A Few Thoughts about the Steelers Game - Community Edition

[CNYfan]

Terrell Shavers and Hawes85 are very good at blocking the other team out of the way.  

The defense is better with Thompson45 than Bernard8 playing middle linebacker (see Carolina also).

Edited 54 minutes ago by CNYfan
additional thought

[Figster]

23 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

That and he has a new baby at home. He's looked unfocused the past two games. I agree I'm not overly concerned about his play in the long term. I'd like to give him a game off to recover if we can help it. We probably need him against Cincy and NE but maybe the Cleveland week he can pop up on the injury report and give him a week to rehab.

Working through Injury and returning punts? Probably not.

 

A little out of focus in Brady's run heavy, smash mouth O philosophy, perhaps. The finesse is gone.

 

I agree with the game off... 

Edited 41 minutes ago by Figster

[SoCal Deek]

38 minutes ago, Virgil said:

When the Bills started to get more primetime attention for their games, I thought the people on this board complaining about them were just grumpy old men.  While this wasn't a primetime game, I am finally starting to feel the non-1pm start-time fatigue.  As dumb as it sounds, I have a certain rhythm to my day before a 1pm game and these 4p or later games just don't feel the same.  

 

Also, I feel like I should note that many of these thoughts are not going to reflect a 19 point victory on the road in a crucial conference game, as I still can't figure out if the results were more about the Bills being better or the Steelers being worse.  Forgive me. 

 

1 - Late Hit on Allen - There's so many things about this moment that stand out to me.  First off, how that wasn't called by the refs is beyond insane to me.  There is no question that Queen started his tackle well after Allen began his slide and usually the refs err on the side of caution.  Not sure what happened here, but it was as bad as missed flag as I've seen.  Beyond that, so many Bills after the game said that was the turning point for them and played with attitude afterwards.  WHY?  Why does it take that hit in the final two minutes of the first half to get you motivated?  My biggest issue this season has been how this team has not even shown up for their losses, and even some of their wins.  To me, this is either coaching or the players have lost faith in the McD message.  Either way, being outside the 1 seed and the AFC East leader apparently isn't enough motivation alone.  

 

2 - Obstacle Required? - Call me crazy, but do the Bills tend to play better when they have an obvious obstacle on the team, or if there's a focal point on the opposing defense they need to scheme around?  It seems to me that whenever the Bills are going up against a TJ Watt, Parsons, missing offensive lineman, etc, that they are able to devise a scheme that overall results in a win.  However, when it's just a "must win" or scheme against an overall good team, they can't get the same results.  Watt and our minted Tackles were talked about, but never came to be a factor in the outcome of the game.  Watt didn't get a sack, nor did anyone else, and the Bills ran the ball at will.  But why do they need that extra motivation to achieve that result?

 

3 - Vintage Gabe - Remember when we were ready to let Gabe walk because he consistently gave up on routes, or ran the wrong ones?  Maybe I'm wrong, but the Josh interception seemed to be a prime example of Gabe not following through on his slant route and then not fighting for the ball.  Outside of that, Gabe was fairly non-existent as were the other receivers.  I don't want to give Coleman his own slot, but he also looked disinterested in his routes again, but thankfully came away with a touchdown.

 

4 - Benford - Benford stated post-game that he was assigned to follow Metcalf all over the field, and overall shut him down.  I can't remember many games where McD allowed that kind of shadow coverage to happen, but I'm glad to see the flexibility and result.

 

5 - Brady - I can understand how the media and others might view Brady calling the same running play over and over again would be imposing of wills and daring the other team to adjust, but to me, it's infuriating.  Yes, it worked and we won.  But we also know that it can easily not work and Brady won't know how to get away from it.  This has been feedback against Brady all season and it's frustrating to see it continue.  Brady also confirmed again that he does not know how to incorporate wide receivers into his gameplay.

 

6 - AJ - I'm sorry, but McD should have pulled him off the field after that stupid Unsportsmanlike Penalty.  AJ, you are not good enough to be pulling crap like that.  It was pointless and extended a Steelers offensive drive that was all but dead. 

 

7 - Villian - Can we please get someone from the opposing team to fight with Josh at the beginning of every game?  Clearly the vomitting, McD, and playlist aren't working for Josh anymore and he needs something else to get him going.  Thank you Heyward.  

