NOTE: As I clicked on my desktop iMac to write this post, the news arrived that Mike Tomlin has elected to step down as Steelers Head Coach after 19 seasons on the job. Obviously, The Grandstander will need to comment on this in depth, but I will need to ruminate on it before writing it, so I will proceed with writing what I had been planning all morning - the end of the Steelers season at the hands of the Texans, and the first weekend of the NFL playoffs.
The Steelers season - and
Aaron Rodgers' career? - comes to an end.
It was with a great deal of disappointment, although perhaps it was also not a big surprise, to watch the Steelers lose 30-6 to the Houston Texans last night. Houston had won nine games in a row, and had the best statistical defense in the NFL this season, and they showed it last night. The Steelers were spotty throughout the season, had some bright moments, but when they came up against a really good team (Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, Buffalo) they were on the wrong side of the scale. The 10-7 regular season mark was, technically, a "winning" one, and that AFC North title is a legit one, but they were never destined to go far in the Playoffs, although I will say that the magnitude and the thoroughness of the Texans' win last night was a bit of a surprise.
We also certainly saw Aaron Rodgers' last game as a Steeler, and probably the last game of his Hall of Fame career. As I stated on here a few days ago, the Rodgers of Pittsburgh was not the Rodgers of Green Bay, but he gave us some thrilling moments, and I, for one, will savor that fourth quarter performance against Baltimore in Week 18 as a memory of what a great quarterback is supposed to be.
In his column in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this morning, Joe Starkey said it best:
It’s also time for Aaron Rodgers to move on. He was better than expected this season and deserves credit for that. He served this city and this team well. But it’s better to leave a year too early than a year too late.
The Steelers should not even make an offer. They have to find their next quarterback. If they don’t have that guy next season, they should use Mason Rudolph as the bridge quarterback and give Will Howard a shot.
So the Steelers move on, and now they will be doing so without Mike Tomlin. As stated above, The Grandstander will have his reflections on that particular development in the next day or two.
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Okay, so that Steelers game was a stinker (unless you live in Houston) any way you look at it, but how about the other five playoff games this past weekend?
Rams over Panthers, Bears over Packers, Bills over Jaguars, and 49ers over Eagles, three of which were won by the visiting team, were all terrific games that weren't decided until the last minutes of each game. The fifth game, Patriots 16-Chargers 3, was not an edge-of-your-seat game like the others were, but it showcased, to me at least, a very good New England Patriots team, one that I predict will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl next month.
I can't wait for the for games this coming weekend, which I believe will go as follows:
- Broncos over Bills (FanDuel betting line Bills -1.5)
- Seahawks over 49ers (Seahawks -7.0)
- Patriots over Texans (Patriots -3.0)
- Bears over Rams (Rams -3.5)
My prediction are just on who I think will win the game outright. When it comes time to place my wagers, if the spreads remain as they are, I believe that I would bet on Denver, Seattle, New England, and Chicago, but that could change as kickoffs approach.
One final note on New England. Wasn't it great seeing TV shots of Bob Kraft in the Pats' owners' box on Sunday? Haven't you missed those ever since Tom and Bill left the team? I guess that we'll be in for more of them as the weeks go on.
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Again, watch this space in the days ahead for The Grandstander's thoughts on Mike Tomlin's decision of today and for what this means for the future of the Steelers.
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