Author: wmv5027

Since the last time I blogged, the Steelers have played 4 games. Through some ups and downs, Pittsburgh has emerged 3-1 over the stretch and have improved to a respectable 7-5 record thus far this season. Through ups and downs, injuries, and swinging helmets, the Steelers sit in a comfortable second place in the AFC North and are projected to make the playoffs as a wild card team. So just what went on in the past weeks that allowed the Steelers to be in this position after their dismal 1-4 start?

On November 10, the Steelers hosted the Los Angeles Rams for the third game of three consecutive home games. The Rams have had their ups and downs this season, but remain a constant presence on the playoff bubble. On the outside looking in, if the Rams could string together a few consecutive games they may be playing come January; long story short, they are a determined team with nothing to lose. However, Pittsburgh’s defense held off Jared Goff and the Rams, ending their two-game win streak. The defense recorded four turnovers, and Mason Rudolph’s 242 yards with a touchdown was enough to give Pittsburgh the edge in a tight matchup. With the win, the Steelers closed out four wins in a row at home and lengthened their win streak to four games.

After a quick turnaround, the Steelers traveled to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Thursday the 14th. A win would help solidify Pittsburgh’s position as the second team in the division behind the Ravens, but a loss would allow the Browns to remain in playoff contention. The game lacked any true offensive standouts, although Cleveland’s quarterback, who has been struggling more than expected this season, looked fairly solid with his 193 yards and two touchdowns. Mason Rudolph also struggled for the Steelers with four interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter that halted any hope of the Steelers coming back. However, the most notable event of the night actually occurred as the clock expired. After Rudolph completed a short pass to his left with 8 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett tackled him with what Rudolph believed to be a late hit. After the two wrestled on the ground, Rudolph was then backed up by center Maurkice Pouncey and offensive guard David DeCastro. As the group continued to argue, Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and hit him over head with it, something that reporters and NFL affiliated personal alike agreed to be one of the worst displays in history of the league. After it was all said and done, a slew of fines and disciplinary actions were carried out against both teams. Both teams were fined over $250,000 each, Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely (at least for the remainder of this season), Rudolph was fined $50,000, Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was suspended 1 game, and Pouncey was suspended 2 games. In all, 33 players were fined and/or punished for their involvement in the brawl. However, the Steelers had to have a quick turnaround: after a matchup with the winless Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns were coming to Pittsburgh in 2 weeks, and Pittsburgh desperately needed redemption.

The Steelers started slow against the Bengals. And by slow, I mean really slow. Going into halftime, Rudolph only 85 yards and 1 interception; worse yet, the Steelers were down 7-3 to the (arguably) worst team in the NFL. After the half, backup backup quarterback (it is not the most stable time in Pittsburgh right now) Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over control of the offense and soon threw a 79-yard touchdown pass that helped the Steelers regain the lead, and they never looked back. The Bengals did tie it up with a field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter, but two 4th quarter field goals from kicker Chris Boswell put the game out of reach for Cincinnati. Honestly of the more boring games I have watched this season, defined by the sixteen punts and three turnovers, I am very happy that this low-scoring game ended up in Pittsburgh’s favor; it would be hard to support a team that suffered a loss to the only winless team in the league. However, the Steelers were able to notch another check in the win column and look ahead to the next weekend: a quick rematch with the Browns.

On the first day of December, the Browns traveled to Pittsburgh in hopes of moving to 2-0 on the season in a divisional matchup. After the last game, nobody was too sure what to except. The Steelers had to play much better than the last time the two teams met if they hoped to (essentially) eliminate the Browns from playoff contention, and if the Browns could keep the helmet swinging to a minimum, that would be preferred. Devlin Hodges, who had guided the Steelers to a narrow victory the week prior, got the start for Pittsburgh. After going down 10-0 midway through the second quarter, the Steelers took back the lead in the third quarter and did not give it up for the rest of the game. Hodges looked fairly solid in his start, actually putting up better numbers than Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. 212 yards and a touchdown with only one interception, Hodges showed a glimpse of what he may offer as a starter under center. Thankfully, the events of the previous meeting seemed to create no bad blood in the game, and Pittsburgh was able to escape with a win that boosted them up to 7-5 on the season.

