December 8, 2025 • 44 mins
Rob King, Matt Williamson, and Mike Prisuta as always break down the game on Sunday sharing their thoughts and takeaways as the black and gold secured a very important victory in Baltimore.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hello, and welcome to the Point after presented by your
neighborhood Forwards joining the Steers Pro Shop get it direct
from the team at shop dot stels dot com, here
on DVE and the Steers Audio Network following to see
there's twenty seven to twenty two victory over the Ravens
yesterday in Baltimore that secured for now at least first
place in the AFC North or the Steelers by themselves
(00:29):
alongside Mike Presuda and Matt Williamson. I'm Rob king So
let's before we dive into some of the specifics of
this game. Mike, let's begin with you with your first
reaction to what you saw yesterday in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
You know, Kinger, I wasn't surprised that they were able
to get it together for a game against the Ravens
that traditionally that is the case.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Playoff game last year was an outlier. Even the game
in late December that they lost a year ago could
have been very different if not for a couple of
unfortunate occurrences.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Russell Wilson's fumble, etc.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I want to see what they do next. I've thought
there's a team in there all along. You know, maybe
not the eighty five Bears, but certainly better than a
six and six team. And it was, well, we were
calling it on the Morning show this morning, the most
tumultuous week in Mike Tomlin's tenure. And they were able
(01:26):
to shut out the noise, prepare, plan, execute. Not a
perfect game, but they had the physicality, they had the
resiliency they needed, They had whatever intangible you want to
site as you must have playing Baltimore. In Baltimore, it
was another classic Steelers Ravens game.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Great, hooray, it's a great rivalry. It still is.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
What are you going to do against Miami? What are
you gonna do at Cleveland? Because the door is now
open again, just walk through it. I think those will
be the games that define the Steelers for the regular season.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Yeah, one hundred percent agree. I mean, this is not
a preview show, but that Dolphins game looms large. Now.
They're playing really, really well. They're definitely not the running
the hell out of it, oh man. I mean the
exact formula that the Steelers aren't dealing with so well
at the moment in terms of running games. Their hotness
could be. I mean, it does not look like everyone's
(02:23):
getting fired. Blah blah blah. You know it would it
looked like a while ago. I agree with that. Then
you said, Mike, I mean, you go to Baltimore in
December and win a meaningful game. That's awesome, you know.
I mean it'll be awesome ten years from now. It
was awesome twenty years ago, you know. I mean, that's awesome.
And I think the biggest thing positive is I think
(02:44):
it's the best game Aaron Rodgers played as a Steeler.
I mean, if you get your quarterback playing it back
to a high level, you're gonna be competitive. I mean,
we just know what a quarterback driven league this is. Now.
If this was Ravens Nation Radio, I always love to
do that on Monday, you might be like, man, we
could just convert in the red zone and the ref
screwed us on a couple of calls, and we had
him where we want him at the end.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
And I think the other way around. If the ref's
hadn't job, that's had a bud, that's number one. What's
going on down in Baltimore? I bet, I bet you know.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
But I thought Steelers were the better team I got.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I have no complaint with any of that, and I
don't want to forget to circle back to something you
said about the team in general, which I want to
get to in a moment, but since we're, you know,
maybe dealing with some of the specifics of the game.
I thought there's been times this year where Aaron Rodgers
has been fantastic.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I thought it was very good for the Jets. Wasn't
his mobile?
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Then we saw him moving around some in the in
the pocket, and and I thought against the Bengals, he
played a fantastic game.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
Matt.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
That's that was the number one takeaway on this victory
for me. I thought Aaron Rodgers looked great. There's been
times where he looked like he's turned back the clock.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Again, Cincinnati certainly comes to mind, this one comes to mind.
There are other times where he's looked mobile and moved around.
Yesterday he ran for his first touchdown since November twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Yeah, but you know, I called it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
I said, I made that call because I saw him
take off and I'm in here watching the game.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
What are you the same thing?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, that was a cool moment.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It was a cool moment. And if he plays like that,
that's what you need to do to get to the playoffs.
Play good December football and win a game in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Ye at least.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, I mean you need that from your quarterback. It's
the most important position in all of sports. And and
I don't say that just blithely.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
It just is.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
I mean, maybe goaltender and hockey you'd be close, but
it's it's the most You can't win without it. And
he looked phenomenal, not just from the very first row
of the game, but then ducking under a Mike Green
sack and rolling out and moving around in the pocket.
I'm glad you mentioned him because that was my number
one takeaway.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
He looked great, I thought. I agree.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
And really, since they've signed him, I've been quoting this
country song that I butcher the heck out of every time.
Is something along the lines of it's like one of
the most popular as long as you guys will probably
heard of it. I'm not as great as I once was,
but I can still be great once in a while.
Speaker 6 (05:18):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
It's basically, I ain't as good as I once was,
but I'm as good once as I ever was.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Much better.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Crush it, I crush it right, but you would do
that a couple of times a year, and one of
them is in the postseason or you know flashes like Okay,
you know.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
By the way you batted, I think you badded three
thirty three on that, which is which is All Star
and Baseball it's an MVP. Uh you didn't get to
quote right, and only one of one of the two
of us knew that song, and that would would be.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
My I thought justin might be failing. Okay, but I
figured one of the four in the room and many.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Of the listeners for getting there.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You're just like not knowing this lyricists there, what happened?
Speaker 5 (05:55):
It's a big one, right, Yeah, I've never read it.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I don't know a lot about so when you get yeah,
don't don't know who does that song?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Toby Keith, Okay, he's pretty soil from what I gather.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
Yes, I think that's true.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
But he's in the same category for me as who's
Who's Who's the popular singer that they're always showing in
the Chiefs games.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
I'm really happy to swift. Thank you spoke.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
Yeah, my mind is not the most happy walk the
mind the elevator to the elevators go home and watch
table day.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Rooms, just studying football.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I don't know any songs to I don't know any
songs by her or Toby two of them.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Don't know Taylor Swift and Toby Keith.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
I know Taylor Swift.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I know Taylor Swift. I just couldn't come Okay, I
just couldn't come up from the most popular. But I
don't know any of her songs either. That was my
I don't know any of her song I don't know.
So I'm sure she actually huge, she's hugely popular. I'm
sure she's wonderful. Yeah, she should be as as Alex Balanciago,
my buddy over at this year there's you know, he says,
(07:06):
how is that rock you're living on?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Her must be wonderful. Great, It's fantastic, It's wonderful.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
My family called Matt World, want to go.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
To Okay, So the students won.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
In case you're wondering this is this show is called
the Point after the Students winning twenty seven twenty two,
So Rogers I thought was great.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
One other thing, Mike that I've been highly, highly.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And highly encouraged by something else, and that is the
continued excellent play of Brandon Eccles and James Pierre. And
if those guys, you know, and Eccles had a sack,
Pierre had an interception. You know, this was supposed to
be Joey Porter Jr. Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, you know,
(07:56):
being able to play against the run and lining up
and shutting down other teams top receivers. Now Jalen rams
Ramsey's a safety, Darius Lay is contemplating his next career move.
And you're under two corners besides Joey Porter Jr. Are
Brandon Echols, who was supposed to be your fourth corner
and special teams guy, and James Pierre, who was on
the practice squad to begin the season. I can't say
(08:18):
enough about how good those guys have been. Sante Samuel
only took one snap yesterday, and.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, that's a great point.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Before I expand upon it, I do want to get
back to Rogers for a second, because you know I
immediately started looking ahead to Miami. This is the point
after right, he said, But just you know, the up
and down nature of this season has been it's worn
on me. Let me put it that way. I'm sure
it has so many fans and I just you know,
I want I want to see what they got against
(08:45):
the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Not the traditional heavyweight battle royal. But if you looked
at Rogers.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yesterday, just the way he was moving in the pockets
exactly feel compare that to the Chargers game. I thought
he was great up until the Chargers game. I thought
he had a terrible Chargers game. Then he was the
couple quarters he played against the Bengals at home, he
wasn't great. That was back to being the guy that
when we watched him play the first couple months of
(09:11):
the season. I don't know about you, guys, I never
once thought about his age. I just thought about there's
a guy that knows how to play this position right,
and that has been the goal all along. That's why
they waited as long as they did to sign him,
and that's why it's potentially different and all that people
keep bringing up on various platforms.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
They're just gonna get blown out in the playoffs. Well
maybe not if they have that guy.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
But your point about the Dbacks is also spot on, Eccles.
I think there were some higher profile guys arriving when
he got here and he didn't get maybe the a
claim he should have pretty good NFL defensive back, very
good slot back, and he can help you on special teams.
(09:56):
And Pierre just refuses to go away. I mean, this
kid is been up and down for a number of years.
He's probably in terms of tenures he the longest Fenurared Steeler,
or he's got to.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Be on the short one.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
He might be.
Speaker 7 (10:09):
Well, I mean you have Watt and uh Cam yeah, right,
other than those guys, right, he's been an eye on
that list and he and he's had an interesting career.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And and by the way, I'll give you a connection
between Pierre and Rogers. And maybe I didn't leave us
enough time to talk about Rogers because it was just
last week that articles were coming back out about how
old he.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Looked and how bad he looked and all the other stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Worried, right, and then you know, he has a performance
like this one and it reminds you that he was
terrific right up until that that game on Sunday night
in l A against the Chargers. But I had a
chance to talk to James Pierre and said, you know, man,
he's had an interesting career, right, draft or not drafted.
(10:53):
Undrafted comes during COVID right, Mike tom Loins, Like basically
I didn't really even get a chance to meet these guys,
know and talk to him much. At one time, they
viewed him as a potential starter, right at one time
in his career, there was a little buzz around James
Pierre and then he he went from that to pretty
good special Teams guide off and on the roster. I mean,
(11:14):
he just kind of hung in there. And I was
asking him like about that journey, like what gave you
the confidence? And he said that one of the guys
was Aaron Rodgers, like in camp being like, hey, I
see you forty two, I see what you're doing out
over there, just a little bit of encouragement to.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
Kind of keep him going.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Which again, and that has been Rogers' habit throughout it.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, absolute, everybody, right, there hasn't been a hint at
least in the times when the media is allowed in
the locker room or watching them want to practice field
interacting with people.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
There hasn't been a hint of Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
And you're not, absolutely and I think that any and
now we're rolling the clock back, right because because there
are a lot of people that go I don't care who.
