The Steelers out muscled the Seahawks in a win that was a testament to their resilience and opportunistic play and after three years of slumber the offense finally looks like it is waking up.
The coaching staff deserves a lot of credit here. Mike Tomlin clearly had an aggressive game plan, and it set the tone. The Steelers went for it on fourth down three times and converted twice. They didn’t shy away after missing on their first attempt. Tomlin stayed aggressive turning Mason Rudolph loose and his faith paid off. The defense is banged up right now and the offense has stepped up these last two weeks.
Mason Rudolph is making a major case to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback in 2024 and it begs the question why he didn’t get a better and longer look until now. He has absolutely delivered and made some of the biggest throws of the season. It is not an understatement to say that he saved the season. Rudolph finished 18 for 24 for 274 yards with no touchdowns. He also did a great job on the sneak play, something that the Steelers have been missing for years.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren absolutely hammered the Seahawks front seven and controlled the line of scrimmage. Harris had two touchdowns and could have scored a third. Warren plays so much bigger than he is and has been a tough performer all season, he had one touchdown on an 18-yard carry, he also pulled in four catches.
You do not run that well without a strong performance by the offensive line. Broderick Jones had a highlight day and was handing out pancakes all over the field. Behind the line the Steelers finished with 202 rushing yards, second only to the 205 yards they grinded out against the Packers game in Pittsburgh.
George Pickens had another big day, and his media troubles seem to be in the rearview mirror. He finished with seven catches for 131 yards including a highlight reel catch, a 34-yarder early in the fourth quarter, that will be on the NFL highlight reel this season. Diontae Johnson had four catches for 76 yards. Pat Freiermuth contributed with 44 receiving yards on three catches.
Nick Herbig had arguably the biggest play of the day getting his strip sack midway through the fourth quarter. That turnover gave the Steelers the ball deep in Seattle territory and let them build their lead to 10. Myles Jack once again had a very good day with eight tackles in the game filling in for an injured Elandon Roberts. Cam Heyward had a batted down pass and played well, setting the point of attack.
The secondary struggled but made plays when they needed to. Patrick Peterson did a nice job playing safety. Eric Rowe did a solid job and led the team in tackles with 10. He was a nice mid-season pickup. Joey Porter Jr. hung tough against DK Metcalf.
Chris Boswell made all three of his field goal attempts. He is now 28 for 30 on the season. Pressley Harvin III only had to punt once and he banged a 46-yarder inside the 20.
After a disastrous start of the month, the Steelers recovered and worked their way back to playoff contention.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Najee Harris AND Jaylen Warren who both absolutely stomped the Seahawks defense, for a whopping 197 yards between them. The best run though was the one Najee didn’t make, sliding before the goal line and sealing the victory. Also Considered: Mason Rudolph who has brought the offense back to life.
Beer of the Game: We went to an Irish Pub to watch the game and celebrate the ball dropping in Dublin. I had Guinness and KGB had Smithwicks. Both are our favorites.
“Steel the Snacks”: We didn’t steel the snacks this week again. We did go with wings, onion ring, appetizers, and corned beef sandwiches at the pub!
My Stat of the week: It is now 17 season that Mike Tomlin, has not had a losing season. The media downplays this and for whatever reason the fan base hates the stat, but there is something to be said about the fact that the Steelers are in contention the last week of the year with the number of injuries they are battling and the horrible start the offense had this season. ALSO, The Steelers have scored 30 points in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season and the first time since 2018 when they did it week 2 and 3.
My thoughts on next week: It is Raven’s week! Funny thing about this, the Ravens are in great shape after pulverizing two of the NFL’s best teams in consecutive weeks. They are likely to play only backups and that scares me more than if they went with their varsity. (I still hate Cody Carlson) Don’t think for one second that Baltimore wouldn’t love to send the Steelers home this week!
Jersey of the Week: Joey Porter #55, Away Jersey. I guess technically this is a throwback, but when I bought it, it was new. Chose this one in conjunction with D-Man wearing his Joey Porter Jr. jersey!