:10—Well, well, well…to all the naysayers and fly-by-night fans who were ready to wave the white flag after the Steelers’ loss at the Cleveland Browns, “How Ya Like Me Now?” Our Pittsburgh Steelers went into Cincinnati and put up 44 on the Bengals’ woeful defense and came away with a victory over the tremendous Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase offense, 44-38, Dec. 1. This was without a doubt a total team victory so let’s go to the highlight reel.
:09—As always, we gotta start at the top and the passing show Russell Wilson put on, shades of the 2015-2020 Wilson on display. First off, Russell was 29-38 for 414 yards and seemingly whenever he needed a completion to keep a drive going, he was right on the money. He hit Calvin Austin III, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth for touchdowns and his ability to move in and out of the pocket and complete passes downfield was just spectacular. Wilson has been exactly what we all wanted and expected from him when he was signed and the sky is the limit as they continue to let him matriculate the ball downfield without playing it safe. Yeah, I stole “matriculate the ball downfield” from Hank Stram, but you didn’t know that. And I applaud the use of Justin Fields running the ball on third down for the first down one time. Not five or six times, just once. And did ya ever think the Steelers would pass for over 400 yards this season? Me either.
:08—Continuing with the offense, although Wilson had 414 yards passing, no receiver had 100 yards receiving, George Pickens and his glue fingers topping the team with 74 yards on just 3 receptions and a TD for an average of 24.7 yards per catch. The man is outstanding and I would throw him the ball 15 times a game if I was the OC. I’m just saying. But back to my main point. By spreading out the ball to 10, that’s right, 10 different receivers, the Bengals had no clue who was going to get the ball next and this completely befuddled their lackluster defense even more. Wilson hit Freiermuth 6 times for receptions and a TD and the same for Najee Harris, 6 receptions and a TD. Watching the defensive backfield cringe whenever Najee pulled in a pass and headed their way was particularly satisfying for this old lineman from Slippery Rock. A well-balanced receiving corps matches up well with any team in the NFL right now and bodes well for the playoffs. Yeah, I said it, deal with it and quit your bellyaching.
:07—Najee Harris left, Najee Harris right, Najee up the middle, Najee on a pass play outta the backfield, Najee, Najee, Najee. Sixteen carries for 74 yards, a 4.7 yards-per-carry average and a nice TD run all add up to a stellar performance for Najee, 824 yards rushing for the season, 250 yards receiving and the total package we’ve come to expect from out running back. Now, can we get this man under contract for the next three or four seasons?
:06—Shifting over to defense, it’s time to say T.J. Watt is once again the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. Against the Bengals all T.J. did was sack Joe Burrow twice, once a strip sack that caused a fumble we recovered, three tackles for loss and a disruptive force on every snapped ball. Whether it’s batting down a ball or stuffing a runner at the line of scrimmage, T.J. is head and shoulders above any other defensive player in the NFL. The intimidation factor alone when he steps on the field is worth every plaudit he receives. ‘Nuff said.
:05—We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Cam Heyward, the #1 rated defensive interior lineman in the NFL and well on his way to All-Pro status again. Cam had a sack, 5 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against the Bengals including a piledrive for a 3 yard loss on Chase Brown. Cam is the heart and soul of this team and his example of playing 100 percent on every down is something for all the Steelers to emulate. Start making that Hall of Fame bust right about now.
:04—Donte Jackson now has 5 interceptions on the season and has played exceptionally all season. Diontae Johnson for the Ravens game this week had zero receptions for zero yards and zero TDs on zero targets. I’d say that’s a win for the Steelers, wouldn’t you? And wasn’t it nice to see Nick Herbig strip sack Joe Burrow and have Peyton Wilson pick up the fumble and run it in for a TD? Great having both these young talents on the field at the same time. More of this, please.
:03—Changing it up a minute; how about your Pitt Panthers beating Ohio State in hoops 91-90 on a last-second, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Zack Austin from the top of the key, an incredible shot and a statement win beating Ohio State on their home court and solidifying Pitt’s rise in the ranks of the NCAA and the ACC. It’s early yet but Pitt is rolling in the right direction and Jeff Capel seems to be pushing all the right buttons on the Pitt Panthers.
:02—If Penn State beats #1 Oregon Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Big Ten title game, Penn State should ascend to #1 and be the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff. They would have one of the four byes in the tourney and wouldn’t play ’til New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. Let all that sink in while thinking about how every national media member had them buried after the Ohio State loss. Yeah, good times.
:01—The great Sidney Crosby scored his 600th goal last week, Nov. 23, becoming the 21st player in NHL history to achieve that illustrious number. With a little luck he should move into 17th place by the end of the season and as his numbers increase and his legend grows it’s been our great fortune to watch this tremendous man and athlete for his entire career and all praise he is receiving is well-deserved. He is a Top 5 All-Time player and we’ve been honored to watch him for the past 20 years. Thanks, Sid, for all the great times, we’ve enjoyed watching you bring us three Stanley Cup championships.
:00—GAME OVER.
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