Pittsburgh was up seven points at the half after being run out of Kansas City. I thought they had a chance because they have done things that defy the laws of football over the past couple years. I would have had genuine concern about Patrick Mahomes' confidence unraveling due to Andy Reid if I hadn't been watching with a die-hard K.C. fan.
I was worried about two things: 1) Mike Tomlin is a great coach, and 2) the organization seems to run like Disney, even when a show or movie underwhelms, they continue to break records and walk away with wins. Ben Roethlisberger has a brand that has them ingrained in the conversation.
It was nice to see a player who everyone wanted out of the league look like a washed up mess. If you want to get angry or laugh at NBC, you can read Stephen's article about the hero's sendoff, but he shouldn't have written it.
I am not going to talk about "7," as Tomlin referred to him. I am going to talk about what Pittsburgh does at quarterback going forward, and how their strategy and infrastructure will probably lead to a better outcome than you would see from most teams trying to rebound after losing a quarterback. The Giants are in New York.
If the experts are to be believed, and the team is headed by Rudolph, then I am not going to offer any opinions about the team next year. They will most likely go.500 or better again and maybe sneak into the playoffs with a little luck.
He said after they beat the Browns in Week 17 that they had another non-losing season.
We want to get into a single elimination tournament this year and try to win the World Championship. Our mentality is that every year.
It is just certain hardware that you expect to pick up along the way. You would be disappointed if you didn't. That is an expectation that we have in Pittsburgh.
The media, his players, and fans love him. He is one of the best quotes in the league and he is also one of the best coaches. I believe him if he says they are going to try Rudolph. If they try to fix the man, they will stop believing because it is impossible.
It is easy to say that Pittsburgh should have drafted a successor earlier, but they focused on fixing the flaws that Roethlisberger had masked for so long, so finding that QB and not pissing off your guy along the way seems like it was too delicate of a balancing act for the organization.
T.J. Watt and the defense were an enigma this season, as evidenced by my inability to start them the right week in fantasy, but also by their ability to pressure quarterbacks, stop the pass, and hold teams out of the end zone.
When your safety leads the team in tackles it is often because running backs are getting past the front seven and Minkah Fitzpatrick recorded 124 tackles. Whether the Steelers were tired, bad, or both up front is debatable, but constantly being relied on to get stops because your offense can't score, or getting the ball run down your throat because the other team is protecting a lead/afraid of your pass rush, are key points
Even if JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn't get hurt, they were hampered by 7's inability to raise his yards-per-pass attempt above 7. The reworked offensive line was able to open up enough holes for Najee Harris to rack up 1,200 yards, so that is promising if the team is similarly passing challenged next year.
I don't like reaching for a quarterback who isn't there, and the Steelers shouldn't try to get a quarterback in the draft unless they get one from the New England dynasty. Pittsburgh made due with a quarterback who is aged and has the experience, coaching, infrastructure, and talent necessary to remain relevant.
They may have to settle for that until they figure out the answer at quarterback, as they stated above. The first quarter and a half against K.C. showed that they can hang in there, and that is a good sign for whoever is selected, signed, or promoted to lead the offense.
You just hope that player is worthy of a coach like Tomlin, a team like the Steelers, and a city that is devoted to Pittsburgh.
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