Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers absolutely unloaded on the Tennessee Titans Thursday night. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns three of them to Antonio Brown. The patched up secondary had four interceptions and the front seven completely dominated the Titans running game.

The offensive game plan was about Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown and the Titans had no answer for either., Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 41 yards for a touchdown on the first series that set the tone. He engineered scoring drives of 75, 75 and 51 yards by completing 17 of 20 passes for 165 yards and three TDs on the first three possessions of the second half and pulled away from the Titans.

The defense had a big game, registering five sacks and holding the Titans running game to just 52 yards. The secondary put together a solid game with four interceptions including one by Coty Sensabaugh, who was filling in for the injured Joe Haden. Marcus Mariotta threw for 300 yards but he was never effective and he scored on a busted running play. The Titans running game never got on track, despite several missed tackles.

It was a great bounce back week for the Steelers coming off a terrible game in Indianapolis. The offensive game plan was changed to be more pass focused on the Steelers drop 40 points on a Dick LeBeau led defense which harassed Roethlisberger all day. It was a great victory in tough circumstances.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ben Roethlisberger, for showing that he still can get it done. He is now starting to kick it in gear! Also Considered: Antonio Brown, who had 10 catches for 144 yards! Mike Hilton and Coty Sensabaugh for each grabbing an interception!

Where I watched the game: Buckley’s for the first half with KGB! We had Wings and Buffalo Chicken‘Skins. Then my beloved Irish Pub turns into “amateur night” so we went across the street to Sea Cove, for the second half where we finished the game! KGB “won” the Steelers jersey giveaway #78 Villanueva! Beer of Choice was Miller Lite and Narraganset Lager. (If it is good enough for Captain Quint it’s good enough for you!)  KGB had Sam Winter and Harp!

My Stat of the week: Going with 4! Four Touchdowns thrown by Ben Roethlisberger and Four Interceptions by the Steelers rebuilt secondary! Both impressive, considering Ben was harassed all day by the Titans pass rush and the secondary was playing without Joe Haden.

My Thoughts on next week: Very interesting game, the Packers were walloped by the Rabirds at home…which is why this game scares me! Without Aaron Rogers this is a different team clearly. Look for a much tougher contest with the Steelers pulling it out.

This week’s Jersey: Because it was a Thursday Night Game I didn’t wear a jersey this week. Rocked a Steelers tie to work and of course Beer We Go 2017 Shirt to the Bar.

The Steelers recovered from a terrible start, rallied back from a 14-point deficit and were able to walk away with a victory against a game but mediocre Colt’s team. The game was about as bad as the Steelers can play and still pull out a victory.

The offensive approach was pretty straight forward with running Le’Veon Bell and the Colts were clearly prepared for it. They loaded up the box and he rarely found running room. Bell gutted out 80 yards rushing on 26 attempts, with 40 coming on 17 rushes in the second half, for the day he finished with a mediocre average of 3.1 yards per carry.

With the running game nearly shut down, the Steelers relied on Ben Roethlisberger. He completed four passes for 66 yards, including a huge play to Antonio Brown for 32 yards that cemented the victory on the last drive. He also converted a two-point conversion to Martavis Bryant to tie the game, despite having serious issues with the play calling from Todd Haley. After missing several throws in the first half, he finished with 236 yards and two touchdown passes spreading the ball around hitting six different receivers. Ju-Ju Smith-Schister had another big game with five catches for 97 yards with one of the TDs.

With a week pass rush in the first half, the Steelers secondary had a second rough week in a row.  Artie Burns had a tough game and Joe Haden was injured and will miss significant time. In the past four games the Steelers have allowed completions of 43, 44, 57, 60 and 61 yards. This is beginning to become an area of concern.

The Special teams once again reared its ugly head. A delay of game penalty on the two-point conversion moved the Steelers back, they had to go for two, because they had an extra point block, which Jesse JAMES They also had two successive holding calls on a Jordan Berry punt, which cost over 20 yards. “Little Bos” missed a Field Goal and had an extra point blocked. It was another disastrous day for special teams.

