Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers were routed by the Chiefs.

The Steelers’ recent struggles have been exacerbated by untimely turnovers and a glaring inability to start games effectively. Russell Wilson, despite flashes of mobility, continues to make costly mistakes, including a crucial interception in the end zone against the Chiefs. This penchant for turnovers is a major concern for a team that cannot afford to lose the battle for possession against top-tier opponents.

The Steelers’ offensive woes are further compounded by their persistent inability to score on opening drives. This season-long trend demands a drastic shift in strategy. Jaylen Warren, with his explosive speed and proven effectiveness, should be the primary back moving forward. Limiting Najee Harris’s snaps to a supporting role is crucial for maximizing the offense’s potential.

While George Pickens’s return provided a spark, the overall passing game lacked consistency. The offensive line, a recurring issue, crumbled under consistent pressure from the Chiefs. Dan Moore Jr.’s struggles at left tackle have resurfaced, and the entire unit requires significant improvement.

The defense, while showing flashes of resilience, failed to contain Patrick Mahomes. The lack of consistent pressure on the quarterback proved to be a decisive factor. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, the team’s premier pass rushers, have been noticeably less impactful in recent weeks.

With the pass rush disappearing, the secondary continues to be plagued by blown coverages, allowing opposing tight ends to exploit glaring weaknesses in the scheme. Minkah Fitzpatrick and the rest of the defensive backfield must improve their communication and execution to prevent these recurring lapses.

Special teams also contributed to the team’s woes. Cordarrelle Patterson’s diminishing speed and effectiveness as a kick returner needs to be reviewed. Corliss Waitman bounced back and had an effective performance.

Finally, head coach Mike Tomlin’s game-day decisions and the team’s slow starts are cause for serious concern. The constant shuffling of personnel on offense disrupts rhythm and hinders the team’s ability to establish a consistent identity. Defensively, the recurring communication breakdowns and missed assignments point to fundamental coaching issues.

The Steelers face a critical juncture in their season. Addressing these issues – turnovers, offensive line woes, defensive breakdowns, and slow starts – is paramount if they hope to contend in the playoffs.

BEER WE GO, STEELERS BEER WE GO.

My “GAME BEER” goes to: No one jumps out again. It was that bad of a game. Also Considered: ALSO NO ONE

Beer of the Game: I went with Budweiser, YUP straight Budweiser, once again in honor of Christmas. KGB was drinking wine and making the majority of the food.

“Steel the Snacks”: We did a Prime Rib, which is a KC staple, but truthfully this was more about Christmas than the Steelers.

My stat of the week: The Steelers have been outscored 30-3 in the first quarter during this three-game losing streak. This team is not really equipped to play from behind.

My thoughts on next week: The Steelers will finally have a few days to recover and hopefully have the full team back for the finale against the always dangerous Bengals.

Jersey of the Week:  NO Jersey, rocked the Steelers Holiday Sweater in honor of Christmas

The Steelers missed several opportunities, losing to the Ravens, and in the end it cost them a chance to win the Division and put the Ravens away.

The Steelers’ hopes for an AFC North title took a significant hit in a frustrating loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers missed several opportunities to capitalize on turnovers, failing to recover crucial fumbles throughout the game, while Baltimore landed on every Steelers turnover.

Coach Tomlin was coaching to win and went for a gutsy fourth-and-six gamble from deep in Ravens territory. With the defense struggling all day Coach Tomlin trusted his offense over the struggling defense. They ultimately surrendered 418 total yards, highlighting their vulnerability against both the run and the pass.

The Steelers’ offense, while showing flashes of improvement under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith all season, was plagued by crucial mistakes. Russell Wilson, despite a very solid passing performance with 22 completions for 217 yards and two touchdowns, committed two costly turnovers. His ill-advised scramble in the second quarter, culminating in a strip-sack at the Ravens’ three-yard line, derailed a promising drive and allowed Baltimore to seize momentum with a 96-yard touchdown march. Later, a Wilson interception returned for a touchdown by Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey effectively sealed the Steelers’ fate, extending the Ravens’ lead to 31-17.

