Steelers snatch AFC North from Ravens after overturned TD

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Underground, The steel City Underground, the black
and gold standard for Pittsburgh Steelers coverage. Now here's your hoes.
Joe Kuzma and Brian E. Rose.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the steel
City Underground podcast. My name's Joe Kuzma, joined by a
one mister Brian E.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Roach.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hey, Bryan, it's been a little while, but we could
finally say this again. It's victory Monday, my friend, how
do you do it? Victory Monday? Yes, it's it's Look,
I've said this before, I'll say it again. It's always
a beautiful Monday when it's a perfect sweep of the division.
Steelers win, Bravens lose, Brown's lose, Bengals lose. That's a

(00:48):
beautiful Monday to me. Yeah, did you happen to see
that the Browns fans spinning the shador Sanders? You know,
only guy to throw for three hundred and like fifty
yards plus and had combined for like four touchdowns or
whatever nonsense happened when they lost to the Tennessee Titans,
Like it was just three for three sixty four touchdown

(01:11):
in interceptions like guys, and he ran for one guys,
you lost the game, and you know that could have
very easily been the Steelers as well.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Don't steal their joy. Don't steal their joy. They have
had crap quarterback play for so long. Holdnest looks and
they look like they feel like they had, you know,
maybe a quarterback there. So that I'm not saying because
I haven't watched him, I have no idea if he's
playing well or I just look at the stats, right so,
you know, four tds or whatever he did, sounds like

(01:39):
he had a good game. Don't steal their joy. They
have so little to be happy about, my friend.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
No, they're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, I know, having
lost to the worst team in the NFL. And I
didn't want to start this by talking about the Browns,
but might as well sharing their misery. And by the way,
three punts and a pick and a third quarter punt
far bone of block punt, two touchdowns at the very end,
Tennessee was trying to give the game away a little bit.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
I watched that. I watched Joe League.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
I watched Joe Burrow light up the bills in the snow.
Frustrating to see how receivers shove offs to t Higgins
that everybody's shown it in the highlights, and I'm like,
the camera angle you can't see because you're looking through it,
But if you see the other camera angle, he's got
the little little little iggy in the guy's back and
then get gets that space. And you know, the Steelers

(02:29):
had a lot of this in their game too. As
much as I want to talk smack in everything, I'm
sitting here chuckling a little bit because for as much
as we dislike officiating, there's a whole other AFC nor
tame we didn't mention yet the Baltimore Ravens and their
fan base that you know, they probably have a few
things to be unhappy about having lost this game, another

(02:49):
tight one, what people were calling a classic twenty seven
to twenty two, and they lose it at home at
M and T Bank Stadium, some of it because well,
their play quite frankly, it.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Was the same.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
And then we've said about the Steelers before. You have
to be able to overcome the calls on the field
if they don't fall your way as well, and they
weren't able to overcome it.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Although it was by like.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
The slimmest of margins, the slimmest of margins, We may
as well just start there and work backwards. Isaiah likely
fingertips on the ball trying to squeeze it and just
doesn't get that extra football move of tucking the ball
or getting the extra foot down. And the reason that
seems so ridiculous, Brian is we were talking during this

(03:34):
game also just from the beginning, the calls that were
that were made catch or no catch, and then the
replace Tomlin challenges one that very clearly does it look
like it looks like Zay Flowers has the ball floating
route on his chest or head and they're like, nah,
that's good, and he's already out of bounds, and it's like,
now that's a catch. But the other one that could
have decided the game have been a touchdown, not to

(03:55):
say it the Steelers wouldn't have had time been able
to We don't have the what do you want, let's say.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Right, you can't see the change r Yeah, I mean
look uh by that by that point in the game,
the Steelers offense was was a you know, a mass unit,
and you know, they had not been very successful at
moving the ball late in the game, so you can
you can extrapolate and say, hey, if the Dravens take

(04:23):
the lead, they probably win. But it doesn't mean that
that that's the facts, right they You know, Steelers could
have always pulled a rabbit out of a hat and
all they would have needed was a field goal to
take the lead back. So you never know. So will
I say that that get that that costs in the game? No?
Did it help? No? Technically? Was it was the call correct? Well?