In the end the Steelers played terrible, but a win is a win and they are now at 7-2!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ben Roethlisberger, who after an awful first half rallied and led a great comeback! Also Considered: Vance McDonald who had his first Steelers TD.

Where I watched the game: Back at the house for basically the last 1:00PM game of the season! We had pot stickers as the game snack and I could never find the “right” beer for the game. Went from Shock Top Pumpkin to Corona Light, to Natural Ice of all things! Only had to be warned once on my behavior, despite the game being awful. We had a great fire and KGB finished with Stuffed Peppers for dinner! It was a great way to spend our last 1PM game.

My Stat of the week: This is sort of game related, 15 as in 15 losses to teams with a massive 28-93 sub .500 record since 2009. Despite playing the team with the worst defense in football, the Steelers nearly were shutout in the first half? The Colts nearly pulled the upset. This has been the one TERRIBLE mark against Mike Tomlin’s career.

My Thoughts on next week: Extremely fast turnaround as the Steelers play the Titans on Thursday Night football. The Steelers lost the last meeting on Thursday night football as Bill and I went to the game. I think the Steelers play it close but win the game.

This week’s Jersey: Franco Harris, #32, Salute to Service which I wore in honor of Veterans Day!

Because of the Bye Week, this is literally the half way point in the season!

What has gone right? 

The Steelers sit atop the division and are tied for the best record in the AFC, with the interesting thing being, they haven’t played their best football yet! They also have a commanding division lead over the Bengals and the Ravens.

Antonio Brown is a legitimate superstar and has cemented his reputation as a big game player! T.J. Watt has been fun when healthy. Le’Veon Bell continues to get better after a lethargic start. Who doesn’t love Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster?

The pass defense has been excellent with great coverage provided by Joe Haden and a still developing Artie Burns. Sean Davis continues to develop. It doesn’t hurt having a great pass rush, provided by T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree.

Despite having the best record, it was a rough beginning of the season.

What has gone wrong?

Ben Roethlisberger has not played good football. While he tends to always have a meltdown game or two, this season he has not looked good, the Steelers are winning in spite of his play. He usually gives the Steelers a chance to win every week, this season he has struggled.

The offense has not clicked despite an excess of talent. The 30 points a game goal seems like a distant memory as they have not achieved it all season. Martavis Bryant went from being a HUGE weapon to a huge distraction. What happened to Eli Rogers? He has been terrible. Who is calling some of these plays? The offensive line has been without Marcus Gilbert almost the whole season.

Stop me if you have read this before, the Steelers lose to an inferior opponent on the road. They were gashed in Chicago by an under manned Bears team, easily. The Steelers run defense is leaky. While the stats don’t tell the story and the main stream media is making it worse than it is, it is a cause for concern. Getting gashed in Chicago and getting beat up by the Jaguars was scary.

I always try and keep this about football, but the Steelers completely botched the National Anthem protest in Chicago and then botched it even further trying to explain it away.

WHERE IS DEEBO?

Reasons for Concern: The run defense is a little soft and this team isn’t going anywhere unless Ben Roethlisberger takes them there.

Offensive Game Beer: It has to be Antonio Brown again, he is such a huge factor for the Steelers offense and he has been awesome.

Defensive Game Beer: T.J. Watt, who has shown flashes of brilliance and is second on the team in sacks.

Disappointment of the first half: Eli Rogers, has completely disappeared and Martavis Bryant has been a complete jerk. Both need to step it up.

 Most Improved: I am going with Sean Davis who is anchoring the secondary.

GRADES:

QB: C+, Big Ben has not played well this season. He seems to have lost his feel. Still believe in Big Ben!

RB: B-, Le’Veon Bell is an outstanding back who really needed camp. He had a tough start but is starting to break out. James Conner is stepping up his game and continues to develop.

