Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers fell behind by 14 in the first quarter but pulled out a win and sent the Dolphins to a 0-7 start for 2019. Once again, the team started off slow, with a stagnant mistake prone offense but rebounded and established a tough running game and some timely passes.

The education of Mason Rudolph continues, he made mistakes but after an awful first quarter put together a very good performance for the rest of the game. He finished the game 20 for 36 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The receivers dropped a few passes and he missed some receivers but overall played well enough. Hitting Diontae Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown turned the tide of the game.

Johnson is emerging as a breakout performer and had a very good game, bringing in five catches for 84yards and a touchdown, he also made a terrific catch that the haphazard refs called a bogus penalty on. James Washington chipped in with one catch, but his biggest contribution was the block that sprung Johnson. JuJu Smith-Schuster had his biggest game of the year. Smith-Schuster had five catches for 100+ yards and made a terrific 26-yard touchdown catch.

James Conner also had his biggest game of the year. After a slow start, he ran over the Dolphins with 145 yards and one touchdown. The Offensive line gave him plenty of room to work and the protection of Rudolph was excellent again.

The defense kept the Steelers in the game and only gave up two touchdowns on short fields. They also are a work in progress but were able to stuff the run and keep the Dolphins in check.

Minkah Fitzpatrick made the biggest play of the night, grabbing an interception late in the first half that setup a Steelers scoring drive. He also picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick on the Dolphins first drive of the second half. They never recovered.

The front seven set a good tone and were able to eliminate any Dolphins running game. They only mustered 54 yards and had to abandon the plan by mid third quarter. Cam Heyward made a key stop of a Ryan Fitzpatrick keeper forcing a Dolphins turnover on downs. Tyson Alualu did a nice job filling in for the injured Stephon Tuitt.

Can the refs stink any worse? They are way to involved in games and the Pass Interference review rule is complete nonsense.

It was a gutsy win for the Steelers, but they need to get off to a better start in games. Falling behind 14-0 to the Dolphins is not the same thing as falling behind 14-0 to a competent team. The Steelers need to figure out a way to get the offense going sooner or the season will be lost!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: James Conner, who had a break out game. Conner ground out 145 yards and a touchdown. He played great and was an absolute force. It looked like he was injured towards the end of the game. Also Considered: Minkah Fitzpatrick who had two interceptions and Diontae Johnson who had a breakout game and made a great catch, that the refs jobbed him out of!

Where I watched the game: On the “road” again, with a great Pro-Steelers crowd at Sea Cove in our hometown. We had a great Sicilian Salad and a Hot-BBQ Chicken Pizza, the beer of choice was Narragansett and Guinness, both KGB and I realized we are getting too old for night games!

My Stat of the week: 1 for 12…Mike Tomlin won his first challenge in almost two seasons on a key 4^th down conversion.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are going to sneak up on the Colts, who are riding high right now. I actually expect a pretty rough game for the Colts.

This week’s Jersey: Alejandro Villanueva, #78, Color Rush, I won the jersey at the same restaurant we watched the game at!

The Steelers finally put together a complete game plan and executed it perfectly as they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers handily in front of a raucous Pro-Steelers crowd!

Devlin Hodges performed well in his first professional start. He stayed within the game plan and never really needed to take any chances. He finished with 132 yards, one touchdown and a late interception. The protection was fantastic, and he was never in any jeopardy during the start.

Hodges was aided by a rejuvenated running game, led by James Conner and Benny Snell. The Steelers duo combined for 124 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground to Conner. Conner chipped in with seven receptions and put together a terrific game. Snell pounded out 75 yards of the 124.

The defense continued its vast improvement. The front seven pressured Philip Rivers all day and dumped him for one sack. He never looked comfortable and couldn’t find a rhythm until late in the game. Rivers also threw two interceptions and a backwards lateral fumble that led to the Steelers first touchdown. The secondary was tight, and it was great job by Artie Burns/Cameron Sutton, filling in for Steve Nelson.

The linebackers played great, with Devin Bush playing his best game yet as a Steeler. He was all over the field and made several big plays, including his first career touchdown and his first career interception. Vince Williams T,J, Watt was all over Rivers. The bad news is the Steelers lost Stephon Tuitt for the season.

The special teams had a good game, and Chris Boswell may have turned the corner.

It was a great game for the Steelers and a great bounce back!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Devin Bush, he scored his first career touchdown and had an interception, he looked like the playmaker we have been waiting for. Also Considered: The Duck, Devlin Hodges, who played well in his first start and Benny Snell who looked like the mini “Bus”.