With only four games left in the season, the Steelers are in fairly good playoff position. The Ravens are a win away from clinching the division, and the way they are playing they are on pace to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The wild card is Pittsburgh’s (nearly) only way to the playoffs, and despite this season’s ups and downs, the chances are good. That being said, Pittsburgh still needs to travel to Arizona to play the 3-8-1 Cardinals, then face a dangerous Buffalo Bills team; the Steelers will then face Le’veon Bell and the New York Jets before closing the season in Baltimore with a rematch with the Ravens. If the Steelers take it week by week and continue to string together some quality victories, they have a great shot at making the playoffs; tune in this Sunday for their game at 4:25 PM!

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the five win Indianapolis Colts in the second of three consecutive home games for the Steelers. Pittsburgh was coming off of a dominant win over the Miami Dolphins the Monday before, while Indianapolis was looking to prove themselves as a playoff contender after surviving a close scare to the, at the time, one win Broncos. As the gates closed in Heinz Field on the early November Sunday afternoon, the Steelers notched another shaky W in the win column. With this victory, Pittsburgh moves up to 4-4 on the season and 4-1 in their last five games.

Going into the game, Coach Mike Tomlin felt that this was a great opportunity to get a win over a quality team. The Colts are just a game back in the AFC South, still on the bubble as a strong playoff candidate. However, the Steelers suffered a strong blow to their confidence prior to kickoff, as running back James Conner was announced inactive due to a shoulder injury suffered late in last week’s win against Miami. Conner, who was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after the game due to his stellar performance, has started to fill his feature back role well; the Steelers will have their hands full without him in the backfield. Mike Tomlin felt optimistic about Conner’s return to play this weekend and, and although he made no full promises, the Steelers would struggle to win without him.

After the opening kickoff, both offenses got off to a slow start. Pittsburgh looked especially shaky, with Mason Rudolph throwing an interception (his only of the game!) on their first drive. Fortunately, the increasingly dominant defense was able to hold the Colts to a field goal, the only three points they allowed in the first quarter. As the clock wound down at the end of the first, Pittsburgh had advanced the ball all the way up to Indianapolis’s one yard line; unfortunately, they were unable to punch it in for the score, and had to settle for a field goal and go into the second quarter tied at three. As the second quarter got underway, the Colts wasted no time in jumping out to a 10-3 lead after marching down the field fairly handily. After Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs, the Colts put together another quality drive and moved the ball down towards another touchdown. However, Indianapolis quarterback Brain Hoyer’s touchdown pass was intercepted by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who returned the ball for 96 yards and a Steelers touchdown. On the next drive, the Colts strung together another impressive collection of plays to redeem their last mistake, regaining a 16-10 lead (the Steelers blocked the PAT attempt) by scoring another touchdown. As time ticked down in the half, Chris Boswell was able to nail a 51 yard field goal, bringing the score to 16-13 at the break.

After a rough second quarter, the Steelers defense started off the third by forcing another turnover, this time a fumble at Pittsburgh’s 35 yard line. The offense was able to capitalize on this, marching down field and capping the drive off with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph to tight end Vance McDonald, putting the Steelers in front for the first time in the game, 20-16. The Steelers held on to the lead for much of the rest of the game, and although they were able to pull out the win, the remainder of the game was a bit messy. After the defense forced the Colts to punt, Mason Rudolph fumbled in Pittsburgh’s endzone, recovered by Alejandro Villanueva but still causing a safety.  After two Pittsburgh field goals, an Indianapolis touchdown, and fumbles by both teams, Pittsburgh remained ahead 26-24 with just over a minute left. However, the Colts were lined up to kick the potentially game-winning field goal from 41 yards out. Adam Vinatieri, widely recognized one of the greatest kickers of all time, lined up for the Colts. At 46 years old, Vinatieri has begun to struggle this season; his kick was wide left, giving the Steelers the ball back with almost no time left. With that missed field goal, the Steelers moved up to 4-4 and narrowly escaped a loss at the hands of the Colts.