WR: B+, This crew is still the best in the league but had a rough start, they have a superstar in Antonio Brown, who is a game changer and they have a great rookie in Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster who has stepped up but they have gotten little production from anyone else. Martavis can still be a big play threat.

TE: C+, The Steelers haven’t gotten the production out of Vance McDonald that was expected. Jesse James is productive if unspectacular and Xavier Grimble is a good blocker.

OL: B+, This could have easily been an A, but they need to bully more teams on the run. The pass protection has been very solid. Once Gilbert gets back this will be the best unit in the league.

DL: B-, The Bears Game and the Jaguars game were dark spots. They need to put Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave and Steelhead Heyward on the field and this will be a unit that is hard to beat. Tyson Alualu has done a nice job in Tuitt’s absence.

LB: B+, T.J Watt and Bud Dupree have both played well. Anthony Chickillo has been good when called upon. Vince Williams has been very good and Ryan Shazier is one of the best LBs in football. Where is James Harrison? Harrison should see more time in the second half.

DBs: B+, The Secondary has answered many questions in the first half. Joe Haden was a terrific addition, Artie Burns is developing nicely as is Sean Davis. William Gay and Mike Mitchell have been solid veterans. J.J. Wilcox and Robert Golden have been capable backups.

Specials: B, Little Bos has been terrific all season. Jordan Berry has struggled this year. Tyler Matakevich has been great on special teams as has Robert Golden. The return game is still a work in progress.

Coaching: B, The coaches are doing okay but the offense is an enigma right now. The record and where they are in the standings is why this is a B. They have not played great football. This team can clearly be better.

What does part two look like: The Steelers have the division well within sight and a first-round bye is well within reach if they can stay strong. They need to get Ben back on track and get the offensive line healthy again. They also need to not lose focus. This team has the opportunity to win anywhere from 11 to 13 games if they can stay focused and beat beatable teams. Most likely the Steelers should go 6-2 down the stretch putting them at 12-4, which would win the division by a mile and setup a first-round bye.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

The Steelers bent but never broke beating the Detroit Lions 20-15. Despite giving up 482 yards, the Steelers defense kept the Lions out of the End Zone and came up with the plays when needed to generate the win! The offense had a Steelers record setting play and despite a sloppy performance were able to put up enough points for the win.

The pass defense which has been air tight all season, was leaky all night. Matthew Stafford had eight completions of 23 Yards or longer. He finished with 423 yards passing with Marvin Jones Jr., T.J. Jones and Golden Tate doing most of the damage. Sean Davis made some big plays breaking up a big pass in the End Zone and stopping a third down conversion. Artie Burns led the team in tackles. They did have a big bounce back, as the Steelers rushed only three on the last series and provided solid coverage for the win.

The pass rush was non-existent last night. Stafford dropped back 45 times but only hit the deck twice. The only sacks came from Steelhead Heyward and Tyson Alualu as Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt were shutout against a banged up Lions line. Where was Deebo? With a struggling pass rush how come James Harrison was sitting on the bench? The front seven strangled the Lions running game, with the longest run coming on a busted play by Matthew Stafford.

The Lions game plan was to bottle up Le’Veon Bell, and they did a fairly good job, but the Steelers absolutely torched them in the passing game, despite Ben Roethlisberger continuing to be an enigma. He struggled at times and missed some wide open receivers. But he also had completions of 32, 40 and 41 yards and he dropped in a perfect pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster for 97 yards for a NEW Steelers record. He had plenty of time in the pocket as there was no pressure despite playing with third string tackle Matt Feiler filling in on the last series. Eli Rogers continues to seem lost, he didn’t help his case dropping a sure touchdown in the End Zone. Jesse James had two big catches and almost had his head knocked off. Antonio Brown was Antonio Brown putting together five clutch catches and a workman like 70 yards.

With Martavis being inactive because of his nonsense, Smith-Schuster stepped up in a big way. He finished with seven catches for a whopping 193 yards, a touchdown and he set the tone with the first catch of the game for 41 yards! He is now the record holder for the longest pass play in team history for 97 yards!