 

8 - Cook - I mean, what else can you say about the guy.  So glad we extended him as you can just see the difference he makes out there.  His vision, cuts, burst, and overall speed is such a game changer.  His recent receptions surge has also been a nice bonus.  Many Steelers players said in the post game that they knew Cook was good, but it was next level seeing him in person.  With the way Shakir and the receivers have been non-existent as of late, it's good to know Josh has other support.  

 

9 - Josh - I would literally give anything right now for Josh to have an open and honest conversation about what's going on in his mind right now.  Josh wasn't bad in this game.  You could see him get fired up after some good runs, make some good throws, and the fiery competitor shine through at times, but Josh still isn't quite Josh.  I have no idea why, but I really do believe he's as frustrated with the coordinators and effort around him as we are.  It's very unlike Josh to show his frustration towards teammates, but you saw it on some of the false starts and broken plays.  I know Josh wants to be a good captain, but I think that also means knowing when to call people out.  Granted, not the way that Rodgers did in his postgame, but somewhere in-between.

 

10 - Pass Rush - When you only give up 7 points off a turnover, it's hard to want to talk negative about the defense.  I do still think the Steelers being inept on offense made us look better than we were.  With all of that, I'm very worried about the Bengals coming into town next week with our lack of pass rush.  We haven't received a status update on Bosa's hamstring, but he seems to be the only one that can generate any pressure right now.  Bosa's hit on Rodgers was amazing in both the execution and timing.  Burrow, with all day to throw, is a scary thought.  We aren't the same Bills offense that can keep up with a high scoring offense, so next week it going to require some work.

 

Go Bills!!!

Simple solution Virgil:

Move to Southern California! Early games start at 10:00am and it’s almost certainly going to be 75 and sunny the rest of the afternoon. 👍

[Ga boy]

20 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I don't disagree with any of this.  This season's missed expectations has definitely done a number on me.  To think that we could easily be in control of the 1 seed in a season where the Bengals, Ravens, and Chiefs aren't contenders has ruined me a bit.

I hear you Virg, the Fins and Falcon loses were vomit worthy, but the Pats and Texs loses I can kinda stomach.  Even in most of our wins, we have not played complete games.  During the SB years, fans became disgruntled with similar performances.  Still hard to believe that those teams didn’t win one with all those stars.  We don’t have anything now like those guys, except JA17.  Last night was encouraging.  Maybe they’ve found their identity.  Even though he had just one catch, I think Cooks presence is coming at the right time.  Go Bills!!

[Marcus Aurelius]

35 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Great write up as always, even sans the music lyrics.

 

I have to totally disagree about #5 and Brady.  Why would it frustrate you to see that same play working so successfully.  It is more an indictment against the mighty Mike Tomlin and his DC (no wonder they were chanting Fire Mike Tomlin, to steeler fans that had to be PAINFUL to watch)..  If you have a play the opponent cant stop, you do exactly what the Bills did, keep pounding it.  It was demoralizing to the Steelers and a hug bonus for our O Line (esp with both tackles out) to run the ball.

 

#9 and Josh.  I have been thinking the same thing all year.  He has seemingly been really hyper engaged or floundering and seemingly disengaged.  And I hope this thread doesn't dissolve into armchair marriage counselors second guessing his wife.

I hope not ...

[Kyle and freddy]

I had to re-check score to make sure we won yesterday after reading this  … my God the negativity. Total domination -16 more first downs , 23 more in Time of Possession … only points against a short field , set records of rushing on home field… it’s the NFL , not easy to win every week and be perfect on every play 

You would be better off being a Jets, Titans etc fan

[Draconator]

35 minutes ago, Virgil said:

To think that we could easily be in control of the 1 seed in a season where the Bengals, Ravens, and Chiefs aren't contenders has ruined me a bit.

Bills fans who thought that Pittsburg would beat us handily and the only victory would have been Josh escaping this game without a season ending injury have ruined me. 

[PromoTheRobot]

45 minutes ago, stlbills13 said:

I think we played well yesterday but I also believe the Steelers being inept covered up a lot of the same issues we've been seeing. We definitely played better than we did against Miami or Houston but still not at the level needed IMO. 

