Steelers Game Thoughts...

[Alaska Darin]

1.  Diggs, Diggs, Diggs.  There's no way you watch that game last night and don't come away impressed with 14.  Best player on the field and did it all.  Must have had 75+ yards of YAC and threw some BLOCKS.

2.  Dawson Knox continues to be an enigma.  Terrible fumble that leads to Pittsburgh's first score.  Runs a 4 yard route on 3rd and 6 late in the 3rd quarter (I don't know what was coached there but damn...).  Dropped a long pass that was in his hands (yes, it would have been a great catch but that's what we pay you for).  Blocked pretty horribly in the first half...

All that aside, he made 2 of the biggest offensive plays on the game. 

     1.  The PI on the goal line was huge because it gave us the 2 score lead back.

     2.  The 16 yard gain on 3rd and 11 on the final drive that was basically the final blow to the Steelers' chance to make any sort of comeback.  He did a great job selling that he was blocking, and an even better job of just going North after the catch.  That's the kinda play the friggin' **Patriots used to just break our hearts with.  It was awesome being on this side of it for a change.

3.  I was texting back-and-forth with my buddy Rob in the first half.  Literally seconds before Taron Johnson picked off BR, I said "this defense just doesn't get enough turnovers."  Thank you football Gods.  Taron Johnson's name is rarely called...because he's very good.  I hope he's ok because we need him.

4.  The officiating was once again terrible.  Goodness.  Examples:

    1.  Blowing the whistle on BR's fumble because of "forward progress."  Nope.  Touchdown Buffalo.

    2.  The second Steelers' TD was an egregious OPI that wasn't called because of the score.  Bull.

    3.  The Wallace INT yardage that was snatched from us.   Bull.

    4.  The holding penalty on Morse on the last drive that wiped out about a 40 yard run by JA.  Bull.  You haven't called that all game and the Steelers OLine was mugging our guys.  STOP REFFING THE SCORE.

    5.  I'd like to see Bass' missed extra point from the official's view because it looked good to me.

5.  Daboll called another excellent game.  We had 2 perfect shot plays called in the first half and the OLine let us down on both of them (one of them was the "interception").  Either of those woulda been huge momentum deals.  I challenge anyone to accurately predict what Daboll is going to do play-by-play.  Execution in the first half was lacking but there were plays to be made.

6.  As bad as the OLine was early, they were that good in the second half.  Morse and Williams had MONSTER second halfs.  Morse was helping, disengaging, and smashing second level guys on almost every play.  Willams got over the early yips and made TJ Watt his bitch.  He was singled most of the game against a very good pass rusher and he more than held his own.  Impressive.

7.  The DLine did a TREMENDOUS job of staying in their lanes most of the game, which made Ben very uncomfortable when he held the ball to try to make something happen down the field.  There was one third down when Milano just drove his blocker right into the path of Ben's arm, which almost ended in an interception by Treyday.

8.  Edmunds still runs into blocks far too often.  Almost every good running play the Steelers had were the result of him making a mistake.

9.  Another game, another step forward for Josh.  He got punched in the mouth about 238475759490 times in the first half and comes out of the tunnel and proceeds to have his best 3rd quarter of the season. 

10.  That was some terrific 4 minute offense.  Hey Pittsburgh, we're going to run the ball right at you until you stop us.  The Steelers are rarely outphysicaled in a football game but they were last night.  I think everyone who has ever watched football knew that last QB sneak was coming...and it looked like a red avalanche.  Bravo.

11.  Moss is terrific with just enough wiggle to make him scary AF.  He's also got tremendous hands, as evidenced by the catch he made on the sidelines that didn't count because JA threw it too far OOB.  Still, a tremendous play.

12.  We need ONE win to clinch the division for the first time in a generation.  Let's get that done Saturday in the thin air, shall we?

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Alaska Darin

[Nanker]

15 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

1.  Diggs, Diggs, Diggs.  There's no way you watch that game last night and don't come away impressed with 14.  Best player on the field and did it all.  Must have had 75+ yards of YAC and threw some BLOCKS.

2.  Dawson Knox continues to be an enigma.  Terrible fumble that leads to Pittsburgh's first score.  Runs a 4 yard route on 3rd and 6 late in the 3rd quarter (I don't know what was coached there but damn...).  Dropped a long pass that was in his hands (yes, it would have been a great catch but that's what we pay you for).  Blocked pretty horribly in the first half...

All that aside, he made 2 of the biggest offensive plays on the game. 

     1.  The PI on the goal line was huge because it gave us the 2 score lead back.

     2.  The 16 yard gain on 3rd and 11 on the final drive that was basically the final blow to the Steelers' chance to make any sort of comeback.  He did a great job selling that he was blocking, and an even better job of just going North after the catch.  That's the kinda play the friggin' ***Patriots used to just break our hearts with.  It was awesome being on this side of it for a change.

3.  I was texting back-and-forth with my buddy Rob in the first half.  Literally seconds before Taron Johnson picked off BR, I said "this defense just doesn't get enough turnovers."  Thank you football Gods.  Taron Johnson's name is rarely called...because he's very good.  I hope he's ok because we need him.