Little Bos continued his excellent season racking up two more field goals extending his streaks for 11 in a row. The Special teams did a great job containing the dangerous Jamal Agnew.

In the end the Steelers finished the first half exactly where they needed to; 6-2, first place and in command of the division!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: No brainer this week… JuJu Smith-Schuster. He now holds the longest reception in Steelers history, and there is an underlining theme here. He needed to have a big night after scurrilously being called about by Martavis Bryant and he delivered in a huge way.  Also Considered: Matt Feiler, OF COURSE, he did a solid job in his first action of the year!

Where I watched the game: KGB took mercy on me and stayed home with the Tailgate kids. I went to Buckley’s my local Irish Pub with my buddies, Mike, Mike, Jeff and Phil. In a twist of fate, the bartender John who is a friend as well was a Lions fan. He was a good sport about it. The bar lost its feed and we had to use an international feed, which substituted commercials with “A Football Life” clips, very cool to watch. Of course the challenge was getting texts from my buddy Bill and Janick ahead of the play! By the second half it worked out and we were back on track. The beer of choice was Miller Lite and we had four different kinds of wings!

My Stat of the week: Another no brainer, 97 yard reception by JuJu Smith-Schuster for the longest pass play in Steelers history. It tied the NFL record for a rookie and it broke Mike Wallace’s Steelers Record of 95 Yards.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers face the BYE week. Or as KGB calls it “Freedom Week”, next week we will post the mid season report!

This week’s Jersey: Le’Veon Bell, #26 Color Rush, which I wore to Saturday Mass and had received a compliment from Father John!

The Steelers beat the Bengals, taking a firm grasp on the North Division!

This Weeks Game Report is brought to Yinz By. “Little Miss Tailgate”

Beer We Go Trip! 

    This 2017 Pittsburgh trip was one of our best! We had a bumpy start to our long drive. We ended up leaving at 3:15 and not checking into our hotel until around 1 am. We stayed at the lovely Homewood Suites on Smallman St, in downtown Pittsburgh. On Saturday, we went too many different sights on Day one of the Pittsburgh trip. We first went to the Robinson Mall and went into the Total Sports Enterprise shop, which was cool. There were all kinds of photos, jerseys, clothing, keychains, etc.

We then went to our annual trip to the History Center and browsed through the various exhibits, such as, Charlie the Tuna Fish, The Penguins 50 years in Pittsburgh, and all the other various sports and historical exhibits. We all then went down to “The Strip” and shopped and my mom and i got matching shirts. We also went to Peppi’s for lunch and my mom and I had a the Santucci.

After shopping, we went to church at the Saint Stanislaus Church off the Strip district. After church we returned to the Strip for a few last minute items. The trip next took us to Point State Park and took some pictures of the sunset and the city late at night.

Dinner was next and we went to Primanti Bros on Market Square! I had Corned Beef and cheese. The dinner was great and a must for us every time we are in Pittsburgh. After we ate we went to the Milkshake Factory where I had a cookie dough fudge milkshake, which was very good! We went back to the hotel and hit the hay as we prepared for the big game tomorrow!  

On Sunday, we woke up had some hotel breakfast and got fired up for the game! We went to two awesome tailgates. We went to the Terrible Bra and Grille Tailgate and we met up with Captain Tailgate and we hung out at the tailgate throwing around the football and having something to eat!  

We then went to another tailgate with some friends my parents know in the Burgh until gametime. They had great music by DJ Ross and a Truck with a TV in it. We sat in section 523 with Captain Tailgate and our parents sat in section 524. We also sat in the front row and jammed out, cheered, and even taunted a few Bengal fans as well.  

Also during the third quarter Renegade came on and the crowd went crazy. We swung our terrible towels high and proud during those three minutes. After Renegade finished Bud Dupree made a terrific sack which backed the Bengals up and caused them to punt on fourth down.

