Going Downhill Fast

In a single week the Steelers went from a top contender in the league to a team fading fast out of the playoff picture. This past week the Steelers suffered a disappointing loss to the previously 1-5 Kansas City Chiefs. This was a trap game to say the least. In other words, players on the Steelers were likely looking ahead to this week’s game against the division leading Cincinnati Bengals. By taking the Chiefs lightly and overlooking them, the Steelers were doomed for failure.

This wasn’t helped by the fact that Landry Jones, who is now the third starting quarterback for the Steelers this season, had an extremely poor outing. Jones most certainly looked like a third string quarterback to say the least. He missed receivers and made poor decisions nearly all night.

All in all, it was a very forgettable day for the Steelers. The only thing they can do now is put the loss behind them and move forward. If they linger on this loss it will certainly affect their performance in a must win game this coming Sunday.

Now moving forward, the Steelers got the best news of the season thus far. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is set to return form his MCL sprain this weekend! Prior to his injury, the Steelers were one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Hopefully, with Ben’s return the Steeler offense can pick up where they left off. If they can do so, the Steelers will without a doubt be inserted immediately back into the playoff discussion.

Steeler wide receiver Antonio Brown, will surely be happy about the return of Ben. Brown had been complaining about his lack of targets and therefore lack of production in the past weeks whenever Ben was removed from the picture. Back-up quarterbacks Vick and Jones just simply didn’t value Brown as an asset as much as Ben does. Surely, Brown can expect an increase in targets and yards this week. This will be a blessing for fantasy owners who had been suffering due to Brown’s lack of production.

Nevertheless, Brown and Ben will have to produce an immense amount of points in order to overcome the undefeated Bengals. The Bengals are being led by the phenomenal play of quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton has been near perfect this season. In addition, running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard have been effective forces in the backfield. However, neither of them are good fantasy options due to the fact that neither receive enough carries to be the clear leader in the Bengals backfield.

This leads into the key to the game for the Steelers. They must shut down the Bengals offense early. If the defense cannot limit the run game of the Bengals, then the Steelers are doomed. Overall, if Steelers do lose then they have relatively no chance at a division title this year.

With this being said Steeler fans have one job this coming week, pack Heinz Field and ROOT FOR A STEELER VICTORY!!!

Jones Saves the Day

A third string quarterback saved the season of the Steelers. This is a statement that could have been made by several analysts around the league after last Sunday.

Landry Jones was the knight in shining armor for the Steelers this past Sunday. Vick was injured on s tort scramble during the second half. This gave Jones the opportunity to seize the spotlight. That is exactly what he did. He brought new life to a struggling Steelers offense by throwing two touchdowns to newly returned receiver Martavis Bryant. Bryant had been suspended for the beginning of the season due to violation of the NFL drug policy.

Nevertheless, in Bryant’s first game back and Jones’s first NFL snap, the two looked as if they had been playing together for years. If Jones had played this well during the preseason then the acquisition of Vick would have never been necessary.

However, all that matters is that Jones was able to secure the win. This upcoming weekend it is likely that Jones will get the start over Vick. Under Vick, the Steelers had only 1 yard in the first half. The choice between the two quarterbacks is undeniably clear. However, head coach Mike Tomlin has been known for surprises. Fans will just have to wait and see until Sunday’s game.

This Sunday will be an extremely important one for the Steelers. They are matched up against the Kansas City Chiefs. A victory would secure the Steelers’ place as a powerhouse in the NFL this season. This victory should not be hard to come by. The Chiefs have struggled since losing their star running back Jamaal Charles for the season due to an ACL tear. However, their passing game lead by quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Jeremy Maclin has been steadily improving. With this being said the Steelers have to make sure that they do not take the Chiefs lightly this week.

In order to secure this victory the Steelers only need one thing. They need half as good of a game from Jones as he showed in the second half on Sunday. If the quarterback can live up to the hype then the Steelers should breeze to a swift victory. If not then this game will be another struggle.

However besides Jones, the other important factor in this game is running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell struggled last week against the Cardinals. He posted numbers that were not even close to his usual averages. In an offense without Ben, Bell needs to step up his game. If he doesn’t then the play of Jones may not even matter. With all this said, Bell is still a top back in the NFL. Fans can place great confidence in the fact that he will get the job done.

Now it’s time for Steelers’ fans to get the job done and cheer their team on Sunday. Steelers’ nation will be taking the fear of the terrible towels to Arrowhead stadium this weekend!

Every Second Counts

TOUCHDOWN! STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN!

Monday night the Pittsburgh Steelers truly showed the value of every second in a football game. They won in what can only he described as a walk off fashion. With time slowly ticking away, quarterback Michael Vick led a successful drive by the Pittsburgh Offense all the way down to the half yard line. However, he did so with only 5 seconds remaining.

At this point Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin had to make a decision. He only had time for one more play. He could either go for the tie and play overtime by kicking a field goal or go for the win and score a touchdown. Tomlin showed immense courage in his choice by choosing the latter.

Anticipation started to build all throughout the stadium as the offense came back onto the field.
To add to the mix, running back Le'Veon Bell was placed in the quarterback position in what is known as a wildcat offense! This was a bold call from Tomlin and an extremely risky one. However, moments later Bell was miraculously stumbling his way into the end zone for another Steelers' victory!

Nevertheless, other than this final drive, this game was nothing but lackluster. Neither offense seemed to ever get into full swing. For a large portion of the game it seemed almost hard to watch the struggling offense of the Steelers. Every drive seemed to be a failure. Bell was putting in his work. However, Vick was struggling to find his receivers for most of the night. This shows the practice Vick still needs before being able to maintain a high power offense like the Steelers. Overall, he still managed to get the job done, and that is all which truly matters at this point in the season.

