The Steelers put together their third win a row, beating the Arizona Cardinals. The formula for success is a tough defense and a timely offense and it has held up now for three weeks.
“Duck” Hodges outplayed 1st-Round pick Kyler Murray running a conservative offense without his two best playmakers again. Hodges finished with 152 Yards one touchdown and scrambled for 34 yards. He played mistake free football and when he needed to make a play he did it!
Diontae Johnson had the best game of his short career. He ran back an 85-Yard punt return that put the Steelers up by two scores. He also caught a touchdown on a quick 2- yard out route. He also reversed fields for fourteen yards and showed his play making ability. He also rushed for 16-yards on a reverse. It was a great day. Deon Cain made a tremendous catch when targeted and James Washington continues to be a big play threat.
The running game racked up 140 very tough yards. Benny Snell Jr. was the workhorse and made the tough yards, he grinded out 41 yards on some tough carries, he did have a very costly fumble. Kerrith Whyte has been a great find, he had the splash plays and flashed signs of brilliance with 41 yards also.
While the offense was sturdy, the defense was spectacular! The front seven contained Kyler Murray and forced three turnovers. There was never room to move and he never had time to set his feet and throw. Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt are becoming the best one-two punch in the league on the outside. They combined for a sack and interception and seven tackles! Cam Heyward’s stats will not show it, but he set the tone and was a force in the middle. The middle was solid with great performances by Vince Williams and Mark Barron. The Cardinals were held to just 71 yards on the ground and 165 net yards in the air!
That doesn’t happen without a tremendous performance by the secondary. Joe Haden continued his big game heroics. He had two interceptions including the game clincher. Minkah Fitzpatrick spied Murray and he never was able to get outside contain. Steve Nelson and Terrell Edmunds tied for the team lead in tackles.
The special teams was great…ahem… not counting some type of fake punt or something by Jordan Berry, which was a huge debacle. The coverage units were good. Little Bos’s comeback continues!
Great job by the Coaching who had the answers for Kyler Murray and didn’t get stuck in the classic Tomlin trap game! For the record Mike Tomlin will now be second behind Don Shula with the most consecutive non-losing seasons. Keep in mind that the Steelers are using an undrafted fourth string Quarterback and he has been without either of his best playmakers for almost a month, yet somehow the Steelers are in the playoff hunt!
The good news is, I watched the game film, so I didn’t see how bad the refs were!
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Diontae Johnson, who had a great bounce back game. It is a big game after a few weeks of mistake riddled performances. Also Considered: The outside linebacker duo of Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt are on fire right now. Joe Haden is having a Pro-Bowl caliber season and had the interception to seal the win.
Where I watched the game: Trick question this week. For the first time since 2006, I missed the majority of the game. We had a family party at a catering hall, I caught some of the game on the Sunday Ticket App and watched some of the play by play on Bleacher Report. I watched the game film this morning and got to review it. The Beer of choice was Peroni…yesterday! None this morning for the game film!
My Stat of the week: Thirteen seasons and Mike Tomlin has not had a losing record! The Steelers have a very good chance of returning to the playoffs and Coach Tomlin is a huge reason for that!
My Thoughts on next week: Going to be an old-fashioned defensive punch out! Every game has playoff implications. Look for a rough showdown and the Steelers out lasting the Bills!
This week’s Jersey: Mike Webster, #52, Home jersey, one of the greatest players of all time! God Bless Iron Mike!