During the second half we fake punted which most certainly worked in our favor. We hiked the ball to Rob Golden and he chucked it in the air to DHB for the first down. We also had numerous sacks throughout the whole game. We ended up winning that game 29-14, and it was a great one. After the game we had to say goodbye to Captain Tailgate and we waited for our Uber. We then went to Primanti’s again for dinner but this time I had the Pittsburgher which was delicious!  

Then we went back to the hotel and slept in preparation for the long drive on Monday morning.

    Overall this Pittsburgh trip was great and unforgettable and we had an awesome time. Until next time

Root Beer We Go,

• Little Miss Tailgate

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am going off script here and going with Roosevelt Nix. Nix absolutely creamed Vontaze Burfict and drove him crazy all game, with Burfict kicking him at one point. At the end of the game Burfict refused to shake hands. Also Considered: Le’Veon Bell for a terrific day. The Offensive line who grinded out the game and allowed no sacks.

Where I watched the game: At Heinz Field baby! Me, my beloved KGB, The Tailgate Kids and BWG President Tom Janicki! We hit two different Tailgates, one the BEER WE GO, HOME TAILGATE at the Terrible Bra and Grill, we then went to a wild tailgate with our friend Bridget Stalker! They had great music, food and terrific crowd.

My Stat of the week: Eight Different Receivers! Ben Roethlisberger hit eight different receivers and did a terrific job as he continues to get his season back on track.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers face an inferior road team with the BYE week in front of us. Stop me if you have heard this before. I think the Steelers break the streak!

This week’s Jersey: Joe Greene #75 Home Black, which is my “Gamer”!

The Steelers reached into the past and pulled out a familiar formula, a big day running the football, air tight defense and a little magic as they held on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 on Sunday. Le’Veon Bell ran for 179 yards and a touchdown, Antonio Brown made a magical touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and James Harrison capped off a great day by the defense.

The defense dominated  the Chiefs for 3 and 3/4 of the game holding Kansas City to minus-2 yards rushing in the first half and the Chiefs didn’t get a First Down until less than two minutes remained in the half. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt was a non-factor all day as he was held to less than 30 yards rushing. There was no room to run as the front seven crushed KC up front. Vince Williams had two of three of the Steelers sacks and had a great game until he was injured. The third sack belonged to James Harrison who was a factor in his limited time. His sack all but sealed the game as he roughed up Eric Fisher and dropped Alex Smith. Fisher also should have been called for holding on the only Touchdown KC had.

The pass defense was excellent minus one busted play of 57 yards and some poor tackling. Overall the defense held Alex Smith the top percentage passer in the league to 246 yards passing, however Smith was held to one first down and 23 yards passing in the first half and less than 100 yards after three quarters. He also was harassed all day by the Steelers four man rush.

The offense still continues to be a work in progress. They effectively ran the ball as the offensive line, playing without two starters, pushed Kansas City all over the field. Using all different kinds of traps and pulling from all parts of the line the Steelers, tallied almost 200 yards on 37 carries. Le’Veon Bell, rushing 32 times for 179 yards. He had a whopping seven runs of 10-plus yards. In his past three games against Kansas City, Bell has 493 yards on 80 carries (6.1-yard average). It was a terrific performance.

After playing his worst game as a Steeler, Ben Roethlisberger had a nice bounce back day. He still doesn’t look great but he put up a workmanlike day with 252 yards, hitting five different receivers and throwing one Touchdown. He got a little bit of luck on the 51 yard touchdown to Antonio Brown, as he was nearly picked off. Brown had another amazing day coming up with eight catches for 155 yards. His concentration in catching the 51 yarder should put to rest any question of his value.

The special teams was an outright disaster…again. The Steelers failed to cover a free kick giving Kansas City it’s first points. Jordan Berry continues to struggle and the Steelers almost blew the game on a 32 yard punt return from the dangerous Tyreek Hill.