The Steelers’ found room to run and the ground game showed some promise, with Jaylen Warren leading the way with 92 yards from scrimmage. However, the lack of consistent rushing volume hindered their ability to control the clock and wear down the Ravens’ defense.

Once again, the absence of wide receiver George Pickens continued to impact the passing game, limiting the Steelers’ ability to create explosive plays. While Calvin Austin III showed some flashes of brilliance, the offense lacked the consistent big-play threat that Pickens provides.

The Steelers’ offensive line struggled to protect Wilson, allowing three sacks and consistent pressure throughout the game. Their inability to effectively handle interior blitzes proved costly, hindering Wilson’s timing and rhythm. Despite these challenges, the Steelers managed a respectable 5.3 yards per carry on the ground, a positive sign against a formidable Ravens front seven.

Defensively, the Steelers were overwhelmed by the Ravens’ rushing attack, surrendering a season-high 220 yards on the ground. Derrick Henry, the league’s leading rusher, carved through the Steelers’ front with relative ease, accumulating 162 yards on 24 carries. The absence of defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi further weakened the Steelers’ interior defense, leaving them vulnerable to Henry’s powerful runs.

The Steelers’ pass rush was non-existent, T.J. Watt, was largely ineffective. Watt, playing with a sprained ankle, was unable to generate consistent pressure on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Steelers’ secondary, already depleted by injuries to key players like Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott, suffered another blow with the loss of Joey Porter Jr. early in the game. This further exposed the Steelers’ defensive backfield, allowing Jackson to exploit their coverage lapses with several big passing plays.

Special teams also played a role in the Steelers’ downfall. Chris Boswell chose the worst time of the year to have his biggest miscue of the season. The usually reliable kicker, sailed a kickoff out of bounds in the third quarter, gifting the Ravens excellent field position and setting the stage for another Baltimore touchdown.

The loss to the Ravens dealt a significant blow to the Steelers’ division title aspiration. They now face a critical stretch of games, needing to address their defensive deficiencies and find ways to generate more explosive plays on offense to keep their postseason hopes alive.

BEER WE GO, STEELERS BEER WE GO.

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Jaylen Warren, the guy plays like a bowling ball, and he gave the Ravens all they could handle between his 5 catches and 12 carries.  Also Considered: Calvin Austin III who is becoming a deep threat.

Beer of the Game: I finished off the Yuengling Flight, KGB again went with Harpoon Holiday Ale, both seem to have had their luck run out.

“Steel the Snacks”: We went with Maryland Crab Cakes that were outstanding. KGB made them homemade and put them together. One of my favorite snacks that we have had.

My stat of the week: Steelers forced three fumbles and had a big interception and scored zero points. The Ravens had two turnovers and score 14 points, that was a huge back breaker, and the Steelers could not recover.

My thoughts on next week: AS in two days from now. The Steelers will play on Christmas Day v. the champs. They need a near flawless performance and need to play much tighter than they did versus the Ravens.

Jersey of the Week:  Franco Harris, #32 Hall of Fame edition. It had been two years to the day since we lost Franco. Wanted to honor him.

The Steelers started slow and never really got it going against the Eagles, falling 27-13. The Steelers didn’t capitalize on opportunities and couldn’t get the offense or defense in synch.

It was Russell Wilson’s worst game as a Steeler and he struggled mightily against the Eagles, completing just 14 passes for 128 yards. Penalties consistently backed the Steelers into long-yardage situations, hindering any offensive rhythm. Wilson failed to make the big plays needed to ignite the offense.

The entire rushing attack was largely ineffective finishing with 17 rushed for 56 yards. Najee Harris’s struggled and had a very costly fumble on a crucial drive, that all but ended the game. Jaylen Warren and Cordarelle Patterson was also ineffective.