(04:44):
I don't know. Well, here's what. Here's the thing. I
know that the refs and the league and everybody is
going to spin it so that it is accurate and
their call was correct, right. I think any human being
watching that play things that's a catch. And I don't
really care what the rule says from a standpoint of

(05:06):
you know, technically, but anybody watching that says that's a
catch because it was a catch, and I do feel
like it was. It was it was bs.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Sorry, yes, but does it depend on where it's caught
on the field. If that's caught in the middle of it,
if that play happens. I don't want to say catch
because by role, by replay, by whatever you want to
pay the affirmation from the officiating crew Alex Moore, guy,
we haven't seen before.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
We love you, thank you, come back. But anyways, if
that's in the middle of the field, next time it'll
turn on our way. I don't want that.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
I want nothing to do with that. Yeah, I'm glad.
I'm glad you actually said that, because you know, the
tears are salty, because we had to deal with Jesse
caught it, so that that was a whole you know,
probably franchise altering when you really look back and think
about it.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
You know what I mean, Let's not pretend that it
wasn't bad on both sides. And what holding calls? The
holding the holding calls that didn't get called. Uh, you
know they're tackling guys, literally tackling him to the ground
and there's no holding calls. I'm just that was they again?

(06:22):
What can what more can I say? The ref stink.
You overcome the ability that the fact that they stink,
and you try and move on the Ravens. The Ravens
made enough mistakes to lose the game. Yes, and the
best thing I can say about this particular game is
we won, right, I'm happy we won. Does it give

(06:42):
me confidence? Moving forward. Not a whole hell of a lot,
but I'm glad we won.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, And I'll tell you, if that play happens in
the middle of the field, it's probably not a catch.
Are you gonna catch fumble if it's in the middle
of the field. So that's uh, that's the interesting thing.
I know. I think they would roll an incomplete catch
there too. You've seen it. We've seen the goofy enough times.

Speaker 3 (07:08):
Now.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
The other defining play of this game, because you had
two that determined the outcome, was the Aaron Rodgers tipped
back to himself, caught it and he's on both knees
like praying with the ball up against his stub, like,
oh he has a different cast today. Well, it's good

(07:30):
that he does, because he might not have had any
grip on that ball whatsoever. Holy cow, you know you
talk about by the slimmest of margins. Now, Harbaugh was
not happy. He says that if that's a catch, he
has to survive the ground. And I'm over here like, well,
if somebody has their if somebody has a knee down,

(07:54):
or you catch somebody, you swipe their shoelace and you know,
and there's that contact that's a tackle if any part
of their body is kind of touching this slimmest little
piece of grass that has white paint for the out
of bounds. It's out of bounds. But he is crying
sweet tears over that particular play, and I really don't know.
And it was rolled on the field and overturned, so

(08:16):
they felt that was enough with the camera angles. And
you know, I say this enough times, you know it
sounds like I've always complained about the officiating. The officiating
is often hamstrung by the technology or lack thereof. We're
supposed to have these shots. What happened to is eagle
eyed stuff that they were implementing this year. I haven't
seen it used once straight down the boundaries or anything
like that. But kudos to those CBS cameraman. This was

(08:38):
a one o'clock game this day. You know, they didn't
have all they still had Jim Jim nance TONI rowan.
They may have had a couple extra cameras for this one,
and it was, you know, fairly seen across the country,
not as much as the previous week's game against Buffalo,
but still we know that certain games they don't have
the same number of cameras that are there. So the

(08:59):
guys that there, man, you know, it hats off to
them because Steelers don't get a victory. If those guys
aren't doing a hell of a job. I have to
give it to them there because then they give the referees,
the command center, whatever you want to call it. They
give them the tools to be able to make the
proper call so or at least to make an informed
decision or an uninformed decision.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
But it does.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
It seems it consistent. I see the one thing that
usually happens a lot. We've talked about this. I was
watching these other games and there was another call that
was very similar in a different game. I don't remember
which one, but it was in the one o'clock window.
Could have been Cleveland, could have been the Cincinnatian Buffalo game.
And they go to commercial break well, and I understand
why they're doing it. They don't want to bore everyone
with the minutia of the replay aspect to going over

(09:42):
to rules. Most of us want that, so we could
stop saying the NFL is heavily influenced by sports betting
and it's all rigged. There's no transparency. It was supposed
to be all these things that are transparent, all this goal.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
Or not the goal.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
I always call it goal line technology. We got the
feed for World Cup round corner now, but it's the
same idea with the virtual measurement not using the sticks.
The expedited. I like the idea of the expedited because
they don't have to talk, stand there and have this
huge conference. But still it's not like where you're watching
you know, XFL UFL and they're showing the guy that's
literally your sky judge or the people in the you

(10:20):
don't even see the people in the you know, the headquarters,
the command center or whatever like you do. I was
watching the ACC title game, for example, and they had
the ACC command center for that Duke in Virginia game,
and then a c the ACC. We're not talking college
football though, because we have nothing positive to say about
those that game, Brian, But with Ohio State we want.

Speaker 3 (10:42):
To talk about bad refs. Man, Oh my god, we'll
leave that one. Leave that one.