In the end the Steelers beat the last undefeated team in the league. The ability to bounce back after a very embarrassing tough loss has been a signature of this coaching staff. The game plan was well thought out and well executed.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: We are going Deebo, for sealing the victory. There is a sense of calmness that comes over me when he enters the game! One can only wonder if he was in against Dallas last season! Also Considered: Le’Veon Bell for his outstanding performance and Antonio Brown for a tremendous day as well.

Where I watched the game: At the house after a great day out at the vineyards of Long Island with KGB. No Beer and no Snacks as we try to figure out what our Sunday routine will be for 4PM games.

My Stat of the week: 80 Sacks, the most in Steelers history by James Harrison, who continues to add to his legacy and his resume.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers return home against a recovering Bengals team. WE WILL BE THERE. The Steelers could all but eliminate Cincinnati from the division with a big win!

This week’s Jersey: No jersey this week as I was traveling all day Saturday. I wore the Steelers official sideline shirt to mass on Saturday night!

The Steelers offense had a miserable day and set the stage for a Jaguars victory. Ben Roethlisberger played the worst game of his career getting picked off five times and looking out of sorts all day. He threw two pick sixes in four pass attempts, another pick that led to the Jaguars first touchdown and one that ended any chance for a comeback. It was a rough day in all aspects.

At this point, the offense looks completely out of whack. Roethlisberger looks uneasy and his accuracy has been awful. Despite facing the worst run defense in football, the Steelers were not able to move the ball and were forced to pass. Le’Veon Bell struggled in the run rushing only 47 yards on 15 carries. The Steelers were moving the ball pretty well, but the turnovers would doom any chance of victory. Martavis Bryant and Jesse James have disappeared and the only bright spot was Antonio Brown, who racked up 157 yards and played a tough game. It was a miserable ay for the offense.

The defense had a strange day. Despite what the national media is going to say, they played fairly well and certainly well enough for the win. They slowed the Jaguars down considerably and if it wasn’t for the last touchdown by Leonard Fournette in garbage time the numbers would have told a better story, the Jags finished with 231 yards rushing. Without the Fournette run it would have been 141 yards and Fournette would have been held to less than 3.4 yards per carry . But without question Fournette had a great day, his first touchdown was one of the best over the top leaps in NFL history and he was absolutely punishing up front.

The Jaguars line battered the Steelers as the game wore on and did a terrific job blocking and opening lanes. Ryan Shazier and TJ Watt played well in the first half, but were pushed around in the second half. The secondary was never really tested although they gave up one long play.

The coaching is also going to take a beating this week. The offense is completely lost right now and the Steelers need to figure out what’s wrong and quick. The offense is absolutely lost, the window for this team is closing and the Steelers need to get moving.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Antonio Brown who had a solid day despite Ben’s struggles. Also Considered: NO ONE. Rotten day all around.

Where I watched the game: At the house for KGB’s birthday. We did several pictures for #KGB-BDAY and #HEREWEGO and had amazing snacks…Pierogies and Buffalo Chicken on Garlic bread. The Beer of choice was Leinekugel’s Fall Shandy…which will be replaced next week.

My Stat of the week: This one is obvious…FIVE Picks and two for Pick sixes was the worst game in Ben Roethlisberger’s career. Awful day and his post game comments have now raised several questions if we are seeing the end of a great career.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are going to struggle against Kansas City which is a tough place to win. They will fall to 3-3 and then get back on track.

This week’s Jersey: Ironically Ben Roethlisberger fashion jersey.

The Steelers responded to a week of controversy by pummeling the Baltimore Ravens. Led by running back Le’Veon Bell’s breakout performance of 144 yards and two touchdowns the Steelers beat the Ravens 26-9 and have taken sole possession of first place.

While the offense again showed flashes of what can be, the  defense rebounded nicely from the Chicago debacle, dominating the Ravens woeful offense. The Steelers had two interceptions and four sacks and held the Ravens to single digit scoring. It was a monster game for Cam Heyward who had two of the sacks and a forced fumble. Stephon Tuitt returned, with a sack, and allowed Heyward to run all over the backfield. Ryan Shazier had an interception and was dominant sideline to sideline, leading the team with 11 tackles. The Ravens rushed for only 82 Yards with 72 yards coming on two plays, other wise there was no room to run. Mike Hilton chipped in with an interception.

