The good the bad and the ugly ravens II

We won on a last minute drive two weeks in a row
Najee and Warren ran great
Pickett is turning the corner
Defense stood up and played when necessary
Tomlin is still got a chance to not have a losing season
We still have a chance for the playoffs

 

I still think Canada stinks and needs to be replaced

the Special Teams are insufferably frustrating with kick coverage and constant holding calls on kick and/or punt returns

They have a couple of keepers on the OL but should still be revamped in a few positions

I’m still not 100% sold on Pickett yet but he looks alot better than he did in Oct and early Nov

the defense is still a bit leaky for my taste but plays good enough to be a playoff unit

very impressive run to get to 8-8 after starting 2-6

 

The Ugly is the three games that we should have won earlier this season would have us already in the playoffs.

 

I agree Canada has to go. His offense simply sucks.

 

Week 17
Miami lose to NE ✅
NYJ lose to Seattle ✅
Super Steelers win @ Balt ✅

Week 18
Miami loss to NYJ
NE lose to Buffalo
Super Steelers win vs Cleveland

of the above 6 things that needed to happen I thought winning tonight and NYJ beating Miami next week were the toughest tasks

We’ll see what happens next week

 

If Tua doesn’t play next week I like our chances. Bridgewater broke a finger and won’t be playing.

 

Agree

 

Of course we have to beat the Browns.

 

Kenny became the first rookie in NFL history to win two consecutive games on game winning drives at the end of the game. Something to ponder.

 

Well, I haven't really been able to watch a full game since the second Bengals game and I was happy to watch this one. It was Steelers-Ravens in all it's physical toughness and glory. RR1 predicted the exact score but refrained from picking a winner Nice one.

The good:
198 yards rushing with a 4.8yd/rush is very encouraging. I really like Jaylen Warren. He goes from "I really hope he makes the cut" to legitimate RB. That helps Harris who also played well.

Kenny Pickett on the two late scoring drives. Both were 80 yard drives which is tough in this league. His TD pass was a thing of beauty. Pickett has no amazing physical attributes but, he's mobile and accurate. His greatest tool is above the neckline. I'm hoping he continues to develop along the path he is taking.

The D wasn't perfect but 13 points and 240 yards is more than acceptable. Having Jackson out was a big break but they've done well against him too, for the most part. I want to specify how much I like Spillane's game last night. He was everywhere. He diagnosed a screen pass and made a great tackle at the LOS.

The Bad:
The special teams gave up a big return late that could've affected the outcome of the game. This is too common for this group. They've got to be better.

The Heyward penalty. That was an extra 4 points for the Ravens in a tight game. Mistakes like that are avoidable so don't make them. Cam is wonderful so I won't harp on him too much

Boz misses again. Yes, it's 48 yards but there's been times he's been automatic from that distance. I hope he gets there again. Still, he hit from 51 late in the game.

The Ugly:
The two games I was forced to watch in my region. First, Bears-Lions and then Packers-Vikes. That was tough to pay attention to. Fortunately, I caught the tail end of NE-Miami.

Kayvon Thibodeaux. Enough said.

Summary: Well, here they are at 8-8 and the opportunity to have a winning season despite starting a rookie QB on a team trying to find it's way. As Steelers fans, I know we have some different ideas of what a successful season is. I know some aren't high on Pickett or Tomlin(For the record, I'm fine with both), but our numbers are dwindling here on the boards and I hate to see healthy differences of opinion spiral down into petty behaviors that make people look for greener pastures to talk football. If you've ever been over to FB and read posts from the troglodytes that frequent there, you'll fall to your knees and be thankful as to what we've got here.

Back to the Steelers: I think Canada has to go but I still see a nucleus of young players that can grow and improve. I want them to make the playoffs simply because of the experience it will garner those guys. It will benefit them even though KC will humble this team.

Go Steelers....and Bills.....and Jets.

 

Not only did Pickett do something never done by a rookie QB before,but Friermuth became only the second TE in NFL history to start his career with back to back 60 catch seasons. Now can we top this off with some back to back to back playoffs?

 

The extra good, the bears haven’t won a game since they traded for claypool.

 

The Steelers made the right choice because the Packers are, most likely, going to the playoffs.

 

Something else to ponder how many rookie qbs got to play back to back games against teams that cough up the lead?

5 of the Ravens 6 losses have come in the 4th quarter. In 4 of them a touchdown was scored with less than 2 minutes to go and the Ravens having the lead. In the other one they were tied when the Bills kicked a field goal as time expired to win.

As for the Raiders the Raiders are the first team to lose five or more times in one season when leading by double digits in the second half.

 

Pickett deserves credit for making the plays when the game was on the line. He also deserves criticism when he missed open guys (didn't see much of that this game). As I've said before, hope I'm wrong about Kenny but I don't like his ceiling.

 

He’s better than Trubisky, hopefully he gets a lot better his second season. I wouldn’t have signed Trubisky and just rolled with Rudolph until Pickett was ready. The season couldn’t have gone any worse than it did before the bye week.

 

Miami is talking about starting Thompson at Quarterback. We need Buffalo to win tonight. If they win they have everything to play for next week. The Jets coach won’t let his team fold, he wants to win, draft capital doesn’t mean crap to him. The Steelers have to make sure that they beat the browns this week.

 

Good for you.

 

For what it's worth:

 

You're never gonna get Beachbum to admit he was wrong about Trubisky. Weird hill to die on, but that's his thing, I guess.

Pickett's progress is encouraging to see. Curious how much they improve the offense around him (including coordinator change) this off-season.