 

We played a very very bad team yesterday. Be thankful for the W but don't pat yourselves on the back too hard.

[Coach Tuesday]

29 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

imo shakir has been playing w an injury the whole season

 

he'll be better next year

 

Counting on Shakir to improve is a recipe for disaster IMO.  He is small and they throw to him right in the teeth of the defense - he takes an absolute beating and he'll be lucky at this rate to survive another 2-3 years without major injuries taking their toll.  (FTR I would say the same thing about Nacua, who is not small but plays with a violence that is simply not sustainable.)

Edited 38 minutes ago by Coach Tuesday

[Figster]

1 minute ago, Kyle and freddy said:

I had to re-check score to make sure we won yesterday after reading this  … my God the negativity. Total domination -16 more first downs , 23 more in Time of Possession … only points against a short field , set records of rushing on home field… it’s the NFL , not easy to win every week and be perfect on every play 

You would be better off being a Jets, Titans etc fan

We set very embarrassing records vs the Steelers for them to remember.

 

The kind that can put a HC on the hot seat...

[ColoradoBills]

7 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

We played a very very bad team yesterday. Be thankful for the W but don't pat yourselves on the back too hard.

 

I'll laugh if the Steelers beat the Ravens next week.

[GoBills808]

5 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

Counting on Shakir to improve is a recipe for disaster IMO.  He is small and they throw to him right in the teeth of the defense - he takes an absolute beating and he'll be lucky at this rate to survive another 2-3 years without major injuries taking their toll.  (FTR I would say the same thing about Nacua, who is not small but plays with a violence that is simply not sustainable.)

i don't mean he's going to improve as a player, im saying he'll get back to his 2023 form. in the right system he's a very useful piece...he's just got physical limitations that cap him as a wideout

[CircleTheWagons99]

 

[Psautcsk]

53 minutes ago, Virgil said:

When the Bills started to get more primetime attention for their games, I thought the people on this board complaining about them were just grumpy old men.  While this wasn't a primetime game, I am finally starting to feel the non-1pm start-time fatigue.  As dumb as it sounds, I have a certain rhythm to my day before a 1pm game and these 4p or later games just don't feel the same.  

 

Also, I feel like I should note that many of these thoughts are not going to reflect a 19 point victory on the road in a crucial conference game, as I still can't figure out if the results were more about the Bills being better or the Steelers being worse.  Forgive me. 

 

1 - Late Hit on Allen - There's so many things about this moment that stand out to me.  First off, how that wasn't called by the refs is beyond insane to me.  There is no question that Queen started his tackle well after Allen began his slide and usually the refs err on the side of caution.  Not sure what happened here, but it was as bad as missed flag as I've seen.  Beyond that, so many Bills after the game said that was the turning point for them and played with attitude afterwards.  WHY?  Why does it take that hit in the final two minutes of the first half to get you motivated?  My biggest issue this season has been how this team has not even shown up for their losses, and even some of their wins.  To me, this is either coaching or the players have lost faith in the McD message.  Either way, being outside the 1 seed and the AFC East leader apparently isn't enough motivation alone.  

 

2 - Obstacle Required? - Call me crazy, but do the Bills tend to play better when they have an obvious obstacle on the team, or if there's a focal point on the opposing defense they need to scheme around?  It seems to me that whenever the Bills are going up against a TJ Watt, Parsons, missing offensive lineman, etc, that they are able to devise a scheme that overall results in a win.  However, when it's just a "must win" or scheme against an overall good team, they can't get the same results.  Watt and our minted Tackles were talked about, but never came to be a factor in the outcome of the game.  Watt didn't get a sack, nor did anyone else, and the Bills ran the ball at will.  But why do they need that extra motivation to achieve that result?

 

3 - Vintage Gabe - Remember when we were ready to let Gabe walk because he consistently gave up on routes, or ran the wrong ones?  Maybe I'm wrong, but the Josh interception seemed to be a prime example of Gabe not following through on his slant route and then not fighting for the ball.  Outside of that, Gabe was fairly non-existent as were the other receivers.  I don't want to give Coleman his own slot, but he also looked disinterested in his routes again, but thankfully came away with a touchdown.

