The Steelers seize control of the AFC North!
:10—Well, well, well. I told you, I told you. Here we are in Week 2 of the NFL season and our Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 after a determined effort against the Denver Broncos in Denver and 2 games ahead of the 0-2 Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. Yeah, the Cleveland Browns pulled out an 18-13 victory over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars and are 1-1 but seriously, they’re the Browns.
:09—As usual, let’s hit the highlights first. It all starts with the defense again. Two road victories, 16 total points allowed, stellar play against the run, allowing the Broncos to tote the ball for only 64 yards and a 3.4 yards per carry average; we will take this every week and never look back. The men up front, led by Cam Heyward, have been outstanding, no slice of daylight to run anywhere. As for the linebackers, Patrick Queen was everywhere and showed why he was a Pro Bowl linebacker last season, and our bookend pass rushers, Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt, both recorded sacks and tackles for loss.
:08—And let’s not forget about the secondary, two more interceptions, one for Damontae Kazee and one for Cory Trice Jr., his first career interception, stopping a Denver drive in the end zone and keeping the momentum for the Steelers. Joey Porter Jr.? Forget about it, we’re gonna need a nickname like Revis Island for the man, nobody is throwing his way. Porter’s Planet? I’m spit-balling here, boys and girls, cut me some slack.
:07—Justin Fields was again error-free, managing the play calls as they were sent in, 13-20 for 117 yards and his first TD pass of the year to gigantic tight end Darnell Washington, catching his first career touchdown in his second year and then saluting his brother in the military. Fields did enough to earn the victory but with the ultra-conservative play-calling, the offense seems no better than last year’s offense under Matt Canada. Can we do a play-action pass on first down instead of Najee Harris running into the stacked defensive line? I’m just saying.
:06—Sticking with Najee Harris, another hard-nosed, grind-it-out performance, 17 carries for 69 yards, a nice 4.1 yards per carry average and grit and determination on every play. Feed him the ball 25+ times and see what happens. The man is a piece of iron.
:05—Why the Steelers aren’t targeting George Pickens at least 15 times a game is a total mystery to me. He should easily be getting 100 receiving yards each game and at least 10 receptions. Did ya see the 51-yard reception down the sidelines that got called back by a Broderick Jones hold? It was artistry like Lynn Swann used to show every game. Pickens is a singular talent and if you don’t utilize him and his extraordinary skill set, you’re just wasting him here and as soon as possible he’s going to be gone to a team that wants to throw his way as often as possible. C’mon man, throw him the damn ball, it’s 2024, not 1974.
:04—Unfortunately we have to mention Broderick Jones, he of the 3 penalties in 6 plays during the third series of the game and his immediate benching right after by Coach Mike Tomlin. Broderick’s comments after the game summed it up perfectly, he needs to get his head in the game and play better. I understand there is quite a lot of talk around town about his handling by the coaching staff and there’s something to it, but on the flip side, maybe his being moved to right tackle is simply a case of not enough talent. The NFL is littered with top draft picks that never lived up to the supposed pedigree and maybe, just maybe, that’s the case with Jones. I hope not, his talent level seems high and I do expect him to thrive in the very near future. If the reason turns out to be mismanagement, shame on the entire coaching staff.
:03—Moving on, how bout that young man QB’ing the Pitt Panthers to a 2-0 start, QB Eli Holstein, the youngster with ice in his veins and an arm that can sling the football all over the place. Head Coach Pat Narduzzi has to be happy as can be at his QB freshman transfer and how he’s performed so far this season, putting the Panthers on his back in the come-from-behind victory over the archrival WVU Mountaineers in this latest edition of the Backyard Brawl, 38-34, on Sept. 14. With two touchdowns in the closing minutes, Holstein showed he’s capable of even bigger and better things. It’s a down year in the ACC we’re being told so let’s hope the Panthers are able to capitalize and win the ACC and get to a January bowl game.
:02—I know everyone in town is rooting for Paul Skenes to win the Cy Young Award alongside the Rookie of the Year Award, but I believe he’s going to fall short on the Cy Young Award to Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale for two reasons. First, Sale has pitched in 28 games this season while Skenes has pitched in 20. You say so what, but with stats that are pretty similar, Sale’s ERA is 2.35 while Skenes carries a 2.10 ERA, strikeouts per 9 innings are identical, Quality Starts in line together, I think it’s basically a draw except Sales has pitched the entire season. Secondly, Sale missed most of the last three seasons due to injury and everyone loves a good comeback story. Sale is known as a bit of a hard case to reporters and not the best teammate to have so that might work in Skenes’ favor, but I think the scales tip in Chris Sale’s fortunes this season.
:01—Remember when your Pittsburgh Pirates were in the Wild Card chase? Yeah, good times.
:00—Sidney Crosby just signed a 2-year extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a team-friendly $17.4 million. Crosby is always about the team first and that’s why he has three Stanley Cup rings and is considered a Top 5 All-Time player. We have been incredibly fortunate to watch this man on the ice and the way he always carries himself with class and dignity. Damn lucky.
GAME OVER.
About Post Author
