A State of the Union - Steelers Loss @ CLE + Vibe Check
Screenshot via Steelers Youtube.
The Pittsburgh Steelers went to Cleveland over the weekend with an opportunity to secure the AFC North crown and punch their ticket to the playoffs, but they could only muster 6 points against that defense, and they’ll head back to Pittsburgh with another loss. 13-6 was the final score. They’ll now face off against the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh for all the playoff marbles. If Sunday is the end for this version of the Pittsburgh Steelers, then what an interesting year it has been.
I’m at a point with the Cleveland Browns where I don’t even think I can joke about them anymore. We’ve lost four-straight games in the City of Cleveland, and they beat us in the playoffs in Pittsburgh several years ago. Then, in last weekend’s matchup, the Steelers had everything in the world to play for, while the 3-win Browns were only playing to spoil our chances, and that’s exactly what happened.
Probably the most heartbreaking thing about our current situation, in my opinion, is that BIG Darnell Washington is headed to IR, and could maybe return in the event that the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl. - I already know how yinz feel about that, and I agree, fat chance. - So it’ll likely be a season-ending injury for him, and that just sucks a big bag of ass. He finished with just 364 yards on the year, but the fashion in which he obtained those yards was a significant spark for this offense on numerous occasions. Not to mention, his blocking prowess has really opened up the run game for us, and we’ve been one of the more efficient rushing units in the league because of it. I don’t think the media is talking about this injury enough ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Baltimore.
This isn’t meant to be an end-of-season-type post; we’re not there yet. But, considering last week’s loss in Cleveland, and much of this season as a whole, we once again find ourselves at the mercy of unreliable quarterback play. The loss in Cleveland was one of the worst-quarterbacked-games we’ve had in the post Big Ben era. No doubt, Aaron Rodgers wants to play the position a certain way - setting up one-on-ones for his go-to receivers. The only problem is DK Metcalf is suspended, and the Steelers don’t have man-beaters on the roster right now. Three-straight targets for Marquez Valdes-Scantling to end the game turning the ball over on downs is diabolical work of the lowest sort - and when I say targets I mean snap the ball and immediately lob it in his direction with no regard for the blanket coverage, or the wide open Pat Freiermuth in the middle, or the wide open Kenneth Gainwell on the checkdown, either of which would’ve been touchdowns. I’m not bitter and my eye is not twitching as I type this hahahahahah.
Earlier this season, I mentioned in a post that I thought it was possible that Aaron Rodgers had too much freedom at the line of scrimmage, and that clearly hasn’t changed as the regular season wanes. There have certainly been occasions where it has worked to our benefit, but mostly, it has been a net negative, and I almost feel like his timing with the receivers would be in a better place if he was just running the offense as it was being called. Hindsight is 20/20, and we’ll see what Sunday against the Ravens has in store, but the QB position is still holding this team back, even if we get the occasional legacy game out of #8.
How is the State of the Union you might ask? - By my estimation, it’s not good. Most yinzers that I interact with aren’t taking this group seriously and don’t expect a deep playoff push, and neither do I, unfortunately. With that being said, I love having Pittsburgh Steelers football to look forward to at the beginning of every week. Also, I’m sure the folks that work at Acrisure Stadium will appreciate the extra money on their paychecks if we host a playoff game. We’ll find out on Sunday. If this is the end…it’s been an honor serving with yinz.
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