The absence of the mercurial George Pickens was hard to overcome and severely impacted the passing game. Calvin Austin III led receivers with 5 catches for 65 yards. Where is Mike Williams? He was acquired via trade and remains completely underutilized. Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers’ most reliable target, needs to be more heavily involved in the offense.

The offensive line also had their worst performance of the season and struggled mightily, allowing constant pressure on Wilson and failing to open holes for the running game. Dan Moore Jr. and Zach Frazier committed costly penalties that derailed drives. The Eagles’ dominant front seven exposed the line’s deficiencies.

Defensively, T.J. Watt was a bright spot before his injury, recording two sacks. Alex Highsmith also played well. However, the interior of the defensive line struggled to generate pressure on Jalen Hurts. Cam Heyward had five tackles but was the lone bright spot on the defensive line. Patrick Queen led the team in tackles but missed crucial tackles. Payton Wilson played well.

The secondary struggled to contain A.J. Brown, who exploited miscommunications within the defense. Joey Porter Jr. had a costly dropped interception.

Special teams had another week of mixed results. Mark Robinson recovered a fumble, but the offense failed to capitalize. Corliss Waitman’s struggled and was inconsistent.

Coach Mike Tomlin’s once again botched the clock at the end of the first half  and cost the Steelers valuable scoring opportunities.

This was a microcosm of what the national media has been saying all-season. The loss highlighted the Steelers’ numerous challenges, including a struggling offense, a porous offensive line, with serious defensive lapses.

MORE TO COME

BEER WE GO, STEELERS BEER WE GO.

My “GAME BEER” goes to:  NO ONE, that’s how bad this loss was.  Also Considered: Mark Robinson forced a fumble, but that was about the only bright spot in the game.

Beer of the Game: I went with Modelo again, was going to go with Sam Winter Lager but could not find it anywhere. Looks like Cold Snap is out now. KGB went with wine.

“Steel the Snacks”: We went with a Philly Cheesesteak bar, easily our best snack of the year! KGB crushed it and even served Wiz and hot peppers.

My stat of the week: Steelers have NOT won in Philadelphia since 1965. I had a good feeling about this game, but it was not to be.

My thoughts on next week: The Steelers could wrap up the division with a big win v. the Ravens. They have had the hot hand and Baltimore will be looking to slow them down and avenge their last loss. Look for the typical Baltimore fist fight. Keep in mind, once again the schedule makers, have the Steelers on a short week AFTER playing the Ravens. Not a favor for either team.

Jersey of the Week:  Merril Hoge, #33 Away White. One of the unsung fan favorites of the Steelers.

The Steelers started slow then revved the engine and helped eliminate the Browns officially from the playoffs with a 27-14 victory Sunday. There was nothing spectacular but when the Steelers needed to make plays, they did.

The offense was slow to get out of the gate. Russell Wilson eventually got it going showcasing his efficiency, completing 15 passes to nine different receivers, leading the Steelers to victory despite the absence of star wideout George Pickens.

The offense initially struggled, with three three-and-outs in the first half and Wilson managing just 46 passing yards. However, he ignited in the second half, culminating in 158 yards. The opening drive of the second half epitomized his resurgence, as he went 4-for-5 for 46 yards, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson.

While not his most prolific performance, Wilson maintained a 101.1 quarterback rating, marking his fifth game out of seven starts with a rating exceeding 100.

While lacking in explosive plays beyond an early 20-yard run by Najee Harris, the ground game effectively churned out yards, accumulating 120 rushing yards by game’s end. Harris led the charge with 53 yards and a touchdown, while Jaylen Warren contributed 47 yards on nine carries.

Ten days after surrendering three sacks to Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in Cleveland, Dan Moore Jr. provided significantly better protection for Russell Wilson, limiting Garrett’s impact for most of the game. While Garrett did record the Browns’ lone sack, it occurred late in the game and had little consequence. He was a non-factor throughout the contest.