I don't want to sign him, you know what I mean.
And and listen, they make these people some want a
playoff game. They may be right. I don't want to
wait around for this guy. I don't like his political views.
And he he puts himself out there, right, yeah, yeah,
(12:14):
I mean he's available for criticism because he goes to
Egypt instead of going to mini camp or whatever last
year with the Jets. So he says, I'm going to
come back and and and sooner than anybody in my Achilles.
And and he has a show Enigma three part. You know,
he puts himself out there, and so that that's going
to happen. But the one thing that I've never heard
(12:35):
about Aaron Rodgers. I've never heard any of his teammates
complain about him. Now maybe it's not out there. I've
never heard that. And that's what you know. That's what counts, right,
that's important, that goes a long way.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
That's great.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
So much about a football player here, right, so much that.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Other stuff you mentioned. You almost forget to check with
the teammate, you know what I mean, Because everybody had
something to say about him, and a lot of it's
very uh, controversial.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yeah, it's controversial, that's right because he's not afraid to
speak his mind. Sure, okay, so agree with his views
or don't agree with his views, but as a football
player in his teammate for me, okay, yeah, yeah, I'm
not I'm not again, put that in the other category,
the performers.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
We were talking about what views.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
So it's funny though, when he got signed, so many
people I knew are like, I don't want that guy around,
I'm not rooting for him, blah blah, and everyone everyone
can believe what they want. But Mike can attribute this
more than anybody. You think all fifty three of those
dudes on the roster have the same views as you.
You know what I mean is anybody there you know
wouldn't be real fond of.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
No, no, no doubt about it.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
But being a good teammate.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
And that that that heals a lot of or that
that that you know, brings together bonds that might not exist.
I mean, you know there there are guys that you're
in the locker room with. You know, you would step
in front of a bus for him six months out
of the year, and the other six months of the
year you probably don't even talk to.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Him, right, right, That's just the way it is. That's
the way it is.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
So a big win there. So I wanted to point
out those two guys. One other guy I just want
to give quick kudos to because you know his performance
and he was kind of singled out for not having
a great performance in Chicago. That's Corless weight Man. Last
couple of weeks. He wasn't great last week. Obviously in Buffalo,
I mean, nobody was great. He I thought he was.
(14:28):
You know, if if you're walking off the field and thinking,
did I contribute to the victory because a lot of
times you kind of didn't maybe he didn't play, or
maybe he didn't have a great game or whatever. To me,
corless Weightman could walk off that field saying I was
a part of this victory. Not only did he have
a very good net And that's been he's been more
of a net guy than a gross guy, which give
(14:48):
me the net, right, you know, sure's you know, that's
that's the most important part. How you know how much
field position did you gain or lose? And when they
needed it the most. At the end of the game,
he had a fifty three yard punt his best pun
of the day.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
I'm glad you brought him up. We don't talk a
lot of special teams only have an hour, but I
thought we might be going. Oh, they brought them this
punter for a tryout, Like there was a couple of
weeks in a row where it was.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
A little they weren't up to his usual stake.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Is that weather is it kind of like a Harven situation.
So I'm glad you brought him up. And then I'm
gonna throw out a brunner as well. We made a
bunch of plays of people.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
Yeah, excellent in coverage, excellent.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, Well, I'm sure you guys have seen the clip
that's circling Twitter off the CBS broadcast where Scronica being
double teamed inbounds, out of bounds, inbounds out and just
going going go, like a one place snapshot of how
relentless they were and how hard they played. You know,
(15:44):
think back to the Green Bay game in campuses. There's
not enough fight like that should never be said, right,
you know what I mean? Yes, you could get away
with well we just don't have enough depth of the corner,
or we're deficient at wide receiver, or we just don't.
Don't you know, physical stuff I get, but the effort,
(16:06):
the fight should be there, and you know, a Ravens
game brings that out of these guys almost all the time. Again,
I think the playoff game was an outlier last year.
That's ancient history, but this was an occasion. I expected
them to rise. So I'm not gonna say I expected
them to win, but I expected that kind of game
because that's just what I expect from Steelers Ravens. Now,
I'm just so curious to see what happens next.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Guys.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
Yeah, we have a show next Tuesday called The Point After. Yeah,
we we'll talk about it. We'll talk about that Sunday night. Uh,
we have more coming up on this edition.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
We cut to the chase guy, you know, Stick and Move.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Presented by your neighborhood Forward Store and this year this
pro shop get it direct from the team atchop dot
Seres dot com on DVE and this year there's Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Back to the Point After on DV and.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Gets a snaps you that's bringing pressure Jackson back and
under duress and down he goes sack inside the twenty
five yard line and it's Brandon Ecles coming up with
his first sack of the season and welcome back to
the Point After, presented by your neighborhood Ford Store and
the Student's Pro Shop. Get it direct from a team
(17:11):
at shop dot Steelers dot com, here on DVE and
this Steeler's Audio Network. And you know, it's interesting when
you when you look at the statistics at the end
of this game, Mike that the Steelers defense was excellent.
I thought in the first half, second half, the Ravens,
you know, were able to march up and down the field,
but the Steelers made the defensive plays when they needed to.
I was shocked to see how many yards to steel
(17:33):
that the Ravens had rushed for because the week before
against the Bills, I probably would have said that is
that all they got? Because it just seemed like second
and three first down, second and two first down, second
and four first down, like they didn't have to get
the third down. Uh, it didn't feel that way to me,
but you know, there were the stats. So what is
what is your feeling on how the Steelers defense.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I thought it was much better, and you know I
didn't like the uh big hit her from Mitchell. You'd
never like to see a fifty plus yard run. I
was fixated on Henry because all the damage he had
done the previous two times, and I expected Lamar to
run a little bit. I actually probably expected him to
run more. I thought they would read option to Steelers
(18:16):
to death based on the problems they had defending the
edge against Buffalo, but Baltimore didn't get to that until
the second half and then didn't really exploit it.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I thought it was a pretty credible defensive effort.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You know, one of the statistical advantages that Steelers had
going into that game was red zone. Pittsburgh had I
think the tenth best red zone defense and Baltimore had
the thirtieth balt zone offense.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Baltimore last year had one of the best red zone
offense number one history.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Of the history of the NFL.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah, and this year there garbage. So one of the
differences in the game.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, I thought you win that, you got a shot
to win the game. And the Ravens running didn't feel
inevitable to me like the Bills had the week before.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I just they're handing the ball and they're not going
to stop these guys. I thought, you know what they lost.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
They didn't have harmon They sustained some injury during the game.
Queen was in and out, Eccles was in and out.
They lost Harrison. I thought there was I'll use a
hockey term, battle level, compete level.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
It was there.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I mean it was overflowing you guy Pierre chasing down Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
At the end of the the big hitter that he had.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I mean, I hated that they let Jackson run for
a touchdown because Queen came a little bit late and
kind of took the wrong path. But I think that
defense can get better. I'm not ready to write it off,
and I have been a couple of times they got
me vacillating back now to hey, maybe they're not.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Going to stink.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
In fact, maybe they're going to actually be part of
the solution and not part of the problem.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
It was.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
There was an interesting number of matchups going into this game.
I mean, both teams are six and six win in
this game, so neither team has done what they were
hoping to do had done at that point of the season.
And Mike pointed out, you know, the Steelers red zone
offense was excellent. The Ravens red zone defense is excellent.
The Ravens are really bad on third down offense. The
(20:15):
Steelers are really bad on third down defense. Yeah, yeah,
there was these weird games of strength on strength and
weakness on weakness that you wondered how it was going
to turn out.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Yeah, And back to just I mean, I know the
rushing numbers were pretty terrible when it was all said
and rushing the yards allowed, but it didn't feel like
you guys both said at all, like the Buffalo game,
where like this is just hopeless. They're just running the
same plays out of you over and over and over. Now,
I did think too many defensive linemen are going backwards
no matter what I mean, these are two different, very
(20:44):
different run schemes Buffalo versus Baltimore that I'm still seeing
non Cam Hayward defensive lineman's going backwards and not forward
or eating up double teams. And I saw this the
other day or just yesterday too, And I don't think
I think this is too extreme, as did mention Harmon.
They're allowing like one hundred rushing yards per game difference
(21:05):
when he plays verse thrazy. I mean, like you're also
played some really good rushing defenses while he was out,
which exacerbates it and all that too, But like Henry.
As Mike said, I mean, I think everyone's key in
on Henry, especially with a somewhat injured Lamar. You kept
them under one hundred yards and he hurts you a
little bit. He's gonna hurt everybody a little bit. But
(21:26):
it wasn't the end of the world. But still, what
I can't get away from from this football team from
week one till now, and it might even be getting worse,
is just the time of possession discrepancy and the number
of plays discrepancy. It's up to one hundred and seventy nine.
What's one hundred and seventy nine met That's how many
(21:46):
more plays the defense has played than the offense. That's
one hundred. That's one hundred worse than the Raiders who
are second. Yeah, I mean like the Raiders have given
it up a month ago and are a horrible football team.
