A Football Week

 

Almost a week has passed since the Steelers amazing 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night clinched the AFC North for Pittsburgh and secured a home game for them in the first round of the NFL Playoffs.   I know that the Ravens kicker went wide right on a field goal attempt as the clock ran out that would have given the Ravens the win, but I lay the credit for this win squarely at the feet - or more likely, the arm and brain -  of QB Aaron Rodgers.  

With the Steelers trailing 13-17 deep into the fourth quarter, Rodgers calmly led the team on a 60 yard drive that resulted in a two yard TD run by Kenneth Gainwell.  Then, after the Ravens scored in only three plays (terrible lapse in the Steelers secondary), Rodgers did it again.  This time it was a six play, 65 yard drive that culminated in a Rodgers to Calvin Austin 26 yard TD pass.  Chris Boswell then missed the extra point (!!), which set up the excruciating last 55 seconds of the game,  wherein Lamar Jackson brought the Ravens downfield to set up a 44 yard FG with :02 remaining, but......WIDE RIGHT!

Rodgers leading not one but two fourth quarter comeback drives to win the game with time running out can be said to be truly heroic in the sporting sense of the word, but equally heroic was  the Ravens Lamar Jackson, who did the same thing: led two fourth quarter comeback drives that to win the game, but for the missed FG.

It was truly one of the great Steelers games ever, and for Rodgers his best game as a Steeler: 31-for-47, 294 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int.  As Mike Tomlin said, it was for games like this that the Steelers brought him to Pittsburgh. 

Oh, and lest anyone remind me, here is something I wrote in this space a mere 12 days ago:

• The Steelers desperately need a quarterback.....it sure isn't....42 year old Aaron Rodgers, and I say that with all due respect to Rodgers, who has played heroically at times this season.  The team took a shot to go all in with Rodgers for the season, and at times it looked like it was going to work, but in the end, it just isn't going to work out as everybody had hoped.

I now take those words back, and I will stick to them, regardless of the outcome of the game with the Texans on Monday night. And I will summarize Aaron Rodgers-as-a-Steeler with the words of singer Toby Keith:

"I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once

As I ever was"

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Elsewhere in football, the semi-finals of the College Football Playoffs took place with a positively thrilling 31-27 win by Miami over Mississippi on Thursday, and a simply overwhelming 56-22 win by Indiana over Oregon.

It is hard to imagine that Indiana will not win the championship come Monday night, and it is hard to imagine that Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza will not be the number one pick in the NFL Draft in April.

Yes, these were his numbers against Oregon last night. in fact, in his two CFP games, he has thrown more TD passes than he has thrown incomplete passes.

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It is Wild Card Weekend in the NFL playoffs, and just for $hit$ and giggles, I'm predicting the following:

• Rams over Panthers
• Bears over Packers
• Jaguars over Bills
• Eagles over 49ers
• Patriots over Chargers
• Steelers over Texans

I've already bet on Rams -10.5 and Bears +1.5 for today, and yes, I know that ten and a half points is an awful lot of points to be laying in a Playoff game.

The Debacle in Cleveland

Christian McCaffrey leads the 49'ers

 to 42-38 win over Bears

Why, you may ask, am I leading with a photo of Christian McCaffrey of San Francisco if I am going to be writing about the Steelers God-awful, and there is no other word for it, 13-6 loss to the Browns yesterday?

Well after watching that road apple that the Steelers dumped upon the field in Cleveland and then watching  the 49'ers and Bears stage that terrific game on Sunday night, sandwiched around  watching Josh Allen in his Superman cape (albeit in a losing effort), made me come to three conclusions:

• Despite the fact that they can still make the playoffs, the Steelers are just not a very good team.  If you watched Chicago and San Francisco last night, do you believe that this 2025 Steelers team is anywhere close to being able to compete with them?  If the Steelers played each of those teams ten times, they would be lucky to win twice against either of them.
• The Steelers desperately need a quarterback.  Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams were playing a different game than anything that I have seen from the Steelers since Ben Roethlisberger retired.  Maybe that guy is Will Howard, who was derailed in training camp this year by a hand injury, but it sure isn't Mason Rudolph or a 42 year old Aaron Rodgers, and I say that with all due respect to Rodgers, who has played heroically at times this season.  The team took a shot to go all in with Rodgers for the season, and at times it looked like it was going to work, but in the end, it just isn't going to work out as everybody had hoped.
• Again, watching that SF-Chicago game last night, it is obvious that the Steelers....game planning?...coaching?....just isn't cutting it.  Watching the offenses that are being produced by guys like Ben Johnson, Kyle Shanahan, John McVey and others makes you want to just scream at what Arthur Smith (and Matt Canada before him) are sending out there week after week.  I love Mike Tomlin, but if he and the Steelers decided to part ways after this season, I'm not sure how upset I would be about it.  Some hard decisions are going to need to be made at season's end.

For all that, the Steelers could still win the AFC North and make the playoffs, if they beat Baltmore on Sunday night.  This is the same Ravens team that beat Green Bay this weekend 41-24, with Derrick Henry rushing for 216 yards and 4 touchdowns.  If Henry has a game half as good as that on Sunday, I can't see the Steelers winning that one.  It could be a real ugly scene at Acrisure Stadium come around ten o'clock Sunday night.

Anything can happen when the Steelers and Ravens play each other, but I'm sure not feeling positive this morning about this meeting.

 

Steelers 34 - Jets 32

The Steelers opened their 2025 season yesterday with a 34-32 win over the New York Jets.  It was exciting and action packed, but it sure wasn't easy.

What I liked about the game....

• Aaron Rodgers.  In his first game as a Steeler, the future Hall of Famer went 22 for 30 for 244 yards, 4 TD's, and 0 interceptions.  HIs four TD passes went to four different receivers.  

Ben Skowronek scores first TD of the season for the Steelers.

• Receptions by DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin, and Ben Skowronek all had significant Yards After Catch numbers, something we haven't seen a lot of in recent years.
• Something else we haven't seen a lot of but saw yesterday were passes downfield and over the middle.
• That hit Jalen Ramsey put on Jets WR Garrett Willson that ended the Jets last possession and sealed the deal for the Steelers.
• And, of course, Chris Boswell drilling a 60 yard game winning FG (a Steelers record) with 1:05 remaining.  This on top of a 56 yarder in the first half.

What I didn't like about the game....

• The Steelers defense being shredded by the Jets for 394 net yards and 32 points.
• The Jets ran the ball 39 times for 182 yards.  
• Justin Fields went 16 for 22 for 244 yards, 3 TD's and 0 interceptions. 
• The Steelers inability to run the ball: 20 attempts for only 53 yards.
• Rodgers getting sacked three times.  Third year man Broderick Jones at LT is starting to look like a first round bust.

And let's face it, the Jets aren't a very good team.  That Steelers defense, the highest paid defense in the NFL, has to improve of the team is going to go anywhere this season.  Let us hope that rookie Derrick Harmon recovers from his injury and makes a difference on the defensive line.

Still a win to start the season is great.  Now bring on the Seahawks for the Home Opener next week.

Oh, and did any of you out there have Ben Skowronek if the "Who Will Score the First Steelers Touchdown of the Season Pool?"  

Didn't think so.