miss week 8. A-/B+

Outlook... Heading into Detroit before the bye week. Gotta keep this momentum going! Steelers have a good 2 game grip on the division now. Bengals & Ravens both stay in conference this week against the Colts & Dolphins, respectively. Steelers & Browns have bouts with the NFC North. Detroit is a good team with a great defense. They just got smacked around by the Saints so I wouldn't be surprised to see a very fired up team this week. Plenty of motivation for them after back to back conference losses & being in desperate need of a rebound before heading to Lambeau for a crucial divisional matchup in week 9. Steelers need to bring their A game with them on the road this week. Detroit's high powered passing game is tough to stop. Stafford has been playing well this season. That seems to play well into the Steelers' strengths right now. Pass rush & secondary will need to continue their recent level of play. Hopefully they can get Tuitt back this week.

I guess I like picking out the bad stuff because if I tape it, I watch the losses faster than the wins...lol.

One match up Tony Romo brought up that I always felt okay with...Hubbard vs Dunlap...as expected he held his own okay. Also, Finney has typically done well replacing Foster, but I was happy to see him back in there...I don't think Atkins made a splash play at all...kudos to Pouncey and Foster.

OFC...I said I wasn't going to complain with this nice win, but he has to be holding stuff back for later in the season....FYI season to date targets.

• AB...84
• Bell...42
• MB...36
• Juju...26
• JJ...25
• Rogers...13
• McD...9
• Hunter...5
• Grimble...1

They're not even half way thru the season.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Did not see this until today @ATL96Steeler

 

[Yo Tee]

Did not see this until today @ATL96Steeler

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[ATL96Steeler]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

Geeze!!...I hadn't heard a word about it either.

Most likely out this week...with all the whining that MB is doing, I hope Rogers gets the extra targets...he has as much or more reason to bitch about touches.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

Geeze!!...I hadn't heard a word about it either.

Most likely out this week...with all the whining that MB is doing, I hope Rogers gets the extra targets...he has as much or more reason to bitch about touches.

Rogers has already voiced his displeasure in a sense. But he did it the right way unlike the man-child MB. Rogers went directly to the in-house sources (Tomlin, Haley, Mann, Ben), then spoke with media weeks later saying this excerpt:

"Obviously, I ain’t playing so he’s been doing great (talking about JuJu)."

“I’m undrafted, so things are weighed a little different with me and I understand that.”

He went on to say things like this experience made him a better person & professional. You know, the usual tidbit from savvy professionals that know how to handle things quietly. Definitely didn't go on social media to bash his teammates & then go over the team & directly to the media to demand a trade. You know, like a immature diva would do.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Rogers has already voiced his displeasure in a sense. But he did it the right way unlike the man-child MB. Rogers went directly to the in-house sources (Tomlin, Haley, Mann, Ben), then spoke with media weeks later saying this excerpt:


He went on to say things like this experience made him a better person & professional. You know, the usual tidbit from savvy professionals that know how to handle things quietly. Definitely didn't go on social media to bash his teammates & then go over the team & directly to the media to demand a trade. You know, like a immature diva would do.

Interesting. I knew Rogers had voiced some complaint and you can't blame him either, but didn't know the details.

Maybe things have changed in the NFL and it's bypassed me, or more likely MB and or his agent and GF don't understand the biz side of the NFL that well.

I really think this started over some FF owners giving MB some shit on social media and he responded. I'm sure he's worked hard to keep his body in a shape and was expecting to more or less pick up where he left off. It hasn't started out like that...obviously Juju is in the mix now, but if Green had been here I think maybe there would be more of a big 3 instead of a big 2. They like what they see from Juju...he works the area of the field that is most available to the QB and draws some good matchups.

At that point MB's frustrations boiled over after the game last week and we're where we are now with this. Tomlin is not going to do it, but he could be buried the rest of the season.

My hope is they figure out how to get him some more touches this season to build up his value and SF or CHI offers a 2nd or 3rd rounder and they unload him next season.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Interesting. I knew Rogers had voiced some complaint and you can't blame him either, but didn't know the details.

Maybe things have changed in the NFL and it's bypassed me, or more likely MB and or his agent and GF don't understand the biz side of the NFL that well.

I really think this started over some FF owners giving MB some shit on social media and he responded. I'm sure he's worked hard to keep his body in a shape and was expecting to more or less pick up where he left off. It hasn't started out like that...obviously Juju is in the mix now, but if Green had been here I think maybe there would be more of a big 3 instead of a big 2. They like what they see from Juju...he works the area of the field that is most available to the QB and draws some good matchups.

At that point MB's frustrations boiled over after the game last week and we're where we are now with this. Tomlin is not going to do it, but he could be buried the rest of the season.

My hope is they figure out how to get him some more touches this season to build up his value and SF or CHI offers a 2nd or 3rd rounder and they unload him next season.

Definitely. Hate the drama that he brings and it doesn't appear that anyone is getting through to him. I'm assuming Tomlin is eager to see how he responds from this 1 game suspension. If he's still crying wolf then I'd get rid of him before the deadline. No sense in keeping the drama queen around when they are so focused on winning in January. They don't need him, but they could definitely use him if Ben ever figures out a way to get him on the same page. And that centers on whether or not he can clean up his act.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Definitely. Hate the drama that he brings and it doesn't appear that anyone is getting through to him. I'm assuming Tomlin is eager to see how he responds from this 1 game suspension. If he's still crying wolf then I'd get rid of him before the deadline. No sense in keeping the drama queen around when they are so focused on winning in January. They don't need him, but they could definitely use him if Ben ever figures out a way to get him on the same page. And that centers on whether or not he can clean up his act.

Suspension...kinda sorta...he's not playing but he does still get the game check this week. I thought that was fair by Tomlin...he could've been more harsh, but imo would run the risk of losing the kid the rest of the season. MB gets a chance to work his way back...hopefully that's the path he chooses.

I don't expect them to make any moves before the deadline with Bryant unless somebody comes to them with a strong offer. Whatever happens after the season...it happens.