Steelers’ Keanu Benton had his first career pick, intercepting a screen pass and returning it for a significant gain, it set up a Steelers’ touchdown.  Defensive anchor Cam Heyward continued his dominant season, adding two more sacks to his impressive tally (now at eight).

Alex Highsmith returned to the lineup after his injury absence and recorded a sack. The Steelers rotated three outside linebackers extensively. T.J. Watt contributed four tackles and two quarterback hurries. Patrick Queen led the linebackers with10 tackles and a pass breakup, while Elandon Roberts’ crucial fourth-down tackle for a five-yard loss near midfield in the third quarter set the Steelers up for victory.

It was a nice bounce back week for Joey Porter Jr. who limited Jerry Jeudy under 100 yards passing.

Special teams coverage units were leaky again. But the kicking game is arguably the best in the NFL. Chris Boswell continues to solidify his status as the NFL’s premier kicker. Against the Browns, he extended his impressive season, adding two more field goals to his tally, bringing his season record to 36 of 39. His 54-yarder late in the second quarter proved crucial, giving the Steelers a 13-7 lead heading into halftime.

Beyond Boswell’s excellence, Corliss Waitman once again put together a big game. He averaged an impressive 53.2 yards per punt, pinning the Browns deep. His booming punt late in the game forced a Kadarius Toney fumble, which was recovered by soon to be folk hero Ben Skowronek, marking Skowronek’s second fumble recovery of the season.

The Steelers avenged their controversial loss.

BEER WE GO, STEELERS BEER WE GO.

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Anyone who follows this blog, knew this was going to Keeanu Benton for his interception. When the big boys get the football, they get the beer of the game. Also Considered: Joey Porter Jr. and Dan Moore Jr. had redemption games. Both gave up one play then stifled the Browns.

Beer of the Game: RUN IT BACK I went with Yuengling Flight, which is awesome and light. KGB went with Harpoon Holiday Ale, the very full-bodied winter beer again.

“Steel the Snacks”: No Steel the snacks last week. We usually don’t repeat snacks for divisional games and the jerky schedule put the Browns in town just ten days since the Steelers last saw them. KGB went with a Mortadella Sandwich and left over brick oven white pizza with meatballs.

My stat of the week:  Two weeks ago, I used ZERO as the stat, the number of times Mike Tomlin has won a Thursday division road game. Today we also use Zero as in the number of times the Steelers have lost to the Browns in Pittsburgh during the regular season on Coach Tomlin. Steelers have dominated since Tomlin took over as coach at home. The Browns got a bunch of “help” Thursday. The Steelers weren’t going to leave this one in doubt.

My thoughts on next week: “The Battle of Pennsylvania” as the Steelers head to their interstate rivals in Philadelphia. Most important thing here is to make sure no one gets injured, and this could put the NFL on notice that the Steelers success is not a fluke. Consider the Eagles manhandled the Eagles.

Jersey of the Week:  L.C. Greenwood, #68 1933 Throwback Jersey, L.C. deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Steelers outdueled the Bengals 44-38.

It was an old-fashioned shootout with one of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL getting outdueled by a legendary gun slinger! The Steelers beat Joe Burrow and the Bengals, 44-38 behind the herculean effort of Russell Wilson.

With his 36^th birthday not far in the rearview mirror, Russell Wilson put on a vintage performance from his glory days as a Super Bowl Champ. He absolutely torched the Bengals secondary and put-up monster numbers. Wilson finished with 414 yards, three touchdowns and one non-sensical interception, that the refs completely missed pass interference on. It was the most yards by a Steelers quarterback in four years and the most points since 2018.

Speaking of vintage performances, Cam Heyward had his best game of the season as well, which is saying something. Heyward dominated up front and set the point of attack. He had five tackles, one of which leveled Chase Brown, he sacked Burrow and deflected a pass that was picked off by Donte Jackson. The Bengals had one drive where they did the majority of their running after that it was all over for the running game.

