Don’t let the title of this rant fool you.
I am a HUGE fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and have been since I was eight years old. I remember watching Steeler games on NBC in Kernersville, NC throughout much of the 1980s (before regional coverage became a thing).
Trust me when I say that I bleed black and gold. But I won’t allow that to cloud my objectivity.
My Steelers have been living on borrowed time the last three weeks.
First, we almost blew a 20-point lead at the Tennessee Titans during a battle of then-unbeaten teams. It took a missed last-second field goal for us to preserve the win.
Next, we got ram-roaded on defense against those damn Baltimore Ravens. My top-rated defense gave up over 250 yards rushing. The Ravens outgained us 457 to 221 yards — over a 2 to 1 margin!
But what saved us in the end? Turnovers. The same top-rated defense forced four turnovers, one of them being a Pick-6 to start the game, which made the difference.
Then came the Dallas game.
My Steelers were TWO TOUCHDOWN favorites, and yet had to escape by the skin of their teeth. While giving up 144 yards rushing was bad, only rushing for 46 yards against one of the worst rushing defenses was downright despicable.
This is why I have always maintained that the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL until proven otherwise. They don’t have a weak spot on offense, led by QB Patrick Mahomes, And they play just enough defense to get that ‘W’.
If my Steelers want to even compete with the Chiefs, they have to play more consistent offense — run the ball more, and not be so damn one-dimensional and predictable on offense. And the defense has to stop the run. Yes, I know they are missing Tyson Alualu up front to injury, but still.
It’s been a great year for my team so far, but it can be better. Thanks to the Steelers’ performance the last three weeks, their 8-0 record is teetering in “Fool’s Gold” territory by the minute.
In the meantime, it’s “on the Cincinnati” (for real)…
Categories: NFL
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