On Friday of last week it was Christmas, the Steelers were the most feared team in football and all seemed right in the world. Then Sunday came and a season of great promise came crashing down around us. The Steelers tanked in Baltimore and threw their playoff hopes into disarray. Now Sunday in Cleveland is a must win and the Steelers need a Bills victory against the surging NY Jets. This loss against an extremely beatable Ravens team sent the Steelers from “The Team Nobody wants to play,” to the “Team that no one will have to play!”
The Steelers decided to pound the football and pound it they did running all over the Ravens and keeping them on their heels, that was the only good news of the day. The passing game never clicked and then the Steelers had way too many mistakes to overcome. Ben Roethlisberger looked lost all day, he was tentative and threw two killer interceptions and nearly threw a third which was a 106 yard pick six that was luckily negated by a Raven penalty. On top of that the Steelers were jobbed on an Antonio Brown touchdown which for whatever reason doesn’t count anymore in this years NFL. Add that up and you have your formula for an upset.
No one is more supportive than Beer We Go when it comes to Coach Tomlin. But here comes the however, I am very comfortable with the decision to run first and to leave points on the board by going for it on Fourth Down. He believes in the team and up to that point they ran all over the Ravens. What my issue is though, how many times have we heard this before. The Steelers losing to an inferior team who has double digit losses. To add insult to injury, the Steelers lose to what? A fourth string Quarterback, Ryan Mallet of “I over sleep and lose my job in the NFL fame!” Mallet comes off the STREET forget the bench and beats the Steelers. There is no excuse for that and everyone should be embarrassed.
The Steelers didn’t play bad which you could write off as a tough week. They played mediocre, which is worst because they looked like they were going through the motions. If one unit would have stepped up then this would be a different story. But everyone played poorly or put in D+ work, most weeks against double digit loss teams you can survive if half your units play like that, not when they ALL play like that.
I still believe in this team. But let me tell you something, I don’t see this ending well. The Jets are out for revenge against Rex Ryan and his team has all but quit on him. Cleveland would love to knock the Steelers out of the playoffs. We put ourselves in this mess, now we have to hope we survive it.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: DeAngelo Williams, who was literally the lone bright spot of the day! I considered skunking the Steelers this week but a guy grinds out 100 yards he deserves something. Also Considered: NO ONE ELSE!
Where I watched the game: This is a tricky question. We started at Buckley’s my local pub and the food and the service were of course lights out! Jason the bartender was awesome and Josh the chef was great. We had Teriyaki Bomb Wings (WHICH ARE AMAZING) and Chicken Nachos. KGB and I drank Sam Winter which was great. I even sucked down a Miller Lite for luck! But there were way to many obnoxious Jet fans and I stormed out at half time. We finished with the Tailgate Kids at the house who were happy we were home but just as angry and upset as we were at how badly the Steelers played. KGB is still pissed at me…and again I go to the always ready defense. “BUT BABE IT’S THE RAVENS!!”
My Stat of the week: 40%! What does 40% represent you ask? It represents the percentage of wins the Steelers make up of the Ravens victories this season. The Ravens are a woeful 5-10 and the Steelers are two of the five wins. That is a disgraceful stat. With two victories and keep in mind we blew the first game, after winning it like three times, we would be battling for the division and a first round bye, even with a split we are talking about going to the Playoffs and we would still be in the division race. Now that is officially over and the playoffs are in serious jeopardy.
My thoughts on Next Week: The Browns are not a walk in the park and the idea of knocking the Steelers out of the playoffs has to make this their Super Bowl. That being said, their is no way Coach Tomlin will let them sneak up on the Steelers, and look for the Steelers to put a massive whipping on them. I am talking “Biblical points” scored. We need to Rex Ryan “Big Mouth Magic” as well Sunday, so keep your fingers crossed!