With the win, the Steelers separated themselves even more from the Bengals and the Browns, both of whom lost and fell further behind in the divisional standings. The Baltimore Ravens hosted the undefeated New England Patriots on Sunday night, and many fans felt that after Pittsburgh’s win they should be able to pull closer to the Ravens. However, Baltimore was able to solve New England’s stellar defense as quarterback Lamar Jackson racked up 224 total yards and 3 touchdowns. With the win, Baltimore remains 2 games ahead of Pittsburgh in the standings, as well as continue their dominant 4 game win streak. However, the Steelers have been handling business recently and are nowhere close from being ignored as a contender in the AFC North. When Pittsburgh travels to Baltimore at the end of the year, the game may determine who ends up winning the division title. Until then, the Steelers have quite a bit of work to do, starting this weekend against the Rams at 4:25 PM. Make sure to tune in!

 

Last Monday evening, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the winless Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field in a winnable, hopefully beneficial game for the Steelers. Their first game in two weeks, the Steelers came off the break looking to play as a rested, regrouped unit. Without an off week for the rest of the season, it is time for Pittsburgh to make a statement and dismiss the mishaps of earlier in the year if they want to be playing next January.

The Dolphins have struggled all season, and after trading away three starters to begin the season, the idea that they are tanking this season has begun to circulate throughout the league. Tanking, or purposely losing in order to secure some sort of future advantage, such as receiving a high pick in the upcoming draft, has been around in sports for a long time, and is especially prevalent in the NBA, as well as the MLB. That being said, the Steelers needed to make sure that this nearly given win became just that: a win. Not too surprisingly, but still quite welcome none the less, Pittsburgh was able to take care of business during primetime and get started after the bye week with a win.

After the opening kickoff, it wasn’t too pretty. The Steelers dropped behind 7-0 less than five minutes into the game, and by the end of the first quarter Miami had a comfortable 14-0 lead. Ryan Fitzpatrick, the quarterback for the Dolphins, has struggled to throw the ball to the right team so far this season; however, he looked fairly sharp early on Monday night. Despite the strong start, Miami would not find the endzone for the rest of the evening, as the remaining three quarters were all filled exclusively with Pittsburgh points. The Steelers got on the board late in the second quarter with a forty-two yard field goal from Chris Boswell. With seventeen seconds left in the half, Mason Rudolph (back from his scary concussion three weeks ago) completed a forty-five yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson, putting the Steelers within four going into the break.

After halftime, Miami and Pittsburgh exchanged pointless drives until under four minutes left in the quarter when Rudolph found Juju Smith-Schuster for a twenty-six yard score that put Pittsburgh up by three, 17-14. The Steelers did not lose the lead for the remainder of the game, as James Conner ran a nine yard touchdown and Chris Boswell nailed a forty-one yard field goal late in the fourth to secure the win. Despite a fairly shaky start, Mason Rudolph finished 20-36 with 251 yards and two touchdowns with a lone interception. Feature back James Conner stepped up and led the team with 23 rushes, totaling 145 yards and a score. Smith-Schuster, who seems to finally be settling into his number one receiver role, ended with 103 yards on five catches and a a touchdown. Overall, not a bad showing from the Steeler offense, especially after the slow start in the first half. Given, Miami is not a very strong team, but a win is a win.

Another shining highlight from the win was the Steelers pass rush and intense pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick, especially from linebacker T.J. Watt. He recorded three of Pittsburgh’s ten quarterback hits, two sacks, and forced two fumbles, recovering one. During his third year in the league, Watt has been stringing together quite an impressive stat line, leading an otherwise struggling Pittsburgh defense in hopes of restoring the well-known Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh. The defense as a whole played a crucial part in the victory, holding the Dolphins scoreless in the second half and allowing the momentum to remain with the home team.