Speaker 2 (10:46):
That one's that one's going to sit not cit easy
for a while. But I guess just closing my point
about the two big controversial calls. If you want to
look fair and impartial. You kind of got to give
us a little more for us to believe that. Malarkey.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
Right.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
So, speaking of the Ravens and the Ravens needing to do,
needing to overcome, needing to play, you know, Tony Romo
is like he's like a little kid on Christmas all
the time. He's like a little kid that's just like
had like three cokes and just can't.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
Maybe he is coked up. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
He can't sit still, can't sit still. He's like Lamar Jackson,
Lamark Taxson. Oh it's Lamar Jackson. He's looking healthy. I
don't know, Jim, and he's looking healthy, and I'm just like,
shut up, dude. Like Lamar gets stuffed for whatever, throws
like a bad pass and he was like, oh, that's
so close. That could have went for you know, twenty
thirty yards. It's like it's only close in horseshoes and
handgar dads, Tomy like, let that go. So the first

(11:41):
first quarter, I mean it feels like classic Steelers, right.
They go into halftime, they're up, and it's been a
close game. They hold Baltimore first opening possession nine plays,
fifty five yards of field goal three and out, Brian.
It was a three and out, a three and out
in a six and out basically, but two punts forced

(12:02):
an interception another three play drive. James, James, I almost
did it as kind of like a tongue in cheek
kind of he deserved it. I've been talking about it,
and I put James Pierre on her game day graphic.
I'm running out of people because I'm just like, there's
certain folks I can't. Can I ever put John hu
Smith on one of these? What the hell's he ever done?
He's caught like a pass once into like the last

(12:23):
two months. So I put James Pierre on there. I'm like,
James Pierre has been playing well. You know, Darius Slay
was sent out of here. James Vierre gets it, makes
a heads up play backyard football play and goes, you know,
however many inches vertical and g takes this ball out
of the air. Now the Ravens start showing some signs
of life here. They have, you know, a touchdown and

(12:45):
a touchdown, but the Steelers defense at least holds down
the fort field goal. Got to hold him to a
field goal here. Then the big turnover on downs and
then you know, the very final series, they may have
they may have given up maybe more yards or plays
or whatever, more than we would like four hundred and
twenty yards and seventy seven plays.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
Two hundred and seventeen on the ground. Yeah, the bigger
concern twenty two first down. So this is why people
probably even in our own comments section went they're calling
in afterwards the postgame show. They're not happy, and finally
somebody comes in and they're like, hey, be happy. We
understand that there was this call that swayed this and this,
you know, but you wanted to see signs of life,
and there were signs of life. And the signs of

(13:27):
life came on the offense as well. And like you said,
you only said it on one side of the ball.
The entire team was a match unit at certain points,
trying to mix a match different components, along with two
guys that haven't even been on the field on offense,
Marquez Valdez Scanling Adam Thalin. So you got, you know,

(13:47):
the Steelers needed this game. They got this game. Let's
at least savor the moment for and savor the moment
since it was against a division rival at their place. Yeah,
as I said, I mean, I'm happy. Obviously, I'm happy
they won, right. It made my day much better yesterday

(14:07):
than it was on Saturday. So I was a much
happier human being. And I've often said I will take
a Steelers win over in Ohio State win every every
every weekend.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, they're so spoiled with the Ohio State wins. That's
why I mean.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
But that being said, I you know, I absolutely believe
we should celebrate this win. We should be glad that
we got this win. But let's not fool ourselves. Nobody
should be talking about you know, this suddenly makes us
a contender, and the warts are still there. It's just
that the Ravens also have those same warts. The whole
division stinks. So you know, I'm happy we won. I'll

(14:47):
be happy if we if we managed to pull the
division out, but I don't have I don't have great
expectations for anything beyond that.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
I'm wondering if at least a home playoff game in
a Devision title changes some of the attitude of Steelers Nation.
They have an opportunity. We'll be talking about the Dolphins.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
They win the home playoff game, maybe if they go
in to get embarrassed in it.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
If they get embarrassed so much, absolutely not. You can't
have the same embarrassing like the twenty seventeen against the
Jacksonville Jaguars. You can't have these games where they's play
Pansas City or Baltimore.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
Who are they likely to play? They're likely to play
Houston or Buffalo or the Chargers. Both the Chargers and
Buffalo already humiliated them, and Houston's defense is a little
bit scary at the moment. Houston.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
Houston's a scary streaking team that might be Dolphins are
streaking right now too, after just the way they started
and they looked like the easiest thing on the schedule.
They've won four straights. Where did they just go on
the road? Well, the Jets, and it's the Jets, but
they lay thirty on them, thirty four to be exact.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
So I was.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
Thinking this too, man. I was like, man, the Steelers
got twenty seven points on offense, and I'm like, is
it enough or are we going to give up thirty here?
I mean, if the Ravens would have scored and you
have to imagine to go for two to make it
a three point game, ad that likely touchdown stood that
would have been thirty points right there, and you're just like, oh,