4.  The officiating was once again terrible.  Goodness.  Examples:

    1.  Blowing the whistle on BR's fumble because of "forward progress."  Nope.  Touchdown Buffalo.

    2.  The second Steelers' TD was an egregious OPI that wasn't called because of the score.  Bull.

    3.  The Wallace INT yardage that was snatched from us.   Bull.

    4.  The holding penalty on Morse on the last drive that wiped out about a 40 yard run by JA.  Bull.  You haven't called that all game and the Steelers OLine was mugging our guys.  STOP REFFING THE SCORE.

    5.  I'd like to see Bass' missed extra point from the official's view because it looked good to me.

5.  Daboll called another excellent game.  We had 2 perfect shot plays called in the first half and the OLine let us down on both of them (one of them was the "interception").  Either of those woulda been huge momentum deals.  I challenge anyone to accurately predict what Daboll is going to do play-by-play.  Execution in the first half was lacking but there were plays to be made.

6.  As bad as the OLine was early, they were that good in the second half.  Morse and Williams had MONSTER second halfs.  Morse was helping, disengaging, and smashing second level guys on almost every play.  Willams got over the early yips and made TJ Watt his bitch.  He was singled most of the game against a very good pass rusher and he more than held his own.  Impressive.

7.  The DLine did a TREMENDOUS job of staying in their lanes most of the game, which made Ben very uncomfortable when he held the ball to try to make something happen down the field.  There was one third down when Milano just drove his blocker right into the path of Ben's arm, which almost ended in an interception by Treyday.

8.  Edmunds still runs into blocks far too often.  Almost every good running play the Steelers had were the result of him making a mistake.

9.  Another game, another step forward for Josh.  He got punched in the mouth about 238475759490 times in the first half and comes out of the tunnel and proceeds to have his best 3rd quarter of the season. 

10.  That was some terrific 4 minute offense.  Hey Pittsburgh, we're going to run the ball right at you until you stop us.  The Steelers are rarely outphysicaled in a football game but they were last night.  I think everyone who has ever watched football knew that last QB sneak was coming...and it looked like a red avalanche.  Bravo.

11.  Moss is terrific with just enough wiggle to make him scary AF.  He's also got tremendous hands, as evidenced by the catch he made on the sidelines that didn't count because JA threw it too far OOB.  Still, a tremendous play.

12.  We need ONE win to clinch the division for the first time in a generation.  Let's get that done Saturday in the thin air, shall we?

 

Great write up AD. 

WRT the bolded, not even with a magic 8 ball and a ouijiboard. I hope we keep him for a few more years. 

[Alaska Darin]

I forgot to add 2 things:

 

1.  I was VERY impressed with Taron Johnson's speed.  He blew the doors off Smith Schuster. 

2.  The Davis TD was directly a result of how afraid the Steelers were of Diggs.  JA looked right at Diggs and gave a body fake, which moved the over defender forward towards Diggs, further opening the throwing lane.  JA's arm is so good he just needs a port hole to get the ball in.  That thing had to look like it was the size of a barn door.

[Ann]

56 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

1.  Diggs, Diggs, Diggs.  There's no way you watch that game last night and don't come away impressed with 14.  Best player on the field and did it all.  Must have had 75+ yards of YAC and threw some BLOCKS.

2.  Dawson Knox continues to be an enigma.  Terrible fumble that leads to Pittsburgh's first score.  Runs a 4 yard route on 3rd and 6 late in the 3rd quarter (I don't know what was coached there but damn...).  Dropped a long pass that was in his hands (yes, it would have been a great catch but that's what we pay you for).  Blocked pretty horribly in the first half...

All that aside, he made 2 of the biggest offensive plays on the game. 

     1.  The PI on the goal line was huge because it gave us the 2 score lead back.

     2.  The 16 yard gain on 3rd and 11 on the final drive that was basically the final blow to the Steelers' chance to make any sort of comeback.  He did a great job selling that he was blocking, and an even better job of just going North after the catch.  That's the kinda play the friggin' ***Patriots used to just break our hearts with.  It was awesome being on this side of it for a change.

3.  I was texting back-and-forth with my buddy Rob in the first half.  Literally seconds before Taron Johnson picked off BR, I said "this defense just doesn't get enough turnovers."  Thank you football Gods.  Taron Johnson's name is rarely called...because he's very good.  I hope he's ok because we need him.

4.  The officiating was once again terrible.  Goodness.  Examples:

    1.  Blowing the whistle on BR's fumble because of "forward progress."  Nope.  Touchdown Buffalo.

    2.  The second Steelers' TD was an egregious OPI that wasn't called because of the score.  Bull.

    3.  The Wallace INT yardage that was snatched from us.   Bull.

    4.  The holding penalty on Morse on the last drive that wiped out about a 40 yard run by JA.  Bull.  You haven't called that all game and the Steelers OLine was mugging our guys.  STOP REFFING THE SCORE.

    5.  I'd like to see Bass' missed extra point from the official's view because it looked good to me.

5.  Daboll called another excellent game.  We had 2 perfect shot plays called in the first half and the OLine let us down on both of them (one of them was the "interception").  Either of those woulda been huge momentum deals.  I challenge anyone to accurately predict what Daboll is going to do play-by-play.  Execution in the first half was lacking but there were plays to be made.