The offensive game plan was to run the ball first and then open up the passing game. The plan was executed extremely well using a number of plays with six offensive linemen. Alejandro Villanueva absolutely negated Terrell Suggs who finished the game with one tackle.

The offense finished with 173 yards rushing, most since they had 240 last season in Buffalo, and averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Ben Roethlisberger is still a work in progress, however he played much better this week. He orchestrated a 10 1/2 minute drive to open the game and threw a touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster and converted several third downs. He threw one interception on a ridiculous call by the refs. Antonio Brown had a temper tantrum on the sideline but cobbled together four catches for 34 yards. Martavis Bryant led the team with 48 yards receiving.

The coaches deserve some credit here, after a huge letdown in Chicago and a week of controversy. It was a great bounce back effort given all of the distractions. The Steelers had a great game plan on both sides of the ball and were able to dominate a division rival.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: We have to go with Le’Veon Bell who ran the ball 35 times for 144 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards. Also, considered: Cam Heyward for a great defensive effort. Alejandro Villanueva for absolutely punishing Terrell Suggs.

 Where I watched the game: At the house with the “Tailgate Kids” after we threw the ball around before the game. KGB was traveling for business, so I was home with the kids. We had stuffed Garlic Knots for our snack and Italian Beef, which I made in the crock pot. I got the recipe from our trip to Chicago. As for Beer, I went with Leinekugel Harvest Patch Shandy, but only had two since I was on Dad duty.

My Stat of the week: 173 Yards rushing, that is a dominant performance on the ground, with Le’Veon Bell garnering 35 of them, the most by any running back against the Ravens in 14 seasons.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers return home against a tough and game Jaguars team. These are the games that the Steelers need to win and seldom do. Look for this to be close with the Steelers pulling it out.

This week’s Jersey: My Birthday gift! A TJ Watt home jersey, it seemed to have the reverse affect as he came back from injury!

In a game that was marred by controversy and crushing heat, a familiar Tomlin era theme occurred, the Steelers dropped another road game to an inferior team. Dropping a tough game to the Chicago Bears, who were 0-2, getting gashed on the ground.

The Steelers made the ridiculous choice of not going out for the National Anthem, as a protest to the ill advised rant of President Trump. This wrecked the afternoon for the fans and absolutely put undo scrutiny on the team.

The Steelers offense continues to struggle, Ben Roethlisberger has been unable to get started this season. He continues to misfire and has been unable to get anything going. He was completely inconsistent Sunday and the offense never recovered. The Steelers found very little running room as Le’Veon Bell grinded out 61 yards. Antonio Brown is the lone bright spot so far this season racking up 10 catches for 110 yards. Martavis Bryant has been inconsistent all season.

The defense was also horrible Sunday. The front seven was consistently out of their zones and were absolutely routed on misdirection plays. Jordan Howard ripped up the Steelers for 138 yards and won the game in OT on a 19 yard carry. The Secondary was never tested as Mike Glennon was shackled all day, however picked off three times. The question of course…where was Deebo???

After two weeks of Special Teams play being a highlight, reality once again set in. After naming Tyler “Tackle Machine” Matakevich as a special teams captain the Steelers fumbled a punt and had a had a field goal blocked. Eli Rogers fumbled a punt return which led to the Bears first touchdown. Chris Boswell had a 36 yard field goal blocked, with one of the strangest plays ensuing afterward. The Steelers gift wrapped a TD that Marcus Cooper promptly returned on a great play by Vance McDonald. The refs botched the called and once again the Steelers looked lost.

The coaching has to own this loss. Like so many road games of the same ilk, the Steelers lost to a terrible team and were unprepared for the heat as well as the Bears run first offense. The decision to not come out for the national anthem was a huge mistake, it was an unneeded distraction for a struggling team.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Without question, Alejandro Villanueva, because he showed class, courage and made a very brave choice. It goes beyond his performance on the field, it speaks to his sense of duty. Also Considered: Antonio Brown, who remains the lone bright spot on the offense.

