Blinkscout Game 7 ... Steelers ...

So ... the ending was mostly infuriating. I'm not going to beat a dead horse, just acknowledging that I feel your pain. In my opinion, all you'd have to do is change the "timeout needed" to inside of 6 minutes in the 4th ... the end of the game demands more necessitated timeout spending before the 2 minute warning in close games.
Nothing major. If you mess up in the first half it doesn't cost you the game.

Another note before I start ... this is a better Pittsburgh team and QB than I think most assume. I got worried the second I saw D Johnson came off IR. Pickett can play. Pickens is a top 5 athlete at the position, D Johnson is slippery. Warren and Harris together form a formidable backfield. They're 4-2. Pretty sure just a half game behind the Ravens, whom they hold a tiebreaker over.


The Great

1) Repetitive? Maybe. PUKA. Specifically maybe the best couple plays made on one of the greatest drive that I can remember since the Bengal superbowl and Kupp. The sideline catch and then RAC in the red zone. Wow.

2) Offensive line run blocking. Not only did we not get out beefed, we moved large men over and over. Case in point, I could feel Henderson's confusion that there were gaping holes ... and Freeman can only really run straight ... didn't matter.

3) This will be in two spots... Tutu on the TD.

4) The 4th down "stop" at the end of the game.


The Good

5) Hoecht geting home twice. Yes he was being blocked by someone he should beat, but he handled it.

6) Byron Young getting some vicious hits in.

7) Darrel Henderson scoring after being on his couch ten days ago.

8) Matching violence with a violent team.

9) Stafford running on 3rd and 9 and getting it. How can you not give your all for that guy?


The Bad

10) I said if we were going to get beat, it's because we can't cover George Pickens. I'm not happy about being right, but it helps me steer my approach to the offseason.

11) The PI call on Witherspoon was bogus. He was making a play on a back shoulder throw.

12) The league has to do something about the intentional grounding garbage.

13) The empty sets are getting frustrating.

14) Safety play is again, uninspiring.

15) Getting picked off by an edge rusher is not okay.

16) Coop, those are all the drops you get.


The Ugly

17) I'm done with Kendricks.

18) I get that we want to call for Maher's head. And it was ugly ... but we don't have that luxury. And that is even uglier.


College

19) Going to do a whole post on this because we're getting to the final stretch of meaningful games. Want to have some prospects to look for over the next month. Lots to discuss on transfers and extra years of play.


Questions and comments welcome.

I feel like I missed a bit.

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