With this win, the Steelers jump to second place in the AFC North, behind only the Baltimore Ravens. While Baltimore looks strong for the time being, the Steelers need to take care of business before squaring off against them again in late December. Pittsburgh hosts the Colts and the Rams before heading on the road to Cleveland in hopes of making a divisional statement and possibly securing a position ahead of the Browns in the division. The next few weeks will prove to be crucial if Pittsburgh has any hopes of saving the (not yet lost) season, so tune in next Sunday afternoon and watch the Steelers look to improve their win streak to three games!

This past weekend, the Steelers had their bye week and did not play a game. The bye weeks around the league range from week four until week twelve, so a bye during the seventh week of the season falls right near the middle. As they did not play, there is no game to discuss, so I will instead briefly cover Steeler news, as well as provide some insight as to how the rest of the division fared last weekend.

James Conner suffered a quad injury in the win over the Chargers two weeks ago, and his missing the entire fourth quarter has raised some questions whether or not he will be ready to compete Monday night. While the bye weekend did give Conner time to rest up, soft tissue injuries such as his can often times persist and limit productivity for weeks. If Conner is restricted or completely out, backup Benny Snell Jr. will get the call to fill the feature back position. In his injury update early on Tuesday morning, coach Mike Tomlin gave no mention of Conner’s injury status. Instead, his report focused on T.J. Watt’s abdominal injury and cornerback Mike Hilton’s calf injury, both of which seem to be slowing the players down early on in the week. Tomlin also seemed optimistic about Mason Rudolph, who seems to be a part of Pittsburgh’s game plan this Monday night. Finally, linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested on Sunday for simple assault, harassment, and property damage after getting involved in a physical altercation with his girlfriend. The Steelers asked Chickillo, who has struggled with a foot injury for much of the season, to not report for practice at the beginning of the week until the situation is sorted out. As the week progresses and it nears the Monday night kickoff, we should receive more news surrounding these headlines, as well as others for the organization.

Around the rest of the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens remained atop the division with a convincing 30-16 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The Seahawks dropped to 5-2, still recording one of the best records in the league. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for 116 yards and passed for another 143, helping lead the Ravens to their third straight win. Baltimore looks to be the team to beat in the division, as their 5-2 record puts them three wins ahead of the second place 2-4 Cleveland Browns. The Steelers already lost to the Ravens in overtime a few weeks ago, and they head to Baltimore for the last game of the season in an attempt to get revenge for that heartbreaking loss.

The Cincinnati Bengals dropped to 0-7 after losing at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-17. The Jaguars sit in third place in a highly contested AFC South division, as the first place Colts are only one win ahead of the rest of the division. With wide receivers A.J. Green and John Ross both injured, Cincinnati has had to rely on its run game throughout the past few weeks – and opposing teams have quickly picked up on this. The Bengals have only recorded 372 yards on the ground this year, which places them last in the NFL in the category. To make it even worse, they have also given up the most rushing yards in the league at 1,323. This coming week the Bengals travel to London to play the defending NFC champions Los Angeles Rams, then have to face the Baltimore Ravens following a bye week. In other words, the next few weeks do not look promising for the winless Bengals.

The underwhelming Cleveland Browns also had a bye week last week, and sit at 2-4 as well. However, they are ranked above the Steelers because of the second tie breaker, win percentage within the division (the first being head-to-head matchup record, but the two teams have not played yet). Cleveland has a 100 win percentage in the division (1-0), while Pittsburgh has a 50 win percentage (1-1) in the division. Following a 7-8-1 final record last year after going a combined 1-31 the past two seasons, Cleveland had high hopes going into this season. While the first six weeks have not gone as they hoped, the Browns still serve as a threat in the division. Cleveland travels to New England this weekend in an attempt to hand the Patriots their first loss of the season.