(16:18):
just never not. It's just like the same thing. I
am always, you know, ragging on the Bengals about thirty
four points. They lose thirty nine to thirty four. Now,
Joe Burrow threw a very bad pick six on a
little it was like a little hitch out play out
of the back or off the back of like a screenplay,
and that was just wow. That game was like a

(16:38):
snowball too. But Buffalo really has some problems too, so
it's like never say never. I felt like even the
Chargers were a team that they could have beat, but
Aaron Rodgers was just so like off the mark, and
that game was not off the mark. Yesterday, in fact,
they opened a game with just just DK Metcalf. It
looked like the guy you traded for Finally you're using now,

(17:00):
is it? Because like Tony Romo, who's sitting there like
he's like Beavis, you know, He's like eh, eh, and
it's like I'm like, dude, Like he's talking about the
size of these receivers and I'm like, yeah, we said
that when it picked up Scantling, I guess the land
I didn't really think about that. I just thought he
was old. But what did I say about feeling? I said,
maybe he's the old man that knows, I know how
to get this defender in this position, make this slight move.

(17:22):
I might not have the speed, but I've got the smarts,
have been doing this long enough, and you know, moves
the chains or get some significant positive contribution to this game.
For however many snaps he played, which I was going
to go into because I was surprised defensively, even with
all those injuries, Asante Samuel only played one snap, which
was very interesting with like, you know, James Pierre and whatnot,

(17:45):
So you had Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter play in the
whole game. Somebody had said, who had thought that James
Pierre and Brandon Eckles would be here to save the
day for the Steelers secondary, for their defense. And I
wouldn't have thought that either. Maybe Eckles to a lesser
degree just because he's been a starter in other places,
but man, James Pierre been the guy. Like we do

(18:07):
the preseason predictions and we're doing the fifty three and
we're like, well, this guy's going on a practice squad
or his time here is over. So you know, I
hate saying that about anybody, but you know, he's been
I'm ready to call him I two point zero, except
he caught the ball.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
So yeah, he caught the ball. And here's the problem.
We've seen flashes like that from James Pierre over the years, right,
We've seen good James Pierre and then we see bad
James Pierre. So I don't know whether you know, so
the question is is it just a developmental thing and
you can see the talent there at some times and
then you know, you still have growth spurts or growth

(18:45):
issues or you know, so has he finally got it
figured out? Or or are we just you know, kind
of waiting at the door for bad James to show
up again. I don't know what the answer to that is.
You know, I'm glad, I'm glad he's playing well. I'm
happy he's playing well. He is absolutely playing well, so
that's a good thing. Hopefully it continues.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
Yeah, we saw, you know, the Steelers. I thought they
did a decent job of containing Lamar. I felt like
they actually adjusted and I mean, and it's Lamar, but
it's also like Cam Hayward got absolutely had his shirt
nearly ripped off over the shoulder pads on the one
where he should have had him. TJ maybe very similarly
got tackled straight to I saw TJ bend in a

(19:29):
way that I didn't think edge rushers could bend and
should have had the guy beat and he had him completely.
Just it's the strangest thing too. You know, we're talking
about DK metcalf. Let's talk about his contributions at the end.
Since you've got all of these injuries, so we should
bring up all the injured players and all the guys
that went out. He had to go in and play
gunner on the punt punt coverage unit, and he goes

(19:54):
out there, you know, selflessly and draws two guys on
him and draws a holding call. And since Baltimore even
further back and then out of nowhere, finally you got
another holding call. Yeah, if you're sitting in the seat
on the other side of this conversation, you certainly think
the referee screwed your at this point. You didn't get
the touchdown, you you didn't get that turnover, and then

(20:15):
you have these two calls that tag you at the end,
and probably you know warranted calls, right, but they hadn't
been called all game, so it was very inconsistent. And
that's what's always pissed us off over the years. And
then and then you have that special teams over the center,
whatever thing that happened. Also that gave the Steelers some
new life and a new set of downs. The Steelers

(20:36):
offense three hundred and eighteen yards fifty one offensive plays
of thirteen first downs. Like you were saying, Brian, you know,
there's still a team that they were getting decent field position,
at least they were getting out to the forty. The
win was crazy. Tyler Loop misses that one extra point
for Baltimore. Both kickers end up not having a ball
going the landing zone. It was just wackiness. I didn't

(20:57):
want this to come down to Boswell's fo which it
could have at the end. You have no idea where
that ball is going, those extra points, those extra points.
That ball was sailing man. And after after and we
feel even more nervous after Ohio State and the kicker
missing you know, the chip, the gimme the twenty seven
yarder or whatever that was, and that game, so you
and I are sitting there even more like a little

(21:19):
more tense that this gets down to it. But man,
kudos the DK metcalf there, Andrea's Pete ends up going
out of the game. Dylan Cook playing in his first
true NFL action that gave him some help. But Aaron
Rodgers just not sacked at all clean Ravens cannot get

(21:40):
to the quarterback. Lamar, technically two sacks. I actually thought
it was more like zero. You know what it's like,
he gets he gets hit behind the line of scrimmage
after he scampers off and yeah, echos one was finally got. Yeah,
I guess, I guess the one that finishes. Yeah, talk
about ball game about jumped off my couch.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
I did jump off the couch.

