I aptly titled this post ‘The Worst is Yet to Come’, because we are only now getting to the meat of the schedule, and I’m not sure how the vibes could be lower.

On the injury front, the Steelers will be without WR Scotty Miller (finger), and C Zach Frazier (Calf) is listed as questionable, though it was reported earlier in the week that he intends to play. Calvin Austin III (shoulder) doesn’t have an injury designation, and will play for the first time since week 4.

We are coming off a few very good games in a row where the defense really looked the part, at times, and it’s unusual for it to completely fall apart the way that it did, but we all see Mike Tomlin’s record on Thursdays, and maybe he’s just not the coach for TNF.

The Bengals, losers of four straight games, are looking to tread water and avoid getting completely buried in the standings following an injury to their star QB, Joe Burrow. In the meantime, they traded for Joe Flacco, much to the chagrin of Mike Tomlin, and he’ll be their starter in tonight’s game.

That left side has struggled to pick up stunts at times this season, but it’s reasonable to expect their communication to continue to improve as this offensive line builds continuity with one another. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Still, that 2020 playoff loss in Pittsburgh will weigh heavy in my brain for a long time, so I’m not moved by that “Browns haven’t won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003” stat that has been circulated. I hate the Browns, and I wanna beat ‘em by 60 - just being forthright. 

Until the Ravens get healthy, the division goes through Pittsburgh, and that is NOT what realists were expecting coming into the season. It’s paramount that they capitalize on their positioning and take care of business against bad teams over the next two weeks. I think it will be the difference between hosting a playoff game in Pittsburgh and not. 

The Steelers takeover in Ireland ended in a 24-21 victory, and their luck didn’t stop there - week four losses for the Browns and Ravens also feels pretty good. Even more, since the Bengals lost last night, the Pittsburgh Steelers now sit in first place atop the AFC North heading into their extremely early week five bye. Let’s hope these old cowboys hold up at the tail end of this season.

The Steelers have commercial rights on the “island of Ireland” that other NFL teams don’t have, and they’re meant to spearhead the league’s efforts to expand the game into that country. Dublin is our tahn.

Love it or hate it, I’m sure most of us are in the latter, but these ugly games are Mike Tomlin football, especially in recent years, and his 106-65-2 career record in one score games is indicative of that. I’ll let yinz decide whether that stat is a good or a bad look for him.

Still, it’ll be the much-maligned Steelers run defense that I think has most of the fanbases’ attention. The Raiders were able to get after the Patriots in week one - giving up just 60 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per carry.

Also, 95 was able to stay on his feet on this play, which is noteworthy for him but more on that later. Good stuff from Yahya. I like what he’s been doing these first two weeks.

Hats off to the Seattle Seahawks, who spoiled the Steelers home opener, beating them 31-17. I’m calling this a visceral reaction, because I’m not deep diving for numbers, or looking at film, or anything like that. These are just some observations I have based on how I’m feeling right here, right now, immediately after the loss.

The Steelers signed S Jabrill Peppers, who seems poised to start in Elliot’s place in the meantime. That’s a big time addition to this defense with or without the injury to Elliot; the injury just speeds up his timeline to see the field in my opinion.

Jalen Ramsey sticks with his man despite Justin Fields’ improvising, and honestly makes light work of Josh Reynolds for a PBU. This was the beginning of the end for the Jets. 

I’m extremely optimistic after seeing how the offense was able to move the ball, but the offensive line was really manhandled in this game, specifically on the outside at the tackle spots.

This weekend, the boys are traveling to East Rutherford, New Jersey for a REGULAR SEASON matchup against the New York Jets. 239 days will have passed since the last meaningful Steelers game when this one kicks off tomorrow at 1 pm EST.

The players and the coaching staff alike all seem to be moving with a confidence about them that I haven’t seen from this team in a long time. They’re in the building seeing what’s unfolding every single day, and a lot of those guys have won Super Bowls, and know what it looks like and what it takes. Their seemingly unwavering confidence is good enough for me. Let’s go capture number 7.

As the dust of the offseason settles, and we sit just eight days removed from the Steelers’ first game of the season, I figure now’s as good a time as any to take a trip around the division and speculate how the Steelers might fare against the competition

The Steelers released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, and I’m going to deliver some quick thoughts on that. However, it’s important to remember that this thing is not set in stone, and you can bet top dollar that things are going to look a slightly different week one, but more on that later.