Heading off of the bye week, the Steelers are poised to make a run for first place in the division. The off week could not have come at a better time, as the injury-plagued team badly needed a week to rest up. The next few weeks will prove to be quite important for Pittsburgh and will give them the opportunity to turn the season around for good. Hopefully this past weekend will be the beginning of a new phase of 2019 Steelers football, so tune in on Monday at 8:15 PM to find out!

The Steelers have played a game during each of the three last weeks that I have not blogged, and a lot has happened during this brief hiatus. Pittsburgh played the Bengals and Ravens back to back at home, followed by a trip to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. Going into this three game stretch, the Steelers had just lost Ben Roethlisberger and were coming off a close defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

On September 30, the Steelers won their first divisional matchup against the Bengals, pushing Cincinnati to fourth in the AFC North and giving the Steelers a little bit of breathing room. Coming into the game, the Bengals had lost eight straight to Pittsburgh, and the streak went to nine fairly easily. Although the Bengals went up 3-0 after the first quarter, Pittsburgh’s offense woke up soon after, going on a 27-0 streak en route to a victory. This was a great game for the Steelers, finally breaking out of their funk with a handy 27-3 victory. Mason Rudolph recorded his first win while throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns. James Connor had one of his better games to date, leading the team in both receiving and rushing with 125 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Juju Smith-Schuster, one of the other key storylines of the season, continued to struggle as a primary receiver, recording only three receptions with fifteen yards. Although not every player had a standout game, the team was able to come together and get back on the right track, hopefully serving as the turning point for the Steelers’ season.

The following weekend, the Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a huge game for Pittsburgh: a win would put them in first place of the division, a major improvement from the 0-3 record they sported just over a week before. The Ravens came into the matchup after suffering a blowout at the hands of the Cleveland Browns the week prior and were seeking to bounce back with a big win. With backup quarterback Mason Rudolph looking to achieve his second victory, the Steelers played with a lot on the line. The score was back and forth all game, and the Steelers went into the halftime break down by four. While James Conner did record a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to put the Steelers ahead 20-17 going into the final quarter, something much more important took place earlier with about seven minutes left in the quarter. As if the Steelers have not encountered enough obstacles so far this season, Mason Rudolph suffered a scary injury, being clearly knocked unconscious on the field after suffering an illegal hit from Ravens safety Earl Thomas. The hit left Rudolph, who was filling in for the injured Roethlisberger, laying on the ground. Trainers were able to wake him and assist him off the field, but the hit was scary none the less. Rudolph immediately entered concussion protocol, and initial medical examinations diagnosed no traumatic brain injury. After the hit, Steelers third-string Devlin Hodges entered the game, finishing with sixty-eight yards through the air. The rest of the game was a battle between the kickers, who went back and forth in the fourth quarter with field goals. The score went from 20-17 to 20-20, then to 23-20 in favor of Pittsburgh. With ten seconds left, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hit a forty-eight yard field goal to send the game into overtime tied at 23.

In overtime, the Steelers elected to kick the ball away, giving the Ravens the first chance to score. However, Mike Tomlin’s faith in the defensive unit proved justified, as the Ravens were forced to punt after only four plays. With the ball back and in position to secure the win, Devlin Hodges completed a pass to Juju Smith-Schuster – who then fumbled. The Ravens recovered, and just like that Baltimore had all the momentum once again. This time the Ravens did not mess around, and their favorable field position after the fumble allowed Justin Tucker to hit one more field goal, finishing the game with a final score of 26-23. James Conner finished with fifty-five yards and a touchdown, and Smith-Schuster finished with seventy-five yards and a touchdown as well. While the Steelers did not look as dominant as during their dismantling of the Bengals, Rudolph’s injury definitely made it much more difficult to secure the win. However, Pittsburgh had many chances to put this game away and failed to do so, which proves that they still have much more room for improvement.