Speaker 2 (22:01):
I was screaming. I was screaming, dude, I was sitting
there screaming. I was screaming. I was like, yeah. My
daughter comes out of the other room and she goes,
are you okay? And I said, I am now.

Speaker 3 (22:14):
My daughter came out of the room laughing because the
number of F bombs I dropped at the Ravens at
the end of that game made her quite amused.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
Was it like, F you, Lamar Jackson, F Hugh John Harbell,
did you go to the Pacific Jerry McGuire style, like
you know?

Speaker 3 (22:29):
It was definitely few Ravens. It was I don't call
out individual players that way because I don't think that's right,
but the team is an organization. I couldn't I can't
stand anyway.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
So Lamar was fifty four point three percent on thirty
five passes, completing only nineteen for six point three yards
per attempt. It's going to a touchdown and a pick
seventy one rating. He was sacked technically twice. He did
run the football seven times. He got out and escaped
for forty three yards six point one average. A lot

(23:02):
of the Ravens two hundred and seventeen yards came on
Mitchell's fifty five yard long, which you're just like, well,
here we go again. Give up a big play like
that bottled it up a little better. This was without
Derek Harmon. This was with Keanu Benton, like, oh no,
this guy's getting hurt.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
You know.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
Earlier you got Patrick Queen leave the game and then
come back in like a gladiator. Brandon Eckles was in
and out also, just wow, the attrition just with it.
An outside smith who finishes the game with the huge
play is on the sideline like it looks like they're
ready to tape up his ankle and put a needle

(23:41):
in his leg or something to get him to play.
Like you're just like, what can happen next to Darnell
Washington on the other side, I think we have four
players in concussion protocol Washington. Let's see who else? Yeah,
Pete Leek Harrison another one, the run stopper, the guy
that you need and part of the reason why they

(24:03):
were struggling a little more to stop the run. Let
me see if the first half stats actually stick up
with what I'm saying there, seventy three yards nineteen carries
first half, I mean, thirty four by Derek Henry, eleven
for thirty four three point one average, three for nineteen
by Jackson, So not terrible by Steelers standards.

Speaker 3 (24:24):
Well, it was the Where was the big fifty plus
yard run.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
In the second half? Right, yeah, yeah, right right after
the Steelers, right.

Speaker 3 (24:32):
After we went three and out?

Speaker 2 (24:33):
Three and well yeah three. Well not technically was it
a three and out? No, they got a field beginning.
It felt like a three and out, but it felt
like a three. It felt like a three and out.
It did feel like a three and out, just because
it's like you have your your foot on the throat
of this opponent and settle for a field goal. At
this point, they got down to the ten, the Baltimore ten,

(24:53):
and couldn't punch it in. Couldn't punch it in.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
So well, they could not run the ball yesterday. I mean,
they couldn't run the ball early, they couldn't run it late.
So I mean, I hate to say that, you know,
Darnel Washington going out was why they couldn't run the ball,
because it's not true. This is again, this is a
consistent problem with this group against teams, even when they're
stacking the box. Is the Ravens are a middling run defense, right,

(25:18):
they're not that bad, but they're not that good, and
we couldn't run the ball. But to be fair, we
couldn't run the ball against bad run defenses recently. I'm
just they have problems, like the warts are still there
and the issues remain, and there wasn't really anything other
than the fact that they figured out how to get

(25:39):
the ball down the field and attack. And whether that's
because the Ravens played poorly or because they did something different.
I mean, I sat there myself. I'm like, look, I
saw Adam Feeling catch one ball. I don't know if
he caught anything else. I don't remember seeing him catch
anything else. He was targeted a couple other times. I
think Marcus Scandaling was targeted once, at least as far

(26:01):
as I saw. So, I mean, is it possible that
just having some other big, tall guys on the on
the field was like, oh, well, we can't double cover
DK all the time. You know, yeah, it won a
piece for both of those guys. But did it? I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
I feel like a threat. And then Fried me, You've
had two of the three targets for nine yards. Wasn't
that big Washington? You know, unlimited time? Just the one
Ben Scarnick. I like how Tony Romo was saying this
guy could use some more playing time. It actually makes
me feel like Tony might have known what he was
talking about there. What such a scrappy player? He said,
he does all the dirty work, And I'm like, yeah,
that's why he was active. And Roman Wilson wasn't pretty