6.  As bad as the OLine was early, they were that good in the second half.  Morse and Williams had MONSTER second halfs.  Morse was helping, disengaging, and smashing second level guys on almost every play.  Willams got over the early yips and made TJ Watt his bitch.  He was singled most of the game against a very good pass rusher and he more than held his own.  Impressive.

7.  The DLine did a TREMENDOUS job of staying in their lanes most of the game, which made Ben very uncomfortable when he held the ball to try to make something happen down the field.  There was one third down when Milano just drove his blocker right into the path of Ben's arm, which almost ended in an interception by Treyday.

8.  Edmunds still runs into blocks far too often.  Almost every good running play the Steelers had were the result of him making a mistake.

9.  Another game, another step forward for Josh.  He got punched in the mouth about 238475759490 times in the first half and comes out of the tunnel and proceeds to have his best 3rd quarter of the season. 

10.  That was some terrific 4 minute offense.  Hey Pittsburgh, we're going to run the ball right at you until you stop us.  The Steelers are rarely outphysicaled in a football game but they were last night.  I think everyone who has ever watched football knew that last QB sneak was coming...and it looked like a red avalanche.  Bravo.

11.  Moss is terrific with just enough wiggle to make him scary AF.  He's also got tremendous hands, as evidenced by the catch he made on the sidelines that didn't count because JA threw it too far OOB.  Still, a tremendous play.

12.  We need ONE win to clinch the division for the first time in a generation.  Let's get that done Saturday in the thin air, shall we?

 

 

28 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I forgot to add 2 things:

 

1.  I was VERY impressed with Taron Johnson's speed.  He blew the doors off Smith Schuster. 

2.  The Davis TD was directly a result of how afraid the Steelers were of Diggs.  JA looked right at Diggs and gave a body fake, which moved the over defender forward towards Diggs, further opening the throwing lane.  JA's arm is so good he just needs a port hole to get the ball in.  That thing had to look like it was the size of a barn door.

Terrific write-up, @Alaska Darin!

The Steelers were right to fear Diggs. He tore them up, and as you said, was the best player on  the field.

 

[Alaska Darin]

Additional Thought:

 

I love that McDermott had Moss in the game for the 4 minute offense in an important game just a week after benching him for fumbling inside our 5 against San Francisco.  Accountability is critical to building a winning culture and it's something pretty much every coach we've had since Wade has mostly ignored.  Moss looked possessed out there.

[Nanker]

12 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

Additional Thought:

 

I love that McDermott had Moss in the game for the 4 minute offense in an important game just a week after benching him for fumbling inside our 5 against San Francisco.  Accountability is critical to building a winning culture and it's something pretty much every coach we've had since Wade has mostly ignored.  Moss looked possessed out there.

Some discipline to create self-awareness can work wonders on the right kind of individual. Makes them dedicated to being better. Moss is that kind of individual. We've got a team here that's been built right.

 

What a great time to be a fan of this team. Go Bills!

[KD in CA]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

10.  That was some terrific 4 minute offense.  Hey Pittsburgh, we're going to run the ball right at you until you stop us.  The Steelers are rarely outphysicaled in a football game but they were last night.  I think everyone who has ever watched football knew that last QB sneak was coming...and it looked like a red avalanche.  Bravo.

 

Boy did that feel good to watch, instead of forcing the defense to close it out.  Moss and the OL were terrific in the second half.

 

There's been a lot of bitching about the RBs, but when the blocking is there, they both have gotten the job done.

[Uncle Joe]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

Additional Thought:

 

I love that McDermott had Moss in the game for the 4 minute offense in an important game just a week after benching him for fumbling inside our 5 against San Francisco.  Accountability is critical to building a winning culture and it's something pretty much every coach we've had since Wade has mostly ignored.  Moss looked possessed out there.

Like I said in the GDT it was like he grew a 3rd hand.

[IDBillzFan]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

Additional Thought:

 

I love that McDermott had Moss in the game for the 4 minute offense in an important game just a week after benching him for fumbling inside our 5 against San Francisco.  Accountability is critical to building a winning culture and it's something pretty much every coach we've had since Wade has mostly ignored.  Moss looked possessed out there.

 

Great write up.

 

When they kept feeding Moss at the end, I found myself briefly worried before realizing that after getting benched for pretty much the entire Niners game, there was NO effin' way  Moss was going to fumble in that scenario last night.

 

Someone recently referred to some Josh Allen throws as a piss missile. That was precisely the way to describe that TD throw to Davis. That throw was just spectacular.

[GG1]

Speaking of the *Patriots, Bills executed Belichick's win the middle 8 to perfection.  

[Nouseforaname]

This is a special team my friends. I will give myself props and admit that I knew josh would be something special since we drafted him.

 

This team is going all the way.

[Nanker]

Lord I love this year’s squad. 

[shrader]

I turned on the game right as Johnson ran back the interception, then watched the rest. That’s the first Bills game I’ve watched in 5 years.