The fourth or second half and fourth quarters are gonna
go bad. You're just out there way too much.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And when you figure what what is the average number
of plays in the game one hundred and twenty or thereabouts, I'd.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Say sixty sixty five, it's three games different.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
That's three games different.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
It's insane.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Three games different, you still have four more to go.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yeah, Like almost all their injuries this year have been
on defense, no wonder, right, you know.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And by the way they did hold Henry was twenty
five for ninety four for three point eight yards to carry.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
I think you would take that if somebody offered a bunch.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Sunday mornings, Like what if you kept them to like
ninety to one hundred yards, sign me up.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
They ran He's get the ball right forty times. The
Ravens ran, yes, yeah, And I will say this.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Too, probably not as but as they should have. Right,
it's a lot of time.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
This is not to try to dampen the Steelers victory,
because I don't want to do that. They beat the Ravens, right,
But Matt Lamar does not look now like Lamar. I
mean the interesting didn't get to the edge. The old
Lamar probably gets to the edge, turns a corner picture
first down there instead of throwing an interception. There were
times where we got out. He slid a couple of times,
(23:07):
when in the past he maybe takes a six yard
gain and makes it a twenty five yard game. There's nobody,
never anybody been like him. That I can think of
an NFL history VIC maybe, but I mean I think.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
He's the best runner it's ever played.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Okay, there we go, thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
It'll be the great Bobby douglasby Douglass nine hundred and
something in the yards rushing is the Bears quarterback back
in the day, Lefty.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
He was tough to sack though yesterday. Yeah, I mean
he's still moving, he's still glimpses of him in there,
but he's not the MVP.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
He's still pretty much better than everybody else, but he's
not the Lamar who's terrified the league and won two
MVPs and probably should in my opinion, probably should have
won the MVP last year. Although Josh Allen's pretty good too.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Yeah, he's hard to sack too, and he too shabby
in his own Yes, he's pretty decent.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
You know, one other point about the defense, guys. You know,
I know what the stats are, and I've been watching
the games, but they closed that thing out yesterday. And
I don't want to hear about calls because according to
the NFL, via the Pool report, and according to Jane's
sterotory rules Analystic Extraordinaire, the call unlikely was the correct call, right,
(24:16):
it should not have been a touchdown, So don't tell
me they scored and they got lucky there, four and
one in safe situations, Ginger for all the problems that
they've had, remember the Jets game, the Jets are going
up and down the field, came up with a stop
at the end of that game, New England stop at
the end of the game, Minnesota after it got close
(24:37):
stop at the end of the game, and then again yesterday.
The only one that's the exception was Cincinnati where the
splash play of Friarmuth game to Steelers the lead, and
I think there were two minutes and change the left
there was, and they were unable to stop the Bengals
from going down to winning it. They also got the
ball back for the offense twice in the Chicago games,
(24:58):
two chances to at least tie that and didn't do it.
Then on the other side of that, Seattle, a seven
point lead in.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
The fourth quarter became a fourteen point lead. So that's
but I mean, I like the safe situation reference. I'm
stealing that.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
For the door.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Yeah, I mean, they're not a perfect defense, but I
see why Tomlin was as conservative as he was on
that last series where they started at the eight yard line,
which was run into a brick wall, run into a
brick wall, throw it sideways where nobody can get it,
especially your guy, but most importantly the defenders, and then
just punted away and trust your defense. I mean, he's
(25:33):
for whatever reason, he trusted the defense there, and he's
been right more often than he's not been.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
By the way I was speaking to the calls, I
was one for fourign safe situations yesterday. I thought maybe
I knew Flowers got the knee in, but I thought
the ball might be moving right, So I was like,
I don't know if they're gonna you know, I don't
know what they're gonna do here. So I was a
little I was kind of up in the air on
that one. So I'm gonna give myself a half point
in that one, the awesome one. You can see the
ball moving after the replay, the crazy Rogers play the Rogers.
(26:00):
I'm still did he possessed the ball with both feet down?
Speaker 5 (26:04):
Did he have the.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
NFL in the Great Gs territory? Yes? He did.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
That's okay with me about the bad pass, and yeah,
he had a knee down like when he caught it.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
I just don't know what he was thinking, right, I
mean he said he was trying to deflect it. I'm
not buying that for a second. He tried to catch
the damn thing. What are you going to do with it?
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Yeah, you can't throw it again.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
You can only throw one forward pass.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Well, he's also preventing an interception.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Well, if you knock it down to the ground, that
prevents an interception. True, and then you don't lose nine yards,
and then it's starting ten instead of third and nineteen,
and that possession isn't scuttled.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
So the Isaiah likely one.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I'm more in the camp of I don't love the
rule than anything else.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
I felt like a touchdown to me.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Yeah, it felt like a touch I'm right there with you.
But these are the rules.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
They are the rules, and by the rules, uh, you know,
again confirmed by the NFL. And then if Gene's territor
says it, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
It's like the pope when the cross. Right, That's that's it, right,
end the story.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yeah, Hans goes off the tower and knock it Tony positive, right,
That's that's that's it.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Right now, It's now it's Christmas. Jean says it. Now,
it's fact, right, that's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Man. No, I mean, hey, I don't know the rules.
I mean, you ever read how complex some of this
stuff is.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Yeah, I get the whole.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I'm gonna go on a little tangent here if you
don't mind, please, I get that. You know, as as
technology improved, they wanted to see if a guy's foot
was in bounds or not.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Winning scored the game winning touchdown.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
But the breaking down of this stuff and it is
it takes five minutes to figure out what happened.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Matt.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
I agree, it looked like a touchdown. Touchdown in a normal.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
World of common sense, it's a touchdown. But in the
NFL that the NFL doesn't live there. You think you
have to have three specific criteria.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
And in the end zone, I had to break the
plane basically.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
You know, I've said this before. I throw the ball
to my dog. My dog needs to come down all
four positic canine move. She gets no, she gets no applause.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I don't understand the right.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah, I mean if she catches it and gets four
paws down, she should get a treat.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I kind of harkened for the days when the refs
used to just call stuff and then that was it.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
If it was wrong, it was wrong.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
And you know what, the sun came up the next
day and the world kept spinning.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I like it a king her too.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
People are probably familiar with the Penguins Tampa play where
Tampa scores an extra attacker goal to tie the game
and it gets called off because sixteen touches ago, a
guy put his glove up in front of his face
so he wouldn't get hit in the face with the puck,
and Tampa happened to be the first team to touch
it after it bounced about six times. So now all
(28:45):
of a sudden became a hand pass via some guy
watching the game on TV in Toronto.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Wow, I mean, this is not the way sports should
work through did some umpires are bigger strike zones than others.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Get over it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
But there's also there's also the no that you should
know the rules, and that's an advantage of knowing the
rules in a situation like you're just talking about, don't
touch the puck, right, don't touch the puck. That won't happen. No, No,
your team, next guy, your teammate should anyway. Here, here's
here's one thing I would like to see the NFL do,
and I don't think this will ever happen. I would
(29:18):
like to see them find the closest low camera angle
and before you show a replay, right, you know, of
course it's hard because you don't know if it's going
to be reviewed. Show show the low angle, fast beat,
and let the fans decide what they think.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
The call is. That'll get them, that'll get them off,
that might get them off. The refs back a little bit.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
You show me, show me the low angle, high speed
guys running twenty miles an hour, right, the ref's bird's
eye view of that. You tell me what the call is.
Remember they used to have that, and you make the call.
We'll be back with the answer after this.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
You make the call.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Uh, So I want to get I mean, I'm I agree.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
I agree. Maybe that's a little tedious to watch, and
maybe it tunes off some people that aren't huge fans.
But whatever you wrote the rule, just get it right.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So I think the NFL is so big that it
doesn't turn off teds fans. Fans in Baltimore are going
to be talking about this fans around the country are
going to be talking about it.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
It's p T. Barnum.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
It's okay, man, right, it's attention on the game. And
I will tell you that I have family members that
you know, haven't necessarily been the you know, don't know,
don't have a fantasy football team whatever. They're like looking
at the replay. Oh, I think he's got two feet
down and made a football. I mean they've they've done
it in.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
Such a way.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Baseball really screwed it up at the beginning right there,
the play would just stop and you'd have nobody would
announce what they're reviewing. You didn't have a clue. There's
no replays like this strike zone thing.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
They've made it.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
They've made the the at the US Open in tennis,
they make it part of it. It happens, the replay
happens quickly, they show it up. The fans start clapping
at the US Open. Okay, and then and then they
can all see it there. Okay, it's out, all right,
we know what the challenge is baseball. This ball and striking.
If you've seen it in the minor leagues I have,
they flash it up on the screen. Takes a challenge
(31:12):
it takes fifteen seconds. Takes seconds. Everybody sees it. Everybody's
part of it. The NFL is going a great job. Yeah,
they make everybody's a part of it. They've got a
rules analyst in they're explaining everything. They do a wonderful.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Job with it.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
There's three guys that can challenge the pitcher, the catcher
of the batter.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Wow, and you get.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Two or whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
The there's a fixed number that you can do the
right right and when you're out, you're out.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
If you're wrong, you lose one.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
And everybody when you're out here two two, curveball in
the outside quarter, strike three, batter taps his head, It
goes up on the scoreboard.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Everybody's watching.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
It goes in the box or it doesn't. No, that
was ball three. You're still lying. Yeah, and all we
go with our lives.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Hey, wonder to mind. You clear
your Federal Credit Union.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
They're always upping their game for those in need through
touchdowns for Clearview will donate five hundred dollars to the
Light of Life Rescue Mission for every black and goal
touchdown scored this season. Visit Clearview FCU dot org slash
touchdown to learn more. This is the Point After, presented
by your neighborhood Ford Store and by the Steers Pro Shop.
Get it direct from the team at Shop dot Steelers
dot Com on DVE and the Steers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (32:18):
Back to the Point After on DV warners to the right,
Rodgers in the shotgun, gets a snap back to pass,
throws to warn of the right flat wide open, scooting
down the right sideline heath room. There is nobody there
and he's in.
Speaker 7 (32:31):
For the score.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
Jail and warn a short.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Pass out to the plat and he goes thirty eight
yards in for the touchdown. Welcome back to the Point After,
presented by your neighborhood Ford Store and the Steers Crow Shop.
Get it direct from the team at Shop dot Steelers
dot Com on DVE and the Steer's Audio Network. That
was shocking the two plays A shocked me that one
and Rogers. Rogers went back to pass and was looking
(32:56):
to the right and then ran to the left and
there was nobody.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
There to I really liked about that play. I'm not
sure what they had called. I bet it wasn't that,
but it looked to me like that was one of
those plays where Rogers saw the defense thought oh my god,
if I just get the ball out on the perimeter,
he's gone. And he got it there quickly. And he
was also able to continue the Steelers' obsession with ignoring
(33:20):
Pat Fryarmuth, who was wide open ten yards past war
and could have easily had the touchdown. But they don't
throw it to that guy even when he's wide open.
