Monday, November 9, 2015

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Whew! Our Steelers almost managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again this week but it wasn't meant to be. Steelers win a nail-biter to keep their playoff hopes alive when they defeated the Oakland Raiders on a 19 yard Chris Boswell field goal with 2 seconds remaining yesterday, 38-35. Mrs. Black-N-Gold has recovered from this back-and-forth emotional train wreck of a game. We laughed, we cried, we won! Now Mrs. Black-N-Gold has The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from this week's win.

GOOD

RB DeAngelo Williams is a godsend for the Steelers. Taking over for the injured Le'Veon Bell, DWill rushed for 170 yards with 2 touchdowns and 55 receiving yards. How was it he was still available when the Steelers picked him up in the offseason? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know but she's grateful. But that wasn't all. Kudos also to CB Ross Cockrell for his INT, to LB Jarvis Jones for his fumble recovery and to special teams players Roosevelt Nix for his forced fumble and Vince Williams for recovering said fumble. Congrats go to TE Jesse James for his 1st career reception which also turned out to be his 1st career touchdown. But really you can't talk about the Good today without giving the honor to WR Antonio Brown who set new Steelers records by hauling in 17 receptions for 284 yards. He did muff a punt return that Oakland recovered (why was he back there anyway? Isn't that why they brought in Jacoby Jones?). But AB helped us forget that miscue later in the 4th quarter with a 57 yard reception from QB Landry Jones. #84 can be a pain in the neck when he complains about not getting the ball. He can also be a diva when he wants to increase his stats. But whether you like him or not, learn to love him because he's the best thing going. Congrats to AB for his record-breaking day!

BAD

The Steelers defense is a lot like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Sometimes they're so good, it's scary. And sometimes they're so bad, it's maddening. They didn't record any sacks yesterday but they were all over the place, making plays and turning the ball over. Except when they weren't. I mean, they DID give up 35 points, after all. S Mike Mitchell is a good example. He delivered some bone-crunching blows yesterday. But in the 3rd quarter, he delivered a hit to Oakland's RB Latavius Murray that not only knocked the ball loose but knocked Murray out of the game. What did Mitchell do following the hit? He was too busy celebrating to notice the fumble and notice that the whistle had not yet been blown. Luckily, Jones had enough sense to dive on the football. Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels the Steelers defense will never reach the next level if they don't learn to act like they've been there before.

UGLY

Speaking of being there before, once again, all of Black-N-Gold Nation held it's collective breath as QB Ben Roethlisberger was helped from the field in the 4th quarter. LB Aldon Smith fell on Ben's left foot awkwardly yesterday on a sack. It could have spelled doom for the Black-N-Gold. Again, the Steelers dodged a bullet. It was later announced as a mid-foot sprain. Ben is expected to miss just a few weeks. It could have been ugly, folks.

Now that the Steelers have found the win column, let's look at this week's standings. Believe it or not, Cincy continues to lead the pack in the AFC North. With their Thursday night win over the Clowns, they are 8-0. The Steelers are in 2nd with a 5-4 record. The Baltimorons had a bye this week. They're at 2-6. The Clowns are in the basement with a 2-7 mark. Those same Clowns travel to Pittsburgh this week to face our Steelers at Heinz Field. Mrs. Black-N-Gold thinks the Steelers should start Landry Jones at QB this week. He played admirably in relief of Ben. Plus, playing the Clowns could be a good boast to his confidence. Just don't take this team too lightly by looking ahead to the bye week. Get ready for another divisional foe and stay in that win column. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

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