 

4 - Benford - Benford stated post-game that he was assigned to follow Metcalf all over the field, and overall shut him down.  I can't remember many games where McD allowed that kind of shadow coverage to happen, but I'm glad to see the flexibility and result.

 

5 - Brady - I can understand how the media and others might view Brady calling the same running play over and over again would be imposing of wills and daring the other team to adjust, but to me, it's infuriating.  Yes, it worked and we won.  But we also know that it can easily not work and Brady won't know how to get away from it.  This has been feedback against Brady all season and it's frustrating to see it continue.  Brady also confirmed again that he does not know how to incorporate wide receivers into his gameplay.

 

6 - AJ - I'm sorry, but McD should have pulled him off the field after that stupid Unsportsmanlike Penalty.  AJ, you are not good enough to be pulling crap like that.  It was pointless and extended a Steelers offensive drive that was all but dead. 

 

7 - Villian - Can we please get someone from the opposing team to fight with Josh at the beginning of every game?  Clearly the vomitting, McD, and playlist aren't working for Josh anymore and he needs something else to get him going.  Thank you Heyward.  

 

8 - Cook - I mean, what else can you say about the guy.  So glad we extended him as you can just see the difference he makes out there.  His vision, cuts, burst, and overall speed is such a game changer.  His recent receptions surge has also been a nice bonus.  Many Steelers players said in the post game that they knew Cook was good, but it was next level seeing him in person.  With the way Shakir and the receivers have been non-existent as of late, it's good to know Josh has other support.  

 

9 - Josh - I would literally give anything right now for Josh to have an open and honest conversation about what's going on in his mind right now.  Josh wasn't bad in this game.  You could see him get fired up after some good runs, make some good throws, and the fiery competitor shine through at times, but Josh still isn't quite Josh.  I have no idea why, but I really do believe he's as frustrated with the coordinators and effort around him as we are.  It's very unlike Josh to show his frustration towards teammates, but you saw it on some of the false starts and broken plays.  I know Josh wants to be a good captain, but I think that also means knowing when to call people out.  Granted, not the way that Rodgers did in his postgame, but somewhere in-between.

 

10 - Pass Rush - When you only give up 7 points off a turnover, it's hard to want to talk negative about the defense.  I do still think the Steelers being inept on offense made us look better than we were.  With all of that, I'm very worried about the Bengals coming into town next week with our lack of pass rush.  We haven't received a status update on Bosa's hamstring, but he seems to be the only one that can generate any pressure right now.  Bosa's hit on Rodgers was amazing in both the execution and timing.  Burrow, with all day to throw, is a scary thought.  We aren't the same Bills offense that can keep up with a high scoring offense, so next week it going to require some work.

 

Go Bills!!!

I agree with everything you posted, especially Epenesa and the stupid penalty. He should have been on the sidelines immediately but I guess when there is so little depth at DE it's a tough thing to do. I was thinking the same thing about Allen being frustrated with what he has to work with (players and coaching). You are spot on about your Bengals worries. 

[TFBillsfan]

12 minutes ago, Ga boy said:

I hear you Virg, the Fins and Falcon loses were vomit worthy, but the Pats and Texs loses I can kinda stomach.  Even in most of our wins, we have not played complete games.  During the SB years, fans became disgruntled with similar performances.  Still hard to believe that those teams didn’t win one with all those stars.  We don’t have anything now like those guys, except JA17.  Last night was encouraging.  Maybe they’ve found their identity.  Even though he had just one catch, I think Cooks presence is coming at the right time.  Go Bills!!

Outside of the Panthers and Jets game, the Bills have struggled all season to play a complete game. Either the D gets run over, self inflicted penalties, turnovers and at times questionable play calling! That has to change down the stretch. 

A healthy Shakir, Palmer, Cooks, Davis and Kincaid SHOULD open up the passing game. If Brady can’t scheme these guys open, we’re in trouble! 

[US Egg]

26 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Simple solution Virgil:

Move to Southern California! Early games start at 10:00am and it’s almost certainly going to be 75 and sunny the rest of the afternoon. 👍

That's cold blooded.

[2003Contenders]

24 minutes ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

 

Why Is Gabe just standing around watching? LOL