(26:41):
big development there also, But maybe the Steelers have found something.
They still hit Kelvin Austin still used him in his
speed later in the game for that thirty one yard reception.
DK Finishes catching seven balls for one hundred and forty
eight yards, tried to get him a touchdown but didn't.
Jalen Warren in the past game two and then, you know,
a lot of people always talked about all the previous quarterbacks,

(27:03):
Mason Rudolph, whoever missing wide open people pat Firemuth was
so open on that Jalen war and touchdown. But as
Romo said, the miscommunication, it didn't matter. Either one of
those guys was going to score from you know, if
Rogers finds them. So they really was all hands on deck.
I mean, Kenneth Gainwell was driving me crazy a little
bit because I have Warren on my fantasy team plugged

(27:23):
in there. He had six catches for twenty seven yards
and added another fifteen on the ground three point eight average.
But Warren could only muster eight for thirteen one point six,
pretty much running in the middle of the pile. They
even tried Caleb Johnson, who only had two carries for
four yards. Connor Heyward, of course gets the Tuysch push
work made that work. Steelers being aggressive there and actually

(27:45):
going for it on fourth. I think when they went
for it it was the right call, and I think
when they didn't and they sent bos while out there,
they were in sync. As far as you know. The
decision making I thought was was sound. Even with the
the challenge I thought was a good challenge Toma just
keep get lucky and win them. And then at the
end of the game, the way they played that out,

(28:07):
I mean, the offense, You're absolutely right, Brian. The offense
they did answer on six plays eighty yards in the
third quarter, and that was after Pete had a holding call,
and it's like, well, here you go, they're shooting themselves
in the foot. They're going to defeat themselves. Rogers finds
Austin for that thirty one yard pass, couldn't run the ball,

(28:27):
and then that's when you find Jalen Warren another big
play thirty eight yards. Yes, the Ravens have their own problems.
But after this, the Steelers offense super hyper conservative or
whatever be the case. They went, you know, three and out,
three and out, three and out, just punt punt punt,
tried to choose some clock there at the end, dared
the Ravens to have to go the entirety of the

(28:47):
field and they had to score a touchdown. So I
thought for the most part, they were smart. They flew
to the ball where they needed to. They let the
underneath stuff go where it needed to go, tried to
flow Lamar Jackson where you tried to where you can
and you know, control that as well. And they didn't
let Derek Henry just run all over like just stop them.
But Derrick Henry was also on the sidelines at the end.

(29:09):
You notice Derek Henry's not in there when they need
somebody to be able to be able to block. He's
not a big integral part of their passing game. So
you took a like we were talking back and forth,
keep them one dimensional. This was something we talked about
in the pregame, and it's like, by keeping that five
point lead and forcing them to need to be able
to score a touchdown, you keep that team very one dimensional.

(29:32):
They can't be that creative. It keeps that big chess
piece pretty much. I hate I know they call him king,
but the queen's the piece that can move all over
the board and do some damage and chess, you keep
that chess piece off the board, and that's that's goes
a long way toward winning the game.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, one hundred percent. You know they they were good enough, right,
you know, they still they haven't figured out how to
cover guys effectively. Too many guys were completely wide open.
When the Ravens were in sync with each other on
their offense, the drives just looked too easy. You know,

(30:12):
they can't stop giving up explosives, which is which is
a problem for them. You know, either in the run
game what was a fifty four yard run or in
the past game, it just felt like, okay, the difference
in this game was we got explosives. Right. What happens
normally with the Steelers is you watch the other team

(30:33):
get explosive plays and we are dinking and dunking all
over the place because we aren't threatening down the field.
This is the first game in forever where we've even
thrown a ball beyond twenty yards And what do we
do it?

Speaker 2 (30:43):
Like three or four times? Yeah in November? Not even
one none.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
And you just look at that and say, Okay, that's
the difference is the offense was much more aggressive about
going down the field and trying to push things and
we and it's and it worked whether that's a statement
about us or whether that's a statement about the Ravens.
I don't know the answer to that. If you know,
we if you want to try and make a judgment

(31:10):
off of overall performance, it's probably more a statement about
the Ravens than it is about us. But you know,
hopefully it's not. Hopefully it's a hey, we've started to
figure some stuff out, and maybe they'll get a little
more creative. I mean they you know, look, this is
a mini mini buy because we have a Monday night game,

(31:30):
so it's at least they get maybe an extra day
to try and get somebody's chime back. They do badly,
but maybe they can integrate feeling Adam, I can't say
whatever feeling and and Marcus Scalving BEZDZ whatever.

