- Trailing the Bills 10-0 at halftime and looking totally futile offensively, it looked like all of the dire comments about the Steelers offensive line were 100% accurate. Not sure what might have been done in the locker room at halftime, and that O-line is still far from jelling, but it was a different story in the second half, and the Steelers ended up with 23-16 victory over very good Buffalo team. Not many saw that coming, including The Grandstander.
- All the angst over the will-they-do-a-deal-or-won't-they over the TJ Watt contract ended on Friday, but the sturm und drang then centered on whether Watt would be able to play after his training camp "hold in." As evidenced by the picture atop this post, I think it was a lot of wasted energy worrying about it.
- Najee Harris' debut was, um, ordinary at best. Much of it could be a function of the offensive line, but he did rip off one terrific run in the drive that led to the TD pass to Dionte Johnson. Good things to come there.
- Speaking of Johnson, all the dropped passes last year could be forgiven based on how he managed to hold on to that Roethlisberger TD pass.
- Ben Roethlisberger made me think today of a veteran baseball pitcher whose best days might be behind him but who relies on craftiness and guile to continue to baffle opponents and win games. That is going to serve the Steelers well as they await for the offensive line to develop and play as a seasoned unit.
- Whatever concerns there might be about the Steelers offense, there should be none about the defense. They held a high powered offense and a really good quarterback to one TD today. They constantly pressured Josh Allen. As the offense comes together, the defense will keep the team in games and might even win a few for them.
Elsewhere in the NFL....
- I have family and friends in Cleveland, and God bless them all, so to them I apologize for what I'm about to say: I still love seeing the Browns lose, especially when they cough one up like they did this afternoon in Kansas City. Don't get me wrong. The Browns are good, and they dominated the Chiefs well into the second half, but then the ghost of Hue Jackson descended upon them. Feel free to throw these words in my face if the Browns finish ahead of the Steelers in the standings this season.
- I only wish that the CBS cameras would have shown Jimmy Haslam in the owner's box after the Chiefs took the lead or after that Mayfield INT late in the fourth quarter.
- New Orleans 38 - Green Bay 3. I didn't see any of this game, and, obviously, the Packers defense stunk out the joint. They allowed Jameis Winston to throw 5 TD passes and 0 interceptions. Aaron Rodgers, after an off season of drama and self-centeredness, totally defecated in the bed. I'm sure he'll turn that around, but, wow, he seems to have stunk it out today.
- Tomorrow's Final Jeopardy answer:
- Watching football games with full stadiums was fun to see. It made me realize just how silent is was during all those games last season. I just hope that we don't pay for this with another public health crisis.
- As I type this, I am watching the Rams play the Bears on SNF. Two comments. (1) That stadium in LA looks absolutely amazing. It is just a beautiful looking structure when looking at it from the outside. (2) It took all of 3:06 for Andy Dalton to throw a soul crushing interception. That Bengals DNA just can't be washed away.
- This just in...Andy Dalton with a soul crushing fumble for the Bears.
- 98 year old Bears owner Virginia McCaskey looks exactly like her father, Papa Bear George Halas, wearing a wig.
- Seeing all the commercials today for that Arby's prime rib cheese steak sandwich has pretty much made up my mind as to where we're going for lunch tomorrow.
- I'm packing it in now with the Rams up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and driving. Looking forward to watching the "Peyton and Eli" version of MNF on ESPN2 tomorrow night.