So good on them for keeping that going.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Okay, so you made the comment earlier, Mike, and I
since you made the comment, I'm gonna start with Matt
on this, and I think that I can tie this
together the comment that there might still be more in
the tank here for the Steelers, and you know, the
underutilization at times it seems like of the running game,
the underutilization of Pat Fryarmuth and Matt.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Just these wild.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Swings in statistics, and one of that I bring up
just because I think it's an easy one for people
to understand. I don't want to parse too much and
get too much into the weeds. But going into this
last game, the Steelers were one of two teams that
had created twenty or more turnovers and had thirty or
more sacks yeah. Yeah, that's like elite defenders.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
Right.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
And the Rams are averaging seventeen and a half points
a game on defense, second best defense in the league. Yeah,
and the Steelers are twentieth. Now, may how does that
make sense? It doesn't make any sense. And the students
have been bad on third down defense, and they've been
bad in other areas. And you know, one week they'll
get gashed by the run and the next week they'll
be shutting down Jonathan Taylor. It is around the league.
(34:37):
It's been the weirdest year I can ever remember. But
we only have to look at the Steelers to say
this is they're the poster boys of it. They've been
somewhat of a mystifying team. How can you possibly have
four leads against quality opponents at the half, get the
ball to begin the half and lose every one of
those games. In two consecutive games, they got the ball
(34:59):
to begin the second half and combined in the two games,
had sixteen yards in the third quarter combined. Yeah, and
you got the ball first. Yes, I had a runder.
They're just it has just been and and so I
see Aaron Rodgers look incredible. I see Jalen Warren running
(35:21):
the ball. I see game well running the ball. I
see Pat fryern With having a big game against the Bengals.
I see DK Metcalf having big games now he's back again.
I see these numbers on defense, and I think, why
not the Steelers, Why can't they go on a five
game run like the Texans have gone on, clean up
some of these weaknesses and be a team to be
reckoned with.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
I don't think it's insane to look at it in
that view. I mean, I think we used the term
whack a mole last Monday too. I Mean, it was
just like when you're you got one thing solid. Boy,
it looks like the run defense is pretty good. Oh,
it looks like the running games coming around. Meanwhile, in
the last two games, they've been out rushed by three
hundred and seventy four yards, and two games they've been
(36:01):
out rushed, I mean, and one one of them lost,
the other against good teams Lamar and Allen. And now
you're in first place and you're one hundred percent right.
I mean, it's I don't know what they're really really
bad at other than rushing the past or I'm not
sure what they're really really good at. And it's been
so weak the week that down and down out. They
(36:23):
have some issues, that's for sure. I don't understand. I
thought this would be a run heavy game plan. I
was wrong, and good thing I was, because Rogers was awesome.
But they barely ran the ball at all. I don't
think they had anyone break thirty yards rushing.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Yeah, I mean I think they ran it se found
seventeen times versus forty for the Ravens.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
You know, and I'll say this too, like I always
felt like there were a.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Lot of Patriots teams to use them as an example,
that were very very game plan specific.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
More so than anybody, more so than.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
You might come out Tom Brady might come out and
throw it seventeen straight times the beginning game.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
They like, there was no.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
Against Hampton that they threw it like never when the Steelers,
there's nobody's run the ball, right, yeah, ran the ball
like twice.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And there's other times where they might come out and
run the ball seventeen consecutive times.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
I think this year there's our.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Game plan specific, mic, I really do. Oh, I agree,
and more than most teams are more than teams saying
this is our identity they're saying, this is what we
think we can do to win a game. I think
there are pluses and minuses for both. I think there's
you know, it allows you to attack and use your
weapons to the best of your advantage. But there's also
to me, I think there's some comfort in getting to
(37:36):
a flow of the game and saying.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
What's your bread and body.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
This is what we do, right, this is what or hey,
it's a tight game. You know at the beginning of
the fourth quarter, Well guess what. And I know different era,
We're going to give the ball to Jerome a lot
and they're not going to be able to stop us.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Right.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
I agree with all that, man.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
I mean, I think it's great to have depth and
diversity and be able to do different things with different people.
But I also think there's times when, as Tomlin would say,
when it gets thick, right, you know, you got to
know who you're going to. And I appreciate Aaron Rodgers
has been the best ever at not throwing interceptions.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
You know, ball security, but I throw to the guy
who's open.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Maybe sometimes you should throw it to DK, or maybe
sometimes you should throw it to Friar move or I think.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I commend them though, forgetting dk Is involved and schemed
up in this. That was step one to me. That
was good.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
I think Adam Thielen's going to have an impact. I
think he's going to be that kind of guy, a
possession down kind of guy that keeps stuff going and
plays as a professional. That was a big development to me.
And I know they didn't do anything statistically, theeling and
Marquez Valdez scantling. I think it was two targets and
one catch for four yards combined. But they're not five nine,
(38:47):
they're six two and sixty four and they've done this
a lot. And these are the guys I want to
rely on going down to stretch. I think they can
be difference makers. Might be overstating it, but impactful.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
That's yeah, that's.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
Probably kind of like a Mike Williams pickup. No, okay,
I think more than that.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Why not?
Speaker 4 (39:09):
I think I think because Mike Williams I didn't think
did anything.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
Yeah, one game.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
But what I'm saying, what I'm being facetious, what I'm
saying is was there some thought that that's what Mike
Mike Williams might do for the team last year.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
When they signed, When they sign and that didn't come
to fruition.
Speaker 5 (39:25):
She didn't come to fluistion, and he retired.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
And shot right. I just I don't know what Scantling
has left.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
I think should be useful.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
I think could still play.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
So you know, to me, guys, I still go back
to this like, Okay, I was being facetious there, but
what I really think is this team is Look, it's December, right,
You're now, you're seven and six your first place in
the division. You have some things to clean up. And
by the way, you know, we didn't play a complete game.
We all say that if you played a complete game,
you'd win seventy two to nothing. Right, that would mean
(39:54):
you'd have done everything right, and they've done You'd have
caused him to do nothing right. And I understand it.
That's not the way it works. I just and I've
been a believer in his team all year long. I
still believe in what they're capable of doing. But they're
they're still matt a seven and sixteen, so they've still
got to find a way to do this. And Mike Bersuda,
(40:15):
who didn't want us to enjoy this, this victory over
the Ravens, is already looking forward to the Dolphins game.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
Enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (40:22):
I mean, man, they've won four in a row.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
What's next? Right?
Speaker 1 (40:25):
I mean, by the way, have they played anybody yet
who's just been at their worst? No, Bengals had to win.
The Vikings weren't bad yet. I mean maybe the Browns.
You got Seattle when they're on the rise. You got
New England when they're on the rise. It's it has been,
and you're getting your dolphinss the Dolphins, now that's the
(40:48):
next one. They've won four in a row. They are
desperate for a win, and look at it from their perspective.
They come in and they win this game. Now they
go home and they beat Cincinnati. Now Tampa Bay's wobbling
a little bit. Hey, you know, listen there, head down.
If we get to ten and seven, ten and seven
usually gets you in the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (41:05):
They got it. The Dolphins have every shot of being
ten and seven. They gotta win Monday night.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I think a team that's got to win is a
dangerous team, and I think the Dolphins are a dangerous team.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Well, I think.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Pittsburgh perceives itself as that as well. Yeah let me, yeah,
let me rephrase that. I hope Pittsburgh perceives itself as
because if they think, oh, we beat the Ravens, all
is right with the world, We're back, that would be
a mistake.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Yes, I totally agree, that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
That's a good point though. I mean usually of the
course of a seventeen game schedule, you're like, we got
them without borrow. I know they could they did get
them without borrow. But it been nice that Browning and
not Flacco, you know what I mean, Like everyone of
them was like many their whole place was injured, you know,
like you got a lot of these teams best games,
and that rarely happens for the courses.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Yeah. Yeah, it seems like it's been a little unlucky
that bad way.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
And yet Mike, it's still in front of them, right,
there's still seven and six. And you'd like to think
they can beat Miami on their home field. You like
to think they can beat the Browns. Yes, in the
think both of those things, right, You'd like to think
you could take the Ravens at home.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
Yeah, right, and then Detroit becomes.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Like I think two and two gets them in and.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
Actually, if one of those against the Ravens again, even
if it's not, it's not, it probably doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
You think Baltimore's beating New England, Green Bay, and Cincy all.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Three of those?
Speaker 4 (42:24):
No, probably either.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
I think Detroit, you know, that's probably gonna be a
pretty impactful game for.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
The Lion and exactly another opponent where really no, you're optimistic.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
About that one. But anything on the AFC side, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
You know what, But if if you're if you are
what you want to be, right, which is a team
that's not only going to make the playoffs, but gonna
do something when they get there. They keep talking about
that being that kind of a team. Bring on, Detroit,
let's go.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Well and play your best ball in the last month, right.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
Right, exactly both those things.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
I mean, that's it.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
It'd be great to be uh thirteen and oh at
this point, but they're not. They're seven at six, right.
If they get to eleven at six, it's pretty good.
Speaker 5 (43:03):
Season, exactly right, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
If they get to six and uh eleven or no,
it would be.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
Seven and ten.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Yeah, not so good, not so good.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
And I think, I mean, how many of these games
do we really know? You none?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
You don't ask Tampa Bay and it must win game
in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
It was a painful game for me a number.
Speaker 4 (43:30):
I mean, Cleveland, they could be a blizzard and that's right.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Yeah, you could lose last year, right, you know.
Speaker 5 (43:36):
Exactly right, Steelers win this one.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
But I hope you don't think I'm trying to suck
the joy out of beach.
Speaker 5 (43:41):
Of course not. It's so much fun, seriously, very much purposes.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
The best win of the year is that Baltimore every year.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
Yeah, totally agree with you.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Totally agree with it, and uh and fun to share
it with my friends Matt Williamson and Mike Persuda and
Justin Miller at the controls.