 Where I watched the game: At Soldier Field. KGB and I met up with our friends the Colluras, Joe and Joe and my buddy Bill and Mike. Bill and Mike are both West Point Graduates and were disturbed about the National Anthem. The Beer of choice was Miller Lite. The National Anthem stunt was a complete and utter disappointment.

My Stat of the week: 220 Yards on 38 carries by the Bears running backs who absolutely killed the Steelers front seven. It was one of the worst performances by a Steelers defense. Another Stat consider 1-4 my record watching games with Bill!

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers need a bounce back week and need to put the Chicago debacle in the rearview mirror.

This week’s Jersey: My gamer is always Joe Greene and most of the Bears fans were complimentary.

On a day that the fans and organization honored the late Dan Rooney, the Steelers made it two in a row as they beat the Vikings. The Defense put together a vintage performance as they pushed the Vikings all over the field and hammered late replacement Case Keenum.

The defensive line had a dominant performance anchored by Steelhead Heyward. Like Stephon Tuitt last year, he made up for the absence of his teammate and put together a dominant performance. Heyward had six tackles, including four that netted a total of minus-6 yards, and he was all over Keenum. Tyson Alualu and Javon Hargrave closed the running lanes.

Despite an injury to T.J Watt, the linebackers put together an outstanding day. Ryan Shazier continues to fly all over the field with eight tackles and Vince Williams had a huge game, laying waste to the Vikings running game. The pass rush was excellent despite only netting two sacks. Bud Dupree made a brilliant return and chimed in with one sack and broke up a pass. Anthony Chickillo came in for Watt and was disruptive. Keenum never had time to pass, so the Secondary was never really tested.

The offense still looks like a work in progress, but it is obvious how many weapons the Steelers have. Ben Roethlisberger struggled in the first half and was all over the place, despite throwing two great touchdowns. He settled in and stayed within the offense and moved the ball well in the second half. After a slow start last week, Martavis Bryant showed why he is a game breaker. Bryant had only three catches, but his touchdown was all his playmaking abilities and he hauled in a 50+ yard catch. Ju-Ju Smith had his first career touchdown on a well executed shovel pass. Mike Zimmer’s plan was to shut down Antonio Brown and he did it, which opened up spots for Eli Rogers, who had four catches for 43 yards.

Le’Veon Bell had a nice bounce back week grinding out 87 very tough yards. He still looks rusty but by the end of the game he was starting to get his feel back.

Two weeks in a row the Special Teams had solid contributions and two weeks in a row, Tyler Matakevich made a big play, stopping a ridiculous fake punt on the Vikings side of the field that led to a field goal. Little Bos hit all his field goals after getting a Mulligan on a 51 yarder.

The Steelers handled a tough Vikings team and are now on to Chicago!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: We have to go with Cam Heyward, who set the tone on a defense that held the Vikings to single digit in scoring. Also, considered: Tyler Matakevich for two weeks of Special Teams success

 Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB and the “Tailgate Kids” also our neighbors came for the second half. KGB made awesome flatbreads, spicy Meatball and Hot Sausage. Mike and Christine brought homemade Sausage bread. We had baked Penne for dinner! As for Beer, we went with Leinekugel Harvest Patch Shandy and KGB did Bud Light Lime.

My Stat of the week: 30.3 average yards per catch for Martavis Bryant. He is an absolute force to deal with when he plays. If he could stay out of trouble this could be a HUGE year for him.

My Thoughts on next week: This game SCARES me to death. With  the Ravens looming, it is the classic trap game, that has plagued the Steelers in the Tomlin era. The Steelers should absolutely demolish the Bears, but they need to show up and play.

This week’s Jersey: With all the flag protests still being talked about, I moved up my Franco Harris, Salute to the Military jersey up this week!