Speaker 2 (31:47):
Scantling market gonna he should be a law firm junior
or something.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
I remember that's what I called him, mvs. Marcus Valdez Handlings.
There you go, Maybe they can figure out ways to
actually be a little more creative with the passing game
and let them be more effective. Look, if the passing
game opens things up and people have to respect it,
then you can't put eight guys in the box or

(32:16):
nine guys in the box and you can't, you know,
snuff the run. We'll see. I still don't have a
lot of faith in this offensive line opening up holes,
but it would help if they didn't have extra bodies
in there.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
I got one for you. All of these were rushing touchdowns,
well kind of rushing. I guess the one for Warren wasn't.
I'm sorry, but no it wasn't.

Speaker 3 (32:38):
You got the you got.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
I'm trying to get to one specific that just had
to be, you know, salt in the wounds.

Speaker 3 (32:44):
Of the first Ravens. Yes, Aaron Rodgers darting over there,
but Aaron looked pretty spry. He he was moving around
in the pocket much better, and what he didn't seem
as so. I will give it up to the guys
from from a standpoint of pass protection. But again, I
don't know how much that says about us versus how

(33:07):
much it says about the Ravens inability to sack the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
This year.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
We discussed that they shouldn't have been a threat, you
know that, So I'll take it for what it's worth.
They did an adequate job, and Aaron wasn't as jittery
as he has been in certain other games.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
Yep, and that's still with you know, what are I
say in kelcified or whatever, like whatever's going on with
those the fractures in his hand and playing with maybe
a better cast in of course. You know, people are like, well,
I didn't use that cast last week, and it's like
you got to have a certain kind of support in there,

(33:47):
and that's the whole reason he didn't even play. And
Rudolph played against the Bears. Another game you wish you
could have back. But at least right now, the Steelers
are in the driver's seat. All the things we were
worried about one week ago ahead of this game, now
they kind of now they.

Speaker 3 (34:02):
Really control their destiny. They don't have to be.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
They're not in the position of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
For example, who needs absolutely not. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yeah, they need so many different teams to move out
of the way the Dolphins. You know, here's the part
that's that sucks for the Steelers. When they're playing the Bengals,
they're a desperate football team. When you're playing the Dolphins
coming up, they're a desperate football team. The Detroit Lions
very well may be another desperate football team. Yeah, their
record is not where well, they've been gambling this year

(34:32):
and it's not been paying off as much. It can
still put up the points, but they're eight and five.
But you're looking around the AFC North. Now you've got
the Steelers at seven and six. You've got the Baltimore
Ravens now two and two in the division with a
six to seven overall record, and they and in Cincinnati.

(34:54):
Losing that game to Buffalo is pretty big. They're now
that's huge. Yeah, nine losses, four and nine, there's virtually
no one's going to be talking about them. They could
still play spoiler.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
They still yes next week, Yes, Look the Ravens. The
Ravens schedule is tough, right, they got the Bengals who
wopped their butts in Baltimore, so they're going to be
looking for payback. But but Burrow has been playing very
well and the Ravens can't get to the quarterback. So
you kind of have to like the Bengals in that

(35:25):
game right at home. Then they've got who I think
they have, Green Ball, New England, New England, New England,
Green Bay, the Bengals in US. Right, that's their four
last games, so you you kind of think they're one
of those is at home, which I think the New
England game. You kind of assume they could lose both

(35:48):
of those games, right, It is very possible by the
time we get to the last game of the year
that it doesn't matter. Yeah, it's very possible. I expect
do I because to Detroit, to be honest.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
Because a de facto AFC North championship is what I
think it's going to end up being, and the only.

Speaker 3 (36:10):
Two teams you're going to be that being the case,
But I agree it's likely to be.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah, So the Ravens. Ravens have to go to Cincinnati
now after having played Pittsburgh and you know, the Donnie
Brook the slabyknock or whatever you want to call it.
At least the Steelers get one extra day to rest
after this too. Finally, I mean the Ravens had ten
days of rest. They had a mini buy heading into this.
Steelers have played two very fresh teams back to back,
and then they host the New England Patriots before Christmas,

(36:37):
go to Green Bay and a two be determined time
and date. They could have another short week if they
decided to play that as a primetime Saturday game at
Lambeau and then they have to finish in Pittsburgh. So
three of their last four games, two of them in
the division, on the road.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
That's huge. It's very huge.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
You cannot underestimate how big this game was the Steelers.
If they could take care of business with my I mean,
they get to play indoors. It's gonna be a Detroit.
It's gonna be a tough that's gonna be tough, and
I don't think anyone's expecting it, but it's an NFC game.
They drop one on the schedule there, maybe they're in line,
can afford to drop. They have a tie breaker with

(37:15):
the Baltimore Ravens at that point, and then I think
you go into Cleveland. You have to take care of Cleveland,
dispose of them. We'll see if they have a tie
record or if they have one game above. But the
Ravens would I still think it's position even if the
Ravens are behind a game, depending on how the Steelers
next three play out. If the Ravens like win and

(37:36):
then they do so much like this and common opponents
and this, that and the other thing, there's might still
be an argument for if the Ravens win they're in
and if they lose their out kind of situation. Even
if they don't have a hatching d they have to pull.