Where I watched the game: On the “road” again, with the Tailgate Kids all over the place, KGB and I met up with some friends at our local pub. We watched the Yankees game and Steelers game. The Beer of choice was Miller Lite for me and Sam Adams Octoberfest for KGB. We had wings and Nachos!

My Stat of the week: Going to cheat a little on this one…25,425 was the attendance about 94% capacity. So going to estimate, I would say it was easily 75% Steelers fans, it sounded like a home game and they even played “Renegade!

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers come into the BYE at 2-4, they need a much more consistent effort if they are going to resurrect the season.

This week’s Jersey: L.C. Greenwood, #68, the 1933 Throwback (The Soccer Jersey), I saw a Steelers fan who had no idea that it was an actual Steeler Jersey. It has been six years since he passed and I wore it the first game after. Was thinking about him during the game!

The Steelers had another uneven performance versus the archrival Ravens. The Steelers had a slow start, rallied and then fell in overtime after a costly fumble. It was another heartbreaking loss.

After giving up scoring drives on the first three possessions the Steelers locked down the Ravens offense and forced three turnovers. The defensive line had their best game of the year as did the linebackers. They had the Ravens on the ropes all day and Vince Williams slowed the running game down dramatically. T.J. Watt had a solid game and contributed one of the five sacks. The secondary shut down Lamar Jackson. They are starting to round into form and made the adjustments needed to slow down the Ravens offense.

The offense started slowly and still is a work in progress. Mason Rudolph was playing well when he took a vicious hit from Earl Thomas. The offensive line provided great protection and both Rudolph and Devlin Hodges had time to throw, they passed for a combined 192 yards. The bad news is the receivers didn’t really play well, with Vance McDonald and James Washington leaving the game early with injuries. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team in catches and yards but he made the biggest mistake of the game, that cost the Steelers the victory.

The running game still is not on track despite some improvement. James Conner had only 55 yards on the ground and Jaylen Samuels was a non-factor this week in the running game.

The Special teams is also a mixed bag. The kicking game is playing well. Chris Boswell has been solid and hopefully last year is in the rearview mirror. Jordan Berry had a terrific punt that pinned the Ravens at the one. The return game is a disaster and cost the Steelers points. Ryan Switzer and Johnny Holton were both ineffective.

The referees were horrible again and way to involved in the game. They made horrible calls for both sides and had a direct effect on the outcome of the game. It was hard to watch and both sides had legitimate gripes with the refs.

The Steelers coaching staff is going to get creamed this week in the press. However, they did a very good job making in game adjustments and if everyone executed, they would have pulled out the game. But they didn’t and now the Steelers season is hanging on by a thread.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Vince Williams, he makes a big difference in the running game and it was apparent, once he came in the game, the Ravens lost momentum. He led the team in tackles and had one sack Also Considered: The Duck, Devlin Hodges, he did enough for the Steelers to win the game and deserved a better fate.

Where I watched the game: Back at home! Ridiculous snacks, Buffalo Chicken Bread and Teriyaki Bomb Bread, made by KGB. The Beer of choice was leftover Corona Light. Only had one of the Tailgate kids with us, D-Man who had a Diet-Stewarts Root Beer!

My Stat of the week: 138 Yards Rushing by the Ravens, the defense needs to be better, but the Ravens were averaging over 200 yards a game and they could only muster 58 yards in the second half. The Ravens scored 17 points on their first three possessions. (One of which they started in the Red Zone) They scored

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are a Jekyll and Hyde team; they clearly have what you need to win. But they make so many key mistakes at terrible times. The Chargers are tough, and the Steelers always struggle on the West Coast. It is hard to see a Steelers victory, especially without Mason Rudolph

This week’s Jersey: Jack Ham, #59, the 30’s Throwback (The Bumblebee) one of the priests from my church thought it was prison shirt!

With a stout defense and a diverse offense, the Steelers dominated  the Bengals…

BLOG WILL BE DELAYED…

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Mason Rudolph, he had his first win and he threw two touchdowns and passed for 229 yards Also Considered: Diontae Johnson who has a knack for big plays and Jaylen Samuels who was outstanding in the wildcat.

Where I watched the game: At Buckley’s in my hometown! It was my second “road game” of the year and the Steelers delivered. KGB got all my friends down and my family. We watched the Steelers pound the Bengals into mulch! Beer of choice was Miller Lite and snuck a few Fireball shots in there for my birthday! The wings were outstanding as usual and we had potato skins too!

My Stat of the week: 3-3 and 109.7 Jaylen Samuels Passing line, that is not a typo, great job again running the wildcat!

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers can climb right back in the division with a win over the Ravens. It will be a tough test but also the measuring stick on how this season will go. The Steelers should pull out a close win.

This week’s Jersey: T.J. Watt #90, Home Black.