Last weekend, the Steelers traveled out to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. It became quickly apparent that the Steelers fans seemingly outnumbered the Chargers fans, despite it being away game for Pittsburgh. The Steelers put on a show for this seemingly home crowd, notching a 24-17 victory in order to improve to 2-4 on the season. Devlin Hodges, the backup to the backup quarterback, won his first NFL game, the second Steelers quarterback to record his first career win this season. James Conner seemed to finally have the breakout game he has been desperately looking for, recording 119 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns. With all the uncertainty and moving parts in the Steelers right now, Conner was able to step up and take over the offense, helping lead the charge. Devin Bush, a rookie linebacker, recovered two turnovers to help lead the Steelers defensive unit.

Now sitting in third place in the AFC North division, the Steelers are poised to keep the momentum going and move up in the division. They have a bye week this week, followed by a Monday night matchup with the Miami Dolphins on the 28th. Good news for Steelers fans is that Mason Rudolph was cleared from concussion protocol last Wednesday, meaning he will be able to play against the Dolphins. After his scary injury, this is a quick timetable for his return. However, an independent neurologist is confident that Rudolph is healthy, and the organization has made it clear that Rudolph will take back the starting job. Finishing the past three games with a 2-1 record, I believe that a bye week will give the Steelers the time they need to regroup and come back from the break with a vengeance to salvage what remains of the season.

During his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Mike Tomlin said, “Football is our game. Our business is winning. So, we haven’t been handling business”. This seems like a fairly accurate description of the season so far, as the Steelers fell to 0-3 after losing the lead late in the fourth quarter in San Francisco. Their worst start to a season since 2013, Pittsburgh needs to begin seriously looking for answers.

Going on the road last Sunday, the Steelers were searching for their first win of the season against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, led by quarterback Jimmy Garappolo. Despite the difference in record, this game was considered very winnable for the Steelers, as San Francisco’s first two wins came against teams with a combined one win between them (the Buccaneers and the Bengals). With Mason Randolph making his first NFL start, the defense needed to step up in order to keep this game within reach. To be fair, the defense did just that, recording five turnovers throughout the game. The coaches’ lack of trust in Rudolph was apparent, as much of the play calling consisted of runs, as well as short, high percentage passes; you could count the number of passes Rudolph threw longer than five yards forward fairly easily. That being said, the Steelers started the game strong, recording their first turnover when TJ Watt intercepted Garapollo’s third pass. The offense struggled to put a quality series together, but Chris Boswell was able to nail the forty-six yard field goal to take the lead. The rest of the first half followed a similar sequence, with the Steelers recording another interception followed by another field goal. The defense also recovered two fumbles, but the offense was unable to capitalize and the score sat at 6-3 as the second quarter expired.

After the break, the offenses on both sides started to get going. The 49ers were able to exact a bit of revenge, opening the half with an interception which they soon converted into a touchdown, taking the lead 10-6. The Steelers soon answered with a seventy-six yard touchdown reception by Juju Smith-Schuster (although Rudolph’s completion was actually about twenty yards), followed by an immediate San Francisco touchdown. With eleven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the 49ers were up 17-13 until Mason Rudolph threw one of his best passes of the day, a thirty-nine yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson to regain control of the lead. As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, the Steelers seemed to be in good position to win; after 49ers receiver Richie James Jr. fumbled, the game was nearly secured. Winning and with the ball, the Steelers needed to simply wind the clock down, and a touchdown would put the game out of reach. However, in true 2019 Steelers fashion, they couldn’t, as James Conner fumbled three plays later. On the ensuing drive, the 49ers did what the Steelers needed to do moments before: capitalize on the other team’s mistake. They marched downfield and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with just over a minute left, and Pittsburgh’s responsive drive ended in a turnover on downs; the final score was 49ers twenty-four, Steelers twenty.

