The Steelers made too many mistakes and couldn’t overcome the loss of Le’Veon Bell dropping their playoff game to the hated Ravens. Two late Ben Roethlisberger interceptions sealed the Ravens victory.
The Steelers never seemed to be able to get on track. Roethlisberger struggled all game missing targets and he was terrorized by the Baltimore pass rush, getting sacked five times, including one which sent him from the game for a few plays.
Although the Steelers had the No. 2 offense in the NFL and No. 1 passing offense, they could only manage three Shaun Suisham field goals in the first half. They didn’t score their first touchdown until the fourth quarter. A VERY questionable holding call on Kelvin Beachum negated a Dri Archer Touchdown. Antonio Brown put up good numbers but was mostly held in check and even Heath Miller had a drop and a fumble.
Shamarko Thomas made two huge plays on Special Teams. One was terrible; he nailed Jacoby Jones about four yards out of bounds and gave the Ravens great field position after a 15 yards penalty. It look like the Steelers were about to get back into the game. He did make a great play blocking a punt that caused a safety.
The refs were way to involved and the game was terribly over officiated and the officiating was completely one way…towards the Ravens. But that certainly wasn’t the reason for their victory.
The Ravens deserve all the credit, they turned it over just once in a key spot, but never panicked. They scored on six of nine possessions and had an answer every time it seemed the Steelers were ready to grab momentum. It was a great effort by Joe Flacco who handled the Steelers defense.
This might also be the end of an era for the defense. James Harrison and Troy Polamalu most likely played their last games as Steelers. Harrison played well, he helped cause the Ravens fumble and was a step or two short of making a huge difference in the game. Polamalu made several nice plays and led the team in tackles.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am going with Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. Both made contributions in the game and both would make the All-Time Steelers roster if their careers ended last night. These guys are the epitome of what a Steeler should be. Also considered, Antonio Brown, no surprise there, how about Bruce Gradkowski who came off the bench and put together a huge conversion.
Where I watched the game: Buckley’s in Center Moriches, I watched with KGB and my buddy Jeff. We hung out with the two other Steelers fans there. The snacks of choice were Boneless Asian Wings, Corn Fritters and Cheeseburger Sliders. The beer of choice was Miller Lite, “old faithful” but it didn’t translate to a victory. The highlight of the night was a DJ was there, KGB had them play Renegade and the Steelers caused the Forsett fumble. I think we both missed watching with the kids!
My Stat of the week: The Steelers turned the ball over three times. There is no formula for success that includes three turnovers. That is simply not good enough
My thoughts on Next Week: I think everyone in Denver is smiling and everyone in New England is extremely worried. The Colts are an indoor team and a mediocre version of the Broncos. I don’t see how they have any chance in Denver. The Steelers would have most likely lost as well but would have whipped up on Peyton Manning. The Patriots would have killed the Colts also. The Ravens are one of the only teams that can walk into New England and honestly beat the Pats. Look for the Ravens to head to Denver for the AFC Championship in two weeks.
We will be posting the end of season report and end of season grades. Keep checking back