Speaker 5 (43:58):
And with everybody listening.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
We want to thank you as well for being with
us on the Point After, presented by your neighborhood Ford store,
the Stewish Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team
at shop dot Saliers dot com on DVE and this
scheo theresh Audio Network
Hello, and welcome to the Point after presented by your
neighborhood Forwards joining the Steers Pro Shop get it direct
from the team at shop dot stels dot com, here
on DVE and the Steers Audio Network following to see
there's twenty seven to twenty two victory over the Ravens
yesterday in Baltimore that secured for now at least first
place in the AFC North or the Steelers by themselves
(00:29):
alongside Mike Presuda and Matt Williamson. I'm Rob king So
let's before we dive into some of the specifics of
this game. Mike, let's begin with you with your first
reaction to what you saw yesterday in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
You know, Kinger, I wasn't surprised that they were able
to get it together for a game against the Ravens
that traditionally that is the case.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Playoff game last year was an outlier. Even the game
in late December that they lost a year ago could
have been very different if not for a couple of
unfortunate occurrences.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Russell Wilson's fumble, etc.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I want to see what they do next. I've thought
there's a team in there all along. You know, maybe
not the eighty five Bears, but certainly better than a
six and six team. And it was, well, we were
calling it on the Morning show this morning, the most
tumultuous week in Mike Tomlin's tenure. And they were able
(01:26):
to shut out the noise, prepare, plan, execute. Not a
perfect game, but they had the physicality, they had the
resiliency they needed, They had whatever intangible you want to
site as you must have playing Baltimore. In Baltimore, it
was another classic Steelers Ravens game.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Great, hooray, it's a great rivalry. It still is.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
What are you going to do against Miami? What are
you gonna do at Cleveland? Because the door is now
open again, just walk through it. I think those will
be the games that define the Steelers for the regular season.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Yeah, one hundred percent agree. I mean, this is not
a preview show, but that Dolphins game looms large. Now.
They're playing really, really well. They're definitely not the running
the hell out of it, oh man. I mean the
exact formula that the Steelers aren't dealing with so well
at the moment in terms of running games. Their hotness
could be. I mean, it does not look like everyone's
(02:23):
getting fired. Blah blah blah. You know it would it
looked like a while ago. I agree with that. Then
you said, Mike, I mean, you go to Baltimore in
December and win a meaningful game. That's awesome, you know.
I mean it'll be awesome ten years from now. It
was awesome twenty years ago, you know. I mean, that's awesome.
And I think the biggest thing positive is I think
(02:44):
it's the best game Aaron Rodgers played as a Steeler.
I mean, if you get your quarterback playing it back
to a high level, you're gonna be competitive. I mean,
we just know what a quarterback driven league this is. Now.
If this was Ravens Nation Radio, I always love to
do that on Monday, you might be like, man, we
could just convert in the red zone and the ref
screwed us on a couple of calls, and we had
him where we want him at the end.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
And I think the other way around. If the ref's
hadn't job, that's had a bud, that's number one. What's
going on down in Baltimore? I bet, I bet you know.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
But I thought Steelers were the better team I got.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I have no complaint with any of that, and I
don't want to forget to circle back to something you
said about the team in general, which I want to
get to in a moment, but since we're, you know,
maybe dealing with some of the specifics of the game.
I thought there's been times this year where Aaron Rodgers
has been fantastic.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I thought it was very good for the Jets. Wasn't
his mobile?
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Then we saw him moving around some in the in
the pocket, and and I thought against the Bengals, he
played a fantastic game.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
Matt.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
That's that was the number one takeaway on this victory
for me. I thought Aaron Rodgers looked great. There's been
times where he looked like he's turned back the clock.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Again, Cincinnati certainly comes to mind, this one comes to mind.
There are other times where he's looked mobile and moved around.
Yesterday he ran for his first touchdown since November twenty
twenty one.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Yeah, but you know, I called it.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
I said, I made that call because I saw him
take off and I'm in here watching the game.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
What are you the same thing?
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, that was a cool moment.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
It was a cool moment. And if he plays like that,
that's what you need to do to get to the playoffs.
Play good December football and win a game in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Ye at least.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, I mean you need that from your quarterback. It's
the most important position in all of sports. And and
I don't say that just blithely.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
It just is.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
I mean, maybe goaltender and hockey you'd be close, but
it's it's the most You can't win without it. And
he looked phenomenal, not just from the very first row
of the game, but then ducking under a Mike Green
sack and rolling out and moving around in the pocket.
I'm glad you mentioned him because that was my number
one takeaway.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
He looked great, I thought. I agree.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
And really, since they've signed him, I've been quoting this
country song that I butcher the heck out of every time.
Is something along the lines of it's like one of
the most popular as long as you guys will probably
heard of it. I'm not as great as I once was,
but I can still be great once in a while.
Speaker 6 (05:18):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
It's basically, I ain't as good as I once was,
but I'm as good once as I ever was.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Much better.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Crush it, I crush it right, but you would do
that a couple of times a year, and one of
them is in the postseason or you know flashes like Okay,
you know.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
By the way you batted, I think you badded three
thirty three on that, which is which is All Star
and Baseball it's an MVP. Uh you didn't get to
quote right, and only one of one of the two
of us knew that song, and that would would be.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
My I thought justin might be failing. Okay, but I
figured one of the four in the room and many.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Of the listeners for getting there.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You're just like not knowing this lyricists there, what happened?
Speaker 5 (05:55):
It's a big one, right, Yeah, I've never read it.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I don't know a lot about so when you get yeah,
don't don't know who does that song?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Toby Keith, Okay, he's pretty soil from what I gather.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
Yes, I think that's true.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
But he's in the same category for me as who's
Who's Who's the popular singer that they're always showing in
the Chiefs games.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
I'm really happy to swift. Thank you spoke.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
Yeah, my mind is not the most happy walk the
mind the elevator to the elevators go home and watch
table day.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Rooms, just studying football.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I don't know any songs to I don't know any
songs by her or Toby two of them.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Don't know Taylor Swift and Toby Keith.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
I know Taylor Swift.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I know Taylor Swift. I just couldn't come Okay, I
just couldn't come up from the most popular. But I
don't know any of her songs either. That was my
I don't know any of her song I don't know.
So I'm sure she actually huge, she's hugely popular. I'm
sure she's wonderful. Yeah, she should be as as Alex Balanciago,
my buddy over at this year there's you know, he says,
(07:06):
how is that rock you're living on?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Her must be wonderful. Great, It's fantastic, It's wonderful.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
My family called Matt World, want to go.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
To Okay, So the students won.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
In case you're wondering this is this show is called
the Point after the Students winning twenty seven twenty two,
So Rogers I thought was great.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
One other thing, Mike that I've been highly, highly.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And highly encouraged by something else, and that is the
continued excellent play of Brandon Eccles and James Pierre. And
if those guys, you know, and Eccles had a sack,
Pierre had an interception. You know, this was supposed to
be Joey Porter Jr. Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, you know,
(07:56):
being able to play against the run and lining up
and shutting down other teams top receivers. Now Jalen rams
Ramsey's a safety, Darius Lay is contemplating his next career move.
And you're under two corners besides Joey Porter Jr. Are
Brandon Echols, who was supposed to be your fourth corner
and special teams guy, and James Pierre, who was on
the practice squad to begin the season. I can't say
(08:18):
enough about how good those guys have been. Sante Samuel
only took one snap yesterday, and.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, that's a great point.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Before I expand upon it, I do want to get
back to Rogers for a second, because you know I
immediately started looking ahead to Miami. This is the point
after right, he said, But just you know, the up
and down nature of this season has been it's worn
on me. Let me put it that way. I'm sure
it has so many fans and I just you know,
I want I want to see what they got against
(08:45):
the Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Not the traditional heavyweight battle royal. But if you looked
at Rogers.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yesterday, just the way he was moving in the pockets
exactly feel compare that to the Chargers game. I thought
he was great up until the Chargers game. I thought
he had a terrible Chargers game. Then he was the
couple quarters he played against the Bengals at home, he
wasn't great. That was back to being the guy that
when we watched him play the first couple months of
(09:11):
the season. I don't know about you, guys, I never
once thought about his age. I just thought about there's
a guy that knows how to play this position right,
and that has been the goal all along. That's why
they waited as long as they did to sign him,
and that's why it's potentially different and all that people
keep bringing up on various platforms.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
They're just gonna get blown out in the playoffs. Well
maybe not if they have that guy.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
But your point about the Dbacks is also spot on, Eccles.
I think there were some higher profile guys arriving when
he got here and he didn't get maybe the a
claim he should have pretty good NFL defensive back, very
good slot back, and he can help you on special teams.
(09:56):
And Pierre just refuses to go away. I mean, this
kid is been up and down for a number of years.
He's probably in terms of tenures he the longest Fenurared Steeler,
or he's got to.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Be on the short one.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
He might be.
Speaker 7 (10:09):
Well, I mean you have Watt and uh Cam yeah, right,
other than those guys, right, he's been an eye on
that list and he and he's had an interesting career.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And and by the way, I'll give you a connection
between Pierre and Rogers. And maybe I didn't leave us
enough time to talk about Rogers because it was just
last week that articles were coming back out about how
old he.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Looked and how bad he looked and all the other stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Worried, right, and then you know, he has a performance
like this one and it reminds you that he was
terrific right up until that that game on Sunday night
in l A against the Chargers. But I had a
chance to talk to James Pierre and said, you know, man,
he's had an interesting career, right, draft or not drafted.
(10:53):
Undrafted comes during COVID right, Mike tom Loins, Like basically
I didn't really even get a chance to meet these guys,
know and talk to him much. At one time, they
viewed him as a potential starter, right at one time
in his career, there was a little buzz around James
Pierre and then he he went from that to pretty
good special Teams guide off and on the roster. I mean,
(11:14):
he just kind of hung in there. And I was
asking him like about that journey, like what gave you
the confidence? And he said that one of the guys
was Aaron Rodgers, like in camp being like, hey, I
see you forty two, I see what you're doing out
over there, just a little bit of encouragement to.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
Kind of keep him going.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Which again, and that has been Rogers' habit throughout it.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, absolute, everybody, right, there hasn't been a hint at
least in the times when the media is allowed in
the locker room or watching them want to practice field
interacting with people.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
There hasn't been a hint of Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
And you're not, absolutely and I think that any and
now we're rolling the clock back, right because because there
are a lot of people that go I don't care who.