While the season is still far from over, the Steelers do need to turn things around very soon if they want to have any realistic chance at a playoff spot. Every AFC North team lost last week, which means the division leading Ravens dropped to 2-1 on the season; in other words, the division winner is far from decided. Pittsburgh has lost their last two games by a total of six points, so they are playing close games. They simply need to start finishing games off and not giving teams a chance to beat them in the fourth quarter. Although all that matters at the end of the day is a win or loss, the Steelers have shown improvement over the last three weeks, and I am sure that this will translate into a run of victories. The defense especially looked much more comfortable and active, and I feel that they played much better than the twenty-four points they allowed. Five defensive takeaways is quite impressive, and it is a shame that the offense could not capitalize more on these San Francisco mistakes. Newly signed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made an immediate impact in his first game in the black and gold, recording both an interception and a forced fumble. T.J. Watt also had an interception along with a fumble recovery. Rookie linebacker Devin Bush led the defense with eleven combined tackles, as well as recovered two fumbles. Other defenders made plays throughout the afternoon, applying pressure to the San Francisco offense and keeping their quarterback from being too comfortable in the pocket.

On the offensive side of the ball, this game served as a reality check for how Mason Rudolph would play the rest of the year. Although he played well is the second half of last week’s game, many wondered if he could keep that level of play up for the rest of the season. From what I saw, I believe that he can, which is great news for Pittsburgh fans. Although the play calling early on gave him very little freedom to direct the offense and move the ball, Rudolph made clutch throws when he could. Fourteen for twenty-seven for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, Rudolph looked confident under pressure and protected the ball well. I think that his performance last week silenced any doubt that Rudolph can serve as a starting quarterback, and it will be interesting to see how he plays once the coaches allow him to throw the ball downfield more. Although Rudolph looked promising, running back James Conner continues to struggle, recording forty-three yards on thirteen carries and no touchdowns. As the feature back, he is still not filling the void left by Le’Veon Bell, and fans are wondering if he ever will. Although his production has been decent, his fumble late in the game that led to San Francisco scoring the game-winning touchdown raises some red flags – especially since this is not the first time it has happened. While Conner has fumbled the ball in crucial situations before (Week 1 against Cleveland last year, as well as against the Denver Broncos in 2018), I feel that critics are much too harsh and losing faith in him too quickly. It will take time to take over a large role in a struggling offense, especially one that has just lost its star quarterback. I believe that more time and experience will help turn Conner into the all star running back he was at the University of Pittsburgh.

While fair-weather fans have been calling for the Steelers to fire head coach Mike Tomlin for weeks, diehard fans have more faith in the coach who brought the Lombardi trophy to the city in 2009; however, even some of Tomlin’s top supporters are growing weary. Tomlin has never recorded a losing season in the Steel City, but this past success would not secure his job should the team continue to struggle. Although coaching changes in Pittsburgh are few and far between (the franchise has only had three coaches in the last fifty years, all of whom have won at least one Super Bowl), the organization also tends to enjoy consecutive seasons of double-digit wins, first week playoff byes, and deep runs into late January; in other words, 0-3 starts are just as rare as new coaches. Although it is difficult to blame Tomlin for a poor start to a season in which his star quarterback undergoes (successful!) surgery, two Pro Bowl offensive powerhouse players decide to sever ties with the team, and his feature running back seems to fumble at the most inopportune times, questions regarding Tomlin’s stay in Pittsburgh have long been swirling, even before this season started. The Steelers have failed to live up to the 2009 Super Bowl winning team, missing the playoffs multiple times since then, including last season. The lack of confidence the Steelers organization has in Tomlin was proven this summer when the team offered him a one year extension to his contract instead of the usual two years he regularly received before. If this shorter guaranteed contract serves as any foreshadowing for what is to come, this season may prove to be Tomlin’s last if the Steelers fail to turn this awful beginning around.

The Steelers host the winless Bengals this Monday at 8:15 PM. Pittsburgh open as 4.5 point favorites for the divisional matchup, and this is essentially a must-win for both teams. The loser will drop to 0-4 and sit at the bottom of the division standings, resulting in a very difficult hole to climb out of. This should prove to be the Pittsburgh’s easiest match-up thus far, and can hopefully put a mark in the win column and get them back on track for a winning season.