Additionally, starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been making a steady recovery from his knee injury. Good news came this week when it was announced that Ben would be back in the coming weeks. Perhaps Vick won't need so much practice after all.

However, he will still need to prepare immensely for the upcoming game against the surging Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have looked stellar with the resurgence of veteran quarterback Carson Palmer and legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Right now Fitzgerald leads all receivers with 6 touchdowns this season. This is a miraculous number through only 5 games of the season. The Steelers' defense will have to shut him down if they have any chance of winning the game.

With this said, the players to watch this game are the cornerbacks for the Steelers. William Gay and Antwon Blake will have to show what they are truly made of on Sunday. This will be the ultimate test of their NFL ability. They will be guarding one of the best receivers in the league. If they fail then so do the chance of a Steelers' victory.

Regardless, this game will be a must to watch. Hopefully, the Steelers will able to claim another win and move to 4-2 overall.

The Fall of Scobee

The kicker can go from being the most loved player to the most hated in a matter of weeks. Former Steelers kicker Josh Scobee knows exactly how that feels.

The Steelers suffered a crushing overtime loss last Thursday night to their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. However, the worst part about it is that the Steelers did in fact outplay the Ravens. It was Scobee's poor kicking ability that lost the Steelers this one.

Late during the game, Scobee was given opportunities to kick two game winning field goals that were both of an easily make-able distance for an NFL kicker. However, he failed to convert. This led to Scobee being run out of town, LITERALLY! Within the days after the game, Scobee was released by the Steelers and quickly replaced by young Rice University graduate Chris Boswell.

This opportunity for Boswell will be his first attempt at actually kicking in a regular season game in the NFL. This could be seen as a very stressful situation for the young kicker. However, Boswell needs to look at the positive aspect. He can't possibly be worse than Scobee!

Other than the kicker, the Steelers did show some promise Thursday night against the Ravens. Back-up quarterback Michael Vick made the throws that needed to be made and also used his running ability to pick up several yards during crucial plays. Nevertheless, the aging Vick was still not stellar by any means. He failed to convert two 4th down plays late in the game. This is simply a case in which the Steelers still wish they had a healthy Roethlisberger running the offense, instead of Vick.

This coming week the Steelers take on the San Diego Chargers on Monday night football. This will be a crucial game for the Steelers. They simply cannot go 2-3 on the season.

With all this said, the Steelers will definitely have their work cut out for them. The San Diego offense has been surging, led by quarterback Philip Rivers. Break out star wide receiver Keenan Allen has been nothing short of a complete animal this season and a gift for fantasy owners. Allen is the leading target for Rivers and has definitely taken advantage of the situation. The Steelers defense will without a doubt have to step it up against this lethal duo.

Offensively, the Steelers seem to be in a good position. The extended practice week has allowed players to recover from that stunning Thursday night loss. Additionally, it has allowed Vick to become more familiar with the offense. In an interview, Vick stated that he feels so much better heading into this game and that he has gained immense chemistry with the team.

Nevertheless, the player to watch during this game will be new placekicker Chris Boswell. Hopefully, Boswell be able to perform at an NFL level. Then again, hopefully this game doesn't come down to field goals again.

Big Ben Down

This was perhaps the best and worst week for the Steelers all in one. While the Steelers were able to win in a less than convincing fashion, last week against the Rams, it came with a high price. The Steelers have lost their star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to a sprained MCL. The quarterback is expected to miss up to six weeks while he recovers. This is an extreme blow to the surging Steelers offense. Prior to his injury, they were one of the best offenses in the league. However, after leaving the game the Steelers struggled to produce anything on offense.

These offensive difficulties begs the question of whether or not the Steelers are serious contenders in their next coming games. The backup is veteran quarterback Michael Vick. Vick has been surrounded with controversy for most of his career in relation to illegal dog fighting. In addition, the aging quarterback is well past his prime. However, the Steelers brought him in this off season for this exact reason. Now, regardless of whether Steeler fans love or hate Vick, they must root for the quarterback to be able to step into the spotlight.

Even with all this negative drama, there still were a few bright spots in the Steelers performance on Sunday. Le'Veon Bell returned to action and looked to be in full force. He was a stand out in the Steelers backfield, producing 62 rushing yards and 70 receiving yards while adding on a touchdown. This performance proved why he is one of the best running backs in the league and why Steelers fans were anxious for his return.

With Ben out it appears as if Bell will be carrying the majority of the workload on offense. Vick will need to reestablish himself as a viable starting quarterback in the NFL before the Steelers will trust him with too many throwing duties. This will surely put a damper on the numbers of star receiver Antonio Brown, who up to this point has the second most receiving yards in the NFL. Brown will surely see less targets due to the reduction in the passing game. This is a detriment to fantasy owners who were enjoying Brown's amazing productiveness.

Additionally, this offensive mystery comes at the wrong time for the Steelers who are set to play their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, this week. This season the Ravens are 0-3. However, they showed extreme promise last week. Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith had a breakout game and will surely produce numbers this week against the Steelers.

All in all, the Steelers are not in a good position this week. Both teams have been average to below average defensively. This means that it should be an offensive battle. This does not gain favor for the Steelers.

Truly, this game is going to come down to whether or not Vick can step it up a notch. Nevertheless, regardless of all the speculation, this game is going to be action packed. Every time these teams get together it is a battle for the ages.

Now all we can do as fans is wait and watch, while the injured Big Ben does the same.