T.J. Watt broke his “dry-spell” he had two sacks and three tackles all for a loss. He added a strip sack that changed the momentum of the game. He was held all game and battled through. Nick Herbig had a strip sack in the fourth quarter and dominated Orlando Brown Jr., the refs again missed several penalties on Brown Jr. who should have been flagged for several false starts, CBS even highlighted the missed calls especially on one of the Bengals scoring drives.

Patrick Queen had a very good game, except for one series, he finished with nine tackles. DeShon Elliot led the team with 11 tackles. Joey Porter Jr. had a touch day and was flagged four times.

The offense had all the answers on Sunday. Wilson’s dominant performance was powered by spreading the ball around. Antonio Brown Jr…. sorry must have been an AI typo, George Pickens had a monster game and continues to do silly and immature things. He dropped a ball on a Bengals player after a first down that cost the Steelers 15 yards and he pretended to shoot off a gun, another 15-yard penalty after another first down that put the Steelers inside the red zone. He was lucky he didn’t get sent out of the game. Pickens finished with three catches and 74 yards with a touchdown. Pat Freiermuth added touchdown and Arthur Smith is starting to find ways to get him more involved in the game. Calvin Austin III torched the Bengals secondary and unfortunately left the game with concussion like symptoms, that was also missed by the refs. How about Ben Skowronek and Darnell Washington making plays and absolutely pushing the Bengals all over the field.

Najee Harris had solid workmanlike performance, rushing for 75 tough yards, and grabbing six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers finished the day with 110 yards including the game clinching seven yard run by Justin Fields.

The special teams’ coverages were lousy again, but the kicking game was solid as always. Chris Boswell had a field goal blocked but hit his three other chances and Corliss Waitman did an excellent job on his only punt opportunity, he pinned the Bengals on the 11.

The refs were horrible and inconsistent all game.

The coaching staff had the right game plan to beat the Bengals and it showed.

BEER WE GO, STEELERS BEER WE GO.

My “GAME BEER” goes to: This is a hard one to pick, going with Russell Wilson who threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns. Also Considered: Nick Herbig for another strip sack, Donte Jackson for the big interception. Cam Heyward who was absolutely a monster all game! His stats do not show it, but Ben Skowronek is going to become a Steelers fan favorite with his physical play.

Beer of the Game: Tried Yuengling Flight, very good beer and low in calories. KGB went with Harpoon Holiday Ale, a very full-bodied winter beer.

“Steel the Snacks”: KGB crushed this one. We went with Skyline Chili a Cincinnati staple over spaghetti. Putting Chili on spaghetti is sacrilegious to me but we went with. It was outstanding and of course the snacks worked their magic.

My stat of the week:  There are so many to choose from but one I think is important, last week I hit on Mike Tomlin’s lack of success on Thursday night road divisional games. Let us look at one of Coach Tomlin’s biggest triumphs, he has lost back-to-back road divisional games exactly one time in his entire illustrious career. Let that synch in for a minute. Also considered, the Steelers score 44 points, the most points since 2018! How about zero as in the amount of plays Trey Hendrickson the NFL sack leader made, where he was nearly “stoned” by Dan Moore, recording exactly one tackle. Lastly the Steelers-Bengals scored the most points combined this season in any NFL game. AFC North teams doing that has to surprise everyone. How about Russell Wilson hitting TEN different receivers?

My thoughts on next week: The Steelers will have their fourth straight divisional game, this week the Browns come to Pittsburgh. This is a revenge game, and the Steelers need to finish the Browns off this time after letting them off the hook just about two weeks ago.

Jersey of the Week:  Rod Woodson, #26 Home Black, this one has a very special meaning to me. My first Steelers jersey was my Dad’s Terry Bradshaw jersey. Rod was the first Steelers jersey I bought myself. (BTW this began the jersey curse) The pandemic ended our Turkey Bowl for good in 2020, this was always my turkey bowl jersey from 1995-2019.