Initial Reaction to the Steelers Beating the AFC’s Top Team 27-20
Screenshot via NFL+
The Pittsburgh Steelers honored the Super Bowl XL team at halftime of their win over the Colts yesterday; a team that included the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Casey Hampton, Jerome Bettis, Joey Porter, Brett Keisel, Troy Polamalu, Deebo, and of course, the legendary Coaches Bill Cowher and Dick Lebeau. Perhaps I, as a fan, didn’t pay that detail as much respect as I should have. Perhaps the time spent with that group over the weekend is exactly what this group needed to RESET the standard on defense and get a big time win over an elite AFC squad.
27-20 was the final score, and I know the national talking point is that we should’ve won by a million given that the defense/special teams forced 6…yes S-I-X turnovers, but if you watched the same game that I watched then you should feel comfortable that the Steelers were the unequivocal better team in this game. This was no fluke. If anything, I think the offense left a lot of plays out there that they would generally make, and that didn’t make a difference which should actually make fans feel good. We’ve seen this offense be wildly efficient throughout most of the season, and while I’d love to, one day, have a game where the offense and defense are both clicking at the same time, I’m fine with moving on from a poor game offensively with a win against that team.
To this coaching staff’s credit, they do an excellent job of filtering out the noise and sticking to what they want their identity to be. I haven’t watched the tape back quite yet, so maybe I’m wrong, but on the live watch, it felt like they were comfortable selling their soul to stop the run and trusting guys to cover on the back end. Danny Dimes moved the ball mostly well…342 yards passing and a touchdown, but they abandoned the run, because they were playing from behind all game, so that number is inflated. Also, the Steelers four-man pass rush was chewing up this Colts o-line and spitting them out. They asked him to drop back to pass 50 times, and we were able to come up with 5 sacks and 3 INTs. I saw the look in Jones’ eyes….mans was flustered, for sure.
Payton Wilson had himself a legacy game - 14 total tackles, 2 passes defended (one of which resulted in an INT for Jack Sawyer), and his own INT. It was a rocky start to the year for him, and even when the defense was playing well, I have still been highly critical of his play as I had seen it. With that being said, if he continues to cover like that for the rest of the year, then the Steelers have a REAL gem in Mr. Wilson. Mans was everywhere and had the best game of his career against the AFC’s elite. Gotta love it.
Jalen Ramsey. I could go all day, but I don’t wanna be accused of glazing, so I’ll try to keep this fairly short: I continue to be impressed by this dudes ability to be wherever you need him to be and do it better than basically anyone on the team at that position. JPJ is probably our best man corner, but I think I trust Ramsey the most. Ramsey is certainly our best NB. After yesterday, I think it’s safe to say that Ramsey is also our best Safety. I understand the amount of money that the Steelers pay him DEMANDS that he be utilized a certain way, but GOD I loved watching him play FS in this game. He’ll best be used as our NB, and the fans and coaches will continue to clamor for that, but what an asset he is that he can give you elite play all over the field the way he can. Then, you hear the stuff that has come out about him addressing the team on Saturday night ahead of yesterday’s game, and how that made the guys feel…go ahead and extend him right now. Let’s get this guy to retire here. Seriously.
On offense, like I insinuated before, I didn’t love their performance in this game, but that is O.K.; there are some things to like. I enjoyed the deployment of the tight ends, specifically Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. I think if Aaron Rodgers and Jonnu Smith connected on that missed opportunity on the first play of the game, I would be singing Smith’s praises too. Calvin Austin III looked, pound for pound, like our best WR in this game - 5 catches for 56 yards, two of which had a very high degree of difficulty. The little dude plays so much bigger than he is, and I love him for it.
As for everything else that transpired in this game, I’d rather not speak on it until I have a chance to go back and watch the game again. The Colts fall to 7-2, and the Steelers rise to 5-3, maintaining a healthy lead in the AFC North. I know how low the vibes were coming into the week, but that was a very balanced Colts team that got popped right in the mouth. It’s one of the more impressive wins of the Mike Tomlin era, in my humble opinion. What did Michael Corleone say?
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