I don't want to sign him, you know what I mean.
And and listen, they make these people some want a
playoff game. They may be right. I don't want to
wait around for this guy. I don't like his political views.
And he he puts himself out there, right, yeah, yeah,
(12:14):
I mean he's available for criticism because he goes to
Egypt instead of going to mini camp or whatever last
year with the Jets. So he says, I'm going to
come back and and and sooner than anybody in my Achilles.
And and he has a show Enigma three part. You know,
he puts himself out there, and so that that's going
to happen. But the one thing that I've never heard
(12:35):
about Aaron Rodgers. I've never heard any of his teammates
complain about him. Now maybe it's not out there. I've
never heard that. And that's what you know. That's what counts, right,
that's important, that goes a long way.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
That's great.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
So much about a football player here, right, so much that.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Other stuff you mentioned. You almost forget to check with
the teammate, you know what I mean, Because everybody had
something to say about him, and a lot of it's
very uh, controversial.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yeah, it's controversial, that's right because he's not afraid to
speak his mind. Sure, okay, so agree with his views
or don't agree with his views, but as a football
player in his teammate for me, okay, yeah, yeah, I'm
not I'm not again, put that in the other category,
the performers.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
We were talking about what views.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
So it's funny though, when he got signed, so many
people I knew are like, I don't want that guy around,
I'm not rooting for him, blah blah, and everyone everyone
can believe what they want. But Mike can attribute this
more than anybody. You think all fifty three of those
dudes on the roster have the same views as you.
You know what I mean is anybody there you know
wouldn't be real fond of.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
No, no, no doubt about it.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
But being a good teammate.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
And that that that heals a lot of or that
that that you know, brings together bonds that might not exist.
I mean, you know there there are guys that you're
in the locker room with. You know, you would step
in front of a bus for him six months out
of the year, and the other six months of the
year you probably don't even talk to.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Him, right, right, That's just the way it is. That's
the way it is.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
So a big win there. So I wanted to point
out those two guys. One other guy I just want
to give quick kudos to because you know his performance
and he was kind of singled out for not having
a great performance in Chicago. That's Corless weight Man. Last
couple of weeks. He wasn't great last week. Obviously in Buffalo,
I mean, nobody was great. He I thought he was.
(14:28):
You know, if if you're walking off the field and thinking,
did I contribute to the victory because a lot of
times you kind of didn't maybe he didn't play, or
maybe he didn't have a great game or whatever. To me,
corless Weightman could walk off that field saying I was
a part of this victory. Not only did he have
a very good net And that's been he's been more
of a net guy than a gross guy, which give
(14:48):
me the net, right, you know, sure's you know, that's
that's the most important part. How you know how much
field position did you gain or lose? And when they
needed it the most. At the end of the game,
he had a fifty three yard punt his best pun
of the day.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
I'm glad you brought him up. We don't talk a
lot of special teams only have an hour, but I
thought we might be going. Oh, they brought them this
punter for a tryout, Like there was a couple of
weeks in a row where it was.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
A little they weren't up to his usual stake.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Is that weather is it kind of like a Harven situation.
So I'm glad you brought him up. And then I'm
gonna throw out a brunner as well. We made a
bunch of plays of people.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
Yeah, excellent in coverage, excellent.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, Well, I'm sure you guys have seen the clip
that's circling Twitter off the CBS broadcast where Scronica being
double teamed inbounds, out of bounds, inbounds out and just
going going go, like a one place snapshot of how
relentless they were and how hard they played. You know,
(15:44):
think back to the Green Bay game in campuses. There's
not enough fight like that should never be said, right,
you know what I mean? Yes, you could get away
with well we just don't have enough depth of the corner,
or we're deficient at wide receiver, or we just don't.
Don't you know, physical stuff I get, but the effort,
(16:06):
the fight should be there, and you know, a Ravens
game brings that out of these guys almost all the time. Again,
I think the playoff game was an outlier last year.
That's ancient history, but this was an occasion. I expected
them to rise. So I'm not gonna say I expected
them to win, but I expected that kind of game
because that's just what I expect from Steelers Ravens. Now,
I'm just so curious to see what happens next.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Guys.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
Yeah, we have a show next Tuesday called The Point After. Yeah,
we we'll talk about it. We'll talk about that Sunday night. Uh,
we have more coming up on this edition.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
We cut to the chase guy, you know, Stick and Move.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Presented by your neighborhood Forward Store and this year this
pro shop get it direct from the team atchop dot
Seres dot com on DVE and this year there's Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Back to the Point After on DV and.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Gets a snaps you that's bringing pressure Jackson back and
under duress and down he goes sack inside the twenty
five yard line and it's Brandon Ecles coming up with
his first sack of the season and welcome back to
the Point After, presented by your neighborhood Ford Store and
the Student's Pro Shop. Get it direct from a team
(17:11):
at shop dot Steelers dot com, here on DVE and
this Steeler's Audio Network. And you know, it's interesting when
you when you look at the statistics at the end
of this game, Mike that the Steelers defense was excellent.
I thought in the first half, second half, the Ravens,
you know, were able to march up and down the field,
but the Steelers made the defensive plays when they needed to.
I was shocked to see how many yards to steel
(17:33):
that the Ravens had rushed for because the week before
against the Bills, I probably would have said that is
that all they got? Because it just seemed like second
and three first down, second and two first down, second
and four first down, like they didn't have to get
the third down. Uh, it didn't feel that way to me,
but you know, there were the stats. So what is
what is your feeling on how the Steelers defense.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I thought it was much better, and you know I
didn't like the uh big hit her from Mitchell. You'd
never like to see a fifty plus yard run. I
was fixated on Henry because all the damage he had
done the previous two times, and I expected Lamar to
run a little bit. I actually probably expected him to
run more. I thought they would read option to Steelers
(18:16):
to death based on the problems they had defending the
edge against Buffalo, but Baltimore didn't get to that until
the second half and then didn't really exploit it.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I thought it was a pretty credible defensive effort.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You know, one of the statistical advantages that Steelers had
going into that game was red zone. Pittsburgh had I
think the tenth best red zone defense and Baltimore had
the thirtieth balt zone offense.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Baltimore last year had one of the best red zone
offense number one history.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Of the history of the NFL.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah, and this year there garbage. So one of the
differences in the game.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, I thought you win that, you got a shot
to win the game. And the Ravens running didn't feel
inevitable to me like the Bills had the week before.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I just they're handing the ball and they're not going
to stop these guys. I thought, you know what they lost.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
They didn't have harmon They sustained some injury during the game.
Queen was in and out, Eccles was in and out.
They lost Harrison. I thought there was I'll use a
hockey term, battle level, compete level.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
It was there.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I mean it was overflowing you guy Pierre chasing down Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
At the end of the the big hitter that he had.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I mean, I hated that they let Jackson run for
a touchdown because Queen came a little bit late and
kind of took the wrong path. But I think that
defense can get better. I'm not ready to write it off,
and I have been a couple of times they got
me vacillating back now to hey, maybe they're not.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Going to stink.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
In fact, maybe they're going to actually be part of
the solution and not part of the problem.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
It was.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
There was an interesting number of matchups going into this game.
I mean, both teams are six and six win in
this game, so neither team has done what they were
hoping to do had done at that point of the season.
And Mike pointed out, you know, the Steelers red zone
offense was excellent. The Ravens red zone defense is excellent.
The Ravens are really bad on third down offense. The
(20:15):
Steelers are really bad on third down defense. Yeah, yeah,
there was these weird games of strength on strength and
weakness on weakness that you wondered how it was going
to turn out.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Yeah, And back to just I mean, I know the
rushing numbers were pretty terrible when it was all said
and rushing the yards allowed, but it didn't feel like
you guys both said at all, like the Buffalo game,
where like this is just hopeless. They're just running the
same plays out of you over and over and over. Now,
I did think too many defensive linemen are going backwards
no matter what I mean, these are two different, very
(20:44):
different run schemes Buffalo versus Baltimore that I'm still seeing
non Cam Hayward defensive lineman's going backwards and not forward
or eating up double teams. And I saw this the
other day or just yesterday too, And I don't think
I think this is too extreme, as did mention Harmon.
They're allowing like one hundred rushing yards per game difference
(21:05):
when he plays verse thrazy. I mean, like you're also
played some really good rushing defenses while he was out,
which exacerbates it and all that too, But like Henry.
As Mike said, I mean, I think everyone's key in
on Henry, especially with a somewhat injured Lamar. You kept
them under one hundred yards and he hurts you a
little bit. He's gonna hurt everybody a little bit. But
(21:26):
it wasn't the end of the world. But still, what
I can't get away from from this football team from
week one till now, and it might even be getting worse,
is just the time of possession discrepancy and the number
of plays discrepancy. It's up to one hundred and seventy nine.
What's one hundred and seventy nine met That's how many
(21:46):
more plays the defense has played than the offense. That's
one hundred. That's one hundred worse than the Raiders who
are second. Yeah, I mean like the Raiders have given
it up a month ago and are a horrible football team.
The fourth or second half and fourth quarters are gonna
go bad. You're just out there way too much.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And when you figure what what is the average number
of plays in the game one hundred and twenty or thereabouts, I'd.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Say sixty sixty five, it's three games different.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
That's three games different.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
It's insane.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Three games different, you still have four more to go.