Speaker 3 (37:48):
One of the next three games out. That's the thing.
If they lose to the Bengals, they lose to the Packers,
and they lose to the Patriots. If they lose those
three games, then it doesn't matter. It's not gonna matter, correct,
unless we lose all three in a row two, you know,
which would be very sad.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
And the AFC North goes from having what three teams
in the playoffs, you know, a handful of times to
be in the laughing stock. Yeah, like the NFC South
pretty much.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
Yeah, so be talking about I mean, you're talking about it.
It's actually within the realm of possibility that the team
that wins this division has a losing record, And.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
We've laughed about that in the past, and it happens that.
Usually it was the South in the past, you know,
with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, the Saints. Of the two
of those teams are seven and six right now, so
like they're they're among the bottom also.

Speaker 3 (38:42):
But you're looking.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
Around and it's like you have to win this in
order to be in the postseason because Houston streaking. Now
the Colts they're on the free fall there. Buffalo is
still at second place as far as the wild cards
go to. But that AFC West with the Chargers eight
and four and they're four and zero in their division,
they're not going to catch Denver. I don't think who's
at eleven and two. Kansas City?

Speaker 3 (39:05):
They did they beat Denver once? Is that Denver lost
to Yes? Yeah, so they got another game with Denver.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
Yes, and then Kansas City Kansas City six and seven too. Yeah,
so Kansas City could.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Because the City's going to have a hell of a
tough time getting it.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
It could be ten and seven. But if Kansas City
is ten and seven and the Steelers are only a
nine win team and end up losing the division, they're
not going to be in it. That's just gonna be
my point, because I think Buffalo's at nine and four,
They've only got to win one more to have nine wins. Houston,
if they win two of their next four games, they're
probably gonna be They're gonna be in the wild card too,

(39:43):
And so yeah, we'll put a ball on it right there, Brian.
It's it's positive at least season's not over and the
Steelers have a path to winning the AFC North, a
very clear path. About a sixty seven Oh my goodness,
there's the number again. I didn't even tend to say it,
but I flashed it during the broadcast or whatever. Sixty

(40:03):
seven percent, uh per chance. I can't even spin it out.
It's six seven things like in my brain, just blame
my child. A chance to make the postseason.

Speaker 3 (40:15):
We will talk about it as we get closer to
the pregame. But this the Miami game where we thought
was going to be, you know, the easy game. That's
it's actually going to be a critical game. It's going
to be they have to win that game. It's going
to be a critical game.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
Yeah, critical Monday Night. I'm speculating they still sell them
in the pro shop. I think we get color Rush
for Monday Night or maybe to save it for against
Baltimore at the.

Speaker 3 (40:41):
End of the season. I don't know. I don't know.
I was thinking, like, I don't still wear it, I know,
I know, I don't care. It used to be there
used to be an aura to it that they were like, yeah,
but I don't know. This year, I don't know. It's like,
just just take care of business, you know what. I
wouldn't mind.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
You look at the Dolphins and you're thinking, uh, you
know whatever, and you don't want to look ahead to Detroit.
You don't want to look ahead to anything else. You
don't want to keep lingering onto.

Speaker 3 (41:06):
What they just had the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (41:09):
I think anything you could do to up the ante
for the mental aspect mental show. Put these guys in
some nice digs. Let's get the color rushes out and
get the fans into it too. In primetime for Monday
night football coming up. That's when our next show will be.

Speaker 3 (41:25):
Folks.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
Later this week is a pregame, so they Indian's got
the whole weekend to maybe watch it some of Monday.
So we'll probably be back at you later this week, Friday,
something like that. Until then, you know, thank you for
supporting the Steel City Underground podcast. Watching or listening wherever
you may be. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe,
leave a rating or review wherever you may be, Tell

(41:47):
your friends, tell your friends, share the show. We appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (41:50):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
My name is Joe and his name is Brian. Till
next time, here we go victory Monday. It's sweet, especially
when it was against the Ravens. So until next time.
As always, we encourage everyone out there to be safe,
be good, and we'll catch you later.

Speaker 1 (42:06):
We would like to thank you for listening and remind
our listeners to follow us on social media and our
website www. Dot steel City Underground dot com

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Steelers snatch AFC North from Ravens after overturned TD

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