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Yeah, Like almost all their injuries this year have been
on defense, no wonder, right, you know.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And by the way they did hold Henry was twenty
five for ninety four for three point eight yards to carry.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
I think you would take that if somebody offered a bunch.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Sunday mornings, Like what if you kept them to like
ninety to one hundred yards, sign me up.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
They ran He's get the ball right forty times. The
Ravens ran, yes, yeah, And I will say this.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Too, probably not as but as they should have. Right,
it's a lot of time.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
This is not to try to dampen the Steelers victory,
because I don't want to do that. They beat the Ravens, right,
But Matt Lamar does not look now like Lamar. I
mean the interesting didn't get to the edge. The old
Lamar probably gets to the edge, turns a corner picture
first down there instead of throwing an interception. There were
times where we got out. He slid a couple of times,
(23:07):
when in the past he maybe takes a six yard
gain and makes it a twenty five yard game. There's nobody,
never anybody been like him. That I can think of
an NFL history VIC maybe, but I mean I think.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
He's the best runner it's ever played.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Okay, there we go, thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
It'll be the great Bobby douglasby Douglass nine hundred and
something in the yards rushing is the Bears quarterback back
in the day, Lefty.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
He was tough to sack though yesterday. Yeah, I mean
he's still moving, he's still glimpses of him in there,
but he's not the MVP.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
He's still pretty much better than everybody else, but he's
not the Lamar who's terrified the league and won two
MVPs and probably should in my opinion, probably should have
won the MVP last year. Although Josh Allen's pretty good too.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Yeah, he's hard to sack too, and he too shabby
in his own Yes, he's pretty decent.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
You know, one other point about the defense, guys. You know,
I know what the stats are, and I've been watching
the games, but they closed that thing out yesterday. And
I don't want to hear about calls because according to
the NFL, via the Pool report, and according to Jane's
sterotory rules Analystic Extraordinaire, the call unlikely was the correct call, right,
(24:16):
it should not have been a touchdown, So don't tell
me they scored and they got lucky there, four and
one in safe situations, Ginger for all the problems that
they've had, remember the Jets game, the Jets are going
up and down the field, came up with a stop
at the end of that game, New England stop at
the end of the game, Minnesota after it got close
(24:37):
stop at the end of the game, and then again yesterday.
The only one that's the exception was Cincinnati where the
splash play of Friarmuth game to Steelers the lead, and
I think there were two minutes and change the left
there was, and they were unable to stop the Bengals
from going down to winning it. They also got the
ball back for the offense twice in the Chicago games,
(24:58):
two chances to at least tie that and didn't do it.
Then on the other side of that, Seattle, a seven
point lead in.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
The fourth quarter became a fourteen point lead. So that's
but I mean, I like the safe situation reference. I'm
stealing that.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
For the door.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Yeah, I mean, they're not a perfect defense, but I
see why Tomlin was as conservative as he was on
that last series where they started at the eight yard line,
which was run into a brick wall, run into a
brick wall, throw it sideways where nobody can get it,
especially your guy, but most importantly the defenders, and then
just punted away and trust your defense. I mean, he's
(25:33):
for whatever reason, he trusted the defense there, and he's
been right more often than he's not been.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
By the way I was speaking to the calls, I
was one for fourign safe situations yesterday. I thought maybe
I knew Flowers got the knee in, but I thought
the ball might be moving right, So I was like,
I don't know if they're gonna you know, I don't
know what they're gonna do here. So I was a
little I was kind of up in the air on
that one. So I'm gonna give myself a half point
in that one, the awesome one. You can see the
ball moving after the replay, the crazy Rogers play the Rogers.
(26:00):
I'm still did he possessed the ball with both feet down?
Speaker 5 (26:04):
Did he have the.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
NFL in the Great Gs territory? Yes? He did.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
That's okay with me about the bad pass, and yeah,
he had a knee down like when he caught it.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
I just don't know what he was thinking, right, I
mean he said he was trying to deflect it. I'm
not buying that for a second. He tried to catch
the damn thing. What are you going to do with it?
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Yeah, you can't throw it again.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
You can only throw one forward pass.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Well, he's also preventing an interception.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Well, if you knock it down to the ground, that
prevents an interception. True, and then you don't lose nine yards,
and then it's starting ten instead of third and nineteen,
and that possession isn't scuttled.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
So the Isaiah likely one.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I'm more in the camp of I don't love the
rule than anything else.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
I felt like a touchdown to me.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Yeah, it felt like a touch I'm right there with you.
But these are the rules.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
They are the rules, and by the rules, uh, you know,
again confirmed by the NFL. And then if Gene's territor
says it, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
It's like the pope when the cross. Right, That's that's it, right,
end the story.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yeah, Hans goes off the tower and knock it Tony positive, right,
That's that's that's it.
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Right now, It's now it's Christmas. Jean says it. Now,
it's fact, right, that's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Man. No, I mean, hey, I don't know the rules.
I mean, you ever read how complex some of this
stuff is.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Yeah, I get the whole.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I'm gonna go on a little tangent here if you
don't mind, please, I get that. You know, as as
technology improved, they wanted to see if a guy's foot
was in bounds or not.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Winning scored the game winning touchdown.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
But the breaking down of this stuff and it is
it takes five minutes to figure out what happened.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Matt.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
I agree, it looked like a touchdown. Touchdown in a normal.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
World of common sense, it's a touchdown. But in the
NFL that the NFL doesn't live there. You think you
have to have three specific criteria.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
And in the end zone, I had to break the
plane basically.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
You know, I've said this before. I throw the ball
to my dog. My dog needs to come down all
four positic canine move. She gets no, she gets no applause.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I don't understand the right.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah, I mean if she catches it and gets four
paws down, she should get a treat.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I kind of harkened for the days when the refs
used to just call stuff and then that was it.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
If it was wrong, it was wrong.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
And you know what, the sun came up the next
day and the world kept spinning.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I like it a king her too.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
People are probably familiar with the Penguins Tampa play where
Tampa scores an extra attacker goal to tie the game
and it gets called off because sixteen touches ago, a
guy put his glove up in front of his face
so he wouldn't get hit in the face with the puck,
and Tampa happened to be the first team to touch
it after it bounced about six times. So now all
(28:45):
of a sudden became a hand pass via some guy
watching the game on TV in Toronto.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Wow, I mean, this is not the way sports should
work through did some umpires are bigger strike zones than others.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Get over it.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
But there's also there's also the no that you should
know the rules, and that's an advantage of knowing the
rules in a situation like you're just talking about, don't
touch the puck, right, don't touch the puck. That won't happen. No, No,
your team, next guy, your teammate should anyway. Here, here's
here's one thing I would like to see the NFL do,
and I don't think this will ever happen. I would
(29:18):
like to see them find the closest low camera angle
and before you show a replay, right, you know, of
course it's hard because you don't know if it's going
to be reviewed. Show show the low angle, fast beat,
and let the fans decide what they think.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
The call is. That'll get them, that'll get them off,
that might get them off. The refs back a little bit.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
You show me, show me the low angle, high speed
guys running twenty miles an hour, right, the ref's bird's
eye view of that. You tell me what the call is.
Remember they used to have that, and you make the call.
We'll be back with the answer after this.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
You make the call.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Uh, So I want to get I mean, I'm I agree.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
I agree. Maybe that's a little tedious to watch, and
maybe it tunes off some people that aren't huge fans.
But whatever you wrote the rule, just get it right.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So I think the NFL is so big that it
doesn't turn off teds fans. Fans in Baltimore are going
to be talking about this fans around the country are
going to be talking about it.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
It's p T. Barnum.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
It's okay, man, right, it's attention on the game. And
I will tell you that I have family members that
you know, haven't necessarily been the you know, don't know,
don't have a fantasy football team whatever. They're like looking
at the replay. Oh, I think he's got two feet
down and made a football. I mean they've they've done
it in.
Speaker 5 (30:35):
Such a way.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Baseball really screwed it up at the beginning right there,
the play would just stop and you'd have nobody would
announce what they're reviewing. You didn't have a clue. There's
no replays like this strike zone thing.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
They've made it.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
They've made the the at the US Open in tennis,
they make it part of it. It happens, the replay
happens quickly, they show it up. The fans start clapping
at the US Open. Okay, and then and then they
can all see it there. Okay, it's out, all right,
we know what the challenge is baseball. This ball and striking.
If you've seen it in the minor leagues I have,
they flash it up on the screen. Takes a challenge
(31:12):
it takes fifteen seconds. Takes seconds. Everybody sees it. Everybody's
part of it. The NFL is going a great job. Yeah,
they make everybody's a part of it. They've got a
rules analyst in they're explaining everything. They do a wonderful.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Job with it.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
There's three guys that can challenge the pitcher, the catcher
of the batter.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Wow, and you get.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Two or whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
The there's a fixed number that you can do the
right right and when you're out, you're out.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
If you're wrong, you lose one.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
And everybody when you're out here two two, curveball in
the outside quarter, strike three, batter taps his head, It
goes up on the scoreboard.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Everybody's watching.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
It goes in the box or it doesn't. No, that
was ball three. You're still lying. Yeah, and all we
go with our lives.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Hey, wonder to mind. You clear
your Federal Credit Union.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
They're always upping their game for those in need through
touchdowns for Clearview will donate five hundred dollars to the
Light of Life Rescue Mission for every black and goal
touchdown scored this season. Visit Clearview FCU dot org slash
touchdown to learn more. This is the Point After, presented
by your neighborhood Ford Store and by the Steers Pro Shop.
Get it direct from the team at Shop dot Steelers
dot Com on DVE and the Steers Audio Network.
Speaker 5 (32:18):
Back to the Point After on DV warners to the right,
Rodgers in the shotgun, gets a snap back to pass,
throws to warn of the right flat wide open, scooting
down the right sideline heath room. There is nobody there
and he's in.
Speaker 7 (32:31):
For the score.
Speaker 5 (32:33):
Jail and warn a short.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Pass out to the plat and he goes thirty eight
yards in for the touchdown. Welcome back to the Point After,
presented by your neighborhood Ford Store and the Steers Crow Shop.
Get it direct from the team at Shop dot Steelers
dot Com on DVE and the Steer's Audio Network. That
was shocking the two plays A shocked me that one
and Rogers. Rogers went back to pass and was looking
(32:56):
to the right and then ran to the left and
there was nobody.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
There to I really liked about that play. I'm not
sure what they had called. I bet it wasn't that,
but it looked to me like that was one of
those plays where Rogers saw the defense thought oh my god,
if I just get the ball out on the perimeter,
he's gone. And he got it there quickly. And he
was also able to continue the Steelers' obsession with ignoring
(33:20):
Pat Fryarmuth, who was wide open ten yards past war
and could have easily had the touchdown. But they don't
throw it to that guy even when he's wide open.
So good on them for keeping that going.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Okay, so you made the comment earlier, Mike, and I
since you made the comment, I'm gonna start with Matt
on this, and I think that I can tie this
together the comment that there might still be more in
the tank here for the Steelers, and you know, the
underutilization at times it seems like of the running game,
the underutilization of Pat Fryarmuth and Matt.
Speaker 5 (33:52):
Just these wild.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Swings in statistics, and one of that I bring up
just because I think it's an easy one for people
to understand. I don't want to parse too much and
get too much into the weeds. But going into this
last game, the Steelers were one of two teams that
had created twenty or more turnovers and had thirty or
more sacks yeah. Yeah, that's like elite defenders.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
Right.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
And the Rams are averaging seventeen and a half points
a game on defense, second best defense in the league. Yeah,
and the Steelers are twentieth. Now, may how does that
make sense? It doesn't make any sense. And the students
have been bad on third down defense, and they've been
bad in other areas. And you know, one week they'll
get gashed by the run and the next week they'll
be shutting down Jonathan Taylor. It is around the league.
(34:37):
It's been the weirdest year I can ever remember. But
we only have to look at the Steelers to say
this is they're the poster boys of it. They've been
somewhat of a mystifying team. How can you possibly have
four leads against quality opponents at the half, get the
ball to begin the half and lose every one of
those games. In two consecutive games, they got the ball
(34:59):
to begin the second half and combined in the two games,
had sixteen yards in the third quarter combined. Yeah, and
you got the ball first. Yes, I had a runder.
They're just it has just been and and so I
see Aaron Rodgers look incredible. I see Jalen Warren running
(35:21):
the ball. I see game well running the ball. I
see Pat fryern With having a big game against the Bengals.
I see DK Metcalf having big games now he's back again.
I see these numbers on defense, and I think, why
not the Steelers, Why can't they go on a five
game run like the Texans have gone on, clean up
some of these weaknesses and be a team to be
reckoned with.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
I don't think it's insane to look at it in
that view. I mean, I think we used the term
whack a mole last Monday too. I Mean, it was
just like when you're you got one thing solid. Boy,
it looks like the run defense is pretty good. Oh,
it looks like the running games coming around. Meanwhile, in
the last two games, they've been out rushed by three
hundred and seventy four yards, and two games they've been
(36:01):
out rushed, I mean, and one one of them lost,
the other against good teams Lamar and Allen. And now
you're in first place and you're one hundred percent right.
I mean, it's I don't know what they're really really
bad at other than rushing the past or I'm not
sure what they're really really good at. And it's been
so weak the week that down and down out. They
(36:23):
have some issues, that's for sure. I don't understand. I
thought this would be a run heavy game plan. I
was wrong, and good thing I was, because Rogers was awesome.
But they barely ran the ball at all. I don't
think they had anyone break thirty yards rushing.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Yeah, I mean I think they ran it se found
seventeen times versus forty for the Ravens.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
You know, and I'll say this too, like I always
felt like there were a.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Lot of Patriots teams to use them as an example,
that were very very game plan specific.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
More so than anybody, more so than.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
You might come out Tom Brady might come out and
throw it seventeen straight times the beginning game.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
They like, there was no.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
Against Hampton that they threw it like never when the Steelers,
there's nobody's run the ball, right, yeah, ran the ball
like twice.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And there's other times where they might come out and
run the ball seventeen consecutive times.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
I think this year there's our.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Game plan specific, mic, I really do. Oh, I agree,
and more than most teams are more than teams saying
this is our identity they're saying, this is what we
think we can do to win a game. I think
there are pluses and minuses for both. I think there's
you know, it allows you to attack and use your
weapons to the best of your advantage. But there's also
to me, I think there's some comfort in getting to
(37:36):
a flow of the game and saying.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
What's your bread and body.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
This is what we do, right, this is what or hey,
it's a tight game. You know at the beginning of
the fourth quarter, Well guess what. And I know different era,
We're going to give the ball to Jerome a lot
and they're not going to be able to stop us.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Right.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
I agree with all that, man.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
I mean, I think it's great to have depth and
diversity and be able to do different things with different people.
But I also think there's times when, as Tomlin would say,
when it gets thick, right, you know, you got to
know who you're going to. And I appreciate Aaron Rodgers
has been the best ever at not throwing interceptions.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
You know, ball security, but I throw to the guy
who's open.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Maybe sometimes you should throw it to DK, or maybe
sometimes you should throw it to Friar move or I think.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I commend them though, forgetting dk Is involved and schemed
up in this. That was step one to me. That
was good.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
I think Adam Thielen's going to have an impact. I
think he's going to be that kind of guy, a
possession down kind of guy that keeps stuff going and
plays as a professional. That was a big development to me.
And I know they didn't do anything statistically, theeling and
Marquez Valdez scantling. I think it was two targets and
one catch for four yards combined. But they're not five nine,
(38:47):
they're six two and sixty four and they've done this
a lot. And these are the guys I want to
rely on going down to stretch. I think they can
be difference makers. Might be overstating it, but impactful.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
That's yeah, that's.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
Probably kind of like a Mike Williams pickup. No, okay,
I think more than that.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Why not?
Speaker 4 (39:09):
I think I think because Mike Williams I didn't think
did anything.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
Yeah, one game.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
But what I'm saying, what I'm being facetious, what I'm
saying is was there some thought that that's what Mike
Mike Williams might do for the team last year.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
When they signed, When they sign and that didn't come
to fruition.
Speaker 5 (39:25):
She didn't come to fluistion, and he retired.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
And shot right. I just I don't know what Scantling
has left.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
I think should be useful.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
I think could still play.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
So you know, to me, guys, I still go back
to this like, Okay, I was being facetious there, but
what I really think is this team is Look, it's December, right,
You're now, you're seven and six your first place in
the division. You have some things to clean up. And
by the way, you know, we didn't play a complete game.
We all say that if you played a complete game,
you'd win seventy two to nothing. Right, that would mean
(39:54):
you'd have done everything right, and they've done You'd have
caused him to do nothing right. And I understand it.
That's not the way it works. I just and I've
been a believer in his team all year long. I
still believe in what they're capable of doing. But they're
they're still matt a seven and sixteen, so they've still
got to find a way to do this. And Mike Bersuda,
(40:15):
who didn't want us to enjoy this, this victory over
the Ravens, is already looking forward to the Dolphins game.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
Enjoy it.
Speaker 5 (40:22):
I mean, man, they've won four in a row.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
What's next? Right?
Speaker 1 (40:25):
I mean, by the way, have they played anybody yet
who's just been at their worst? No, Bengals had to win.
The Vikings weren't bad yet. I mean maybe the Browns.
You got Seattle when they're on the rise. You got
New England when they're on the rise. It's it has been,
and you're getting your dolphinss the Dolphins, now that's the
(40:48):
next one. They've won four in a row. They are
desperate for a win, and look at it from their perspective.
They come in and they win this game. Now they
go home and they beat Cincinnati. Now Tampa Bay's wobbling
a little bit. Hey, you know, listen there, head down.
If we get to ten and seven, ten and seven
usually gets you in the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (41:05):
They got it. The Dolphins have every shot of being
ten and seven. They gotta win Monday night.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I think a team that's got to win is a
dangerous team, and I think the Dolphins are a dangerous team.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Well, I think.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Pittsburgh perceives itself as that as well. Yeah let me, yeah,
let me rephrase that. I hope Pittsburgh perceives itself as
because if they think, oh, we beat the Ravens, all
is right with the world, We're back, that would be
a mistake.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Yes, I totally agree, that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
That's a good point though. I mean usually of the
course of a seventeen game schedule, you're like, we got
them without borrow. I know they could they did get
them without borrow. But it been nice that Browning and
not Flacco, you know what I mean, Like everyone of
them was like many their whole place was injured, you know,
like you got a lot of these teams best games,
and that rarely happens for the courses.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Yeah. Yeah, it seems like it's been a little unlucky
that bad way.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
And yet Mike, it's still in front of them, right,
there's still seven and six. And you'd like to think
they can beat Miami on their home field. You like
to think they can beat the Browns. Yes, in the
think both of those things, right, You'd like to think
you could take the Ravens at home.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
Yeah, right, and then Detroit becomes.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Like I think two and two gets them in and.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
Actually, if one of those against the Ravens again, even
if it's not, it's not, it probably doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
You think Baltimore's beating New England, Green Bay, and Cincy all.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Three of those?
Speaker 4 (42:24):
No, probably either.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
I think Detroit, you know, that's probably gonna be a
pretty impactful game for.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
The Lion and exactly another opponent where really no, you're optimistic.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
About that one. But anything on the AFC side, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
You know what, But if if you're if you are
what you want to be, right, which is a team
that's not only going to make the playoffs, but gonna
do something when they get there. They keep talking about
that being that kind of a team. Bring on, Detroit,
let's go.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Well and play your best ball in the last month, right.
Speaker 5 (42:54):
Right, exactly both those things.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
I mean, that's it.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
It'd be great to be uh thirteen and oh at
this point, but they're not. They're seven at six, right.
If they get to eleven at six, it's pretty good.
Speaker 5 (43:03):
Season, exactly right, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
If they get to six and uh eleven or no,
it would be.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
Seven and ten.
Speaker 5 (43:13):
Yeah, not so good, not so good.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
And I think, I mean, how many of these games
do we really know? You none?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
You don't ask Tampa Bay and it must win game
in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
It was a painful game for me a number.
Speaker 4 (43:30):
I mean, Cleveland, they could be a blizzard and that's right.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Yeah, you could lose last year, right, you know.
Speaker 5 (43:36):
Exactly right, Steelers win this one.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
But I hope you don't think I'm trying to suck
the joy out of beach.
Speaker 5 (43:41):
Of course not. It's so much fun, seriously, very much purposes.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
The best win of the year is that Baltimore every year.
Speaker 5 (43:49):
Yeah, totally agree with you.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Totally agree with it, and uh and fun to share
it with my friends Matt Williamson and Mike Persuda and
Justin Miller at the controls.
Speaker 5 (43:58):
And with everybody listening.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
We want to thank you as well for being with
us on the Point After, presented by your neighborhood Ford store,
the Stewish Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team
at shop dot Saliers dot com on DVE and this
scheo theresh Audio Network
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.