Maybe, just maybe...

I was sitting here pondering how this team melted down from being so good in the early portion of the season to what we finished with the last month. Here is a scenario that seems odd on the surface but may have some merit. Now of course I am giving the benefit of the doubt to the almighty coach cliche', popcorn himself. Here is what I think may have happened.
We played 3 games in 11 days against playoff teams: Philly, Baltimore and KC. Now of course 3 other teams did the same but they didnt have the schedule we had. Our bye week was week 9, so these 3 games in 11 days were after we had been playing for 5 weeks in a row. Baltimore for example had thier bye week on week 14. In other words, they had 2 weeks off before that 3 game stretch. I dont know when Houston or KC had bye weeks, but I can assure that their 3 games in those 11 days were no where the strength of schedule that we had.
Now here comes the rub. Pittsburgh after playing this BS schedule knew that they were going to be no better than the 3 seed at best. ( dont believe me, look at who Buffalo and KC had left on their schedule ) Getting the 3 seed doesnt get a week off, it does get a home game, but we lost more at home than the road. So going into week 18, we essentially controlled our own destiny. We win, we travel to Houston, longer flight, etc. We lose and we get Baltimore. Shorter commute, we know that enemy, we know it well....maybe, just maybe we wanted Baltimore first!!!

 

I think that you are giving too much credit for deep thinking to the Steelers coaching staff.

Run run pass punt. So simple that a caveman can do it.

 

MAYBE

 

No team is going to purposely play like trash heading into the playoffs. Momentum is a real thing.

 

You pick up more momentum going down hill

 

This is what the guy from SI.com was saying on the Nightly Sports call. The Steelers played the Bengal game like it was pre-season. Just a mundane, vanilla offense, didn't do anything to change up the defense, kept Trice in his first NFL start playing matchup with Chase. He said he hopes that what was going on anyway, he shudders to think that this was their game plan to actually win the game.

 

Curious how many Steeler fans will be in attendance tomorrow?? Doubt Raven fans will be giving up their tickets.

 

Actually they only ran on first down 41.7% of the time

This run run pass fallacy is just BS people who don’t know better make up just to *****

 

Don't think it will be a takeover, but they will be there. Too many folks are too money oriented not to cash in on deep pocketed Steeler fans.

 

It is making a point. The Steelers offense is that predictable. I am no football genius and I can usually tell you what is going to happen because there is no variety to the Steelers offense. No misdirection, the same basic plays, wash, rince, repeat.

 

I usually try to use accurate statements when I’m trying to make a point

 

When's the last time that happened?

 

Serious question: why do you guys refer to Tomlin as "Popcorn"? Did he make a reference to Popcorn in his press conferences?

 

I wonder too.

 

You couldn’t give me a ticket to the garbage a$$ city. My son in law travels there about once a month and reassures me that I don’t want to visit.

 

It’s a phrase Tomlin used for successive small problems

https://www.steelers.com/news/popcorn-problems

 

Honestly, I thought HeinzMustard coined that nickname.

 

You can save up to 15% with Geico.

 

But they ran the ball 115 times to passing 113 times it the first quarter. If they do that tomorrow, their conservatism may bite them in the butt.

 

Hmm Jeh is that a full season percentage or in that game? The one stat that amazes me is that we are dead last in yards on first down in the league. Smith is actually worse than Canada was last year and the year before which is absolutely stunning to me. So whether we run or pass we are the worst in the league on first down which just kills this team. It puts the o in 2nd and long or even worse 3rd in long too much. Now I haven't looked up our 3rd down defense, where we stand on that. If that is bad as well it wouldn't surprise me which points to a not very good football team. I'm gonna go see how we faired on that stat as well.

 

Wow I just looked we are #2 in 3rd down defense. That was surprising, only the Lions are better. 13th in red zone defense, 8th in scoring defense, 6th in rushing defense, 25th in passing defense (that is a killer in a passing league but yet still 8th in scoring, hmmm) and finally 12th in total defense with the Chiefs, Ravens and Eagles who beat us up all ranking higher. Now for offense, 23rd overall, 27th in passing and 11th in rushing, 29th in red zone offense (that has been a problem for too long and I wonder what our red zone TD conversion rate is, betting we are last) and14th 3rd down. Clearly our offense is killing us then situationally our defense falls apart at times. Edit: I just found the stat on Red Zone TD conversion we are 29th with only NE, Dallas and the Giants fairing worse. That's a killer! Guess who is 1, 2 and 3 Baltimore, Buffalo and Detroit!!!

 

@HeinzMustard does like that emoji too.


one thing is for sure
He also used WE'RE DOOMED a lot earlier this season when we were playing well.

He hasn't said that in a month
so he needs to do that in a thread so we get the win tomorrow

 

I remember some of the players, ben and Cam especially, remarking how tired they were after the scheduling debacle during the Covid year. Start 11-0 then fell apart. Different teams and schedules I know, pros and all that crap, but in the end the human side still creeps in. Bottom line this team had its own destiny in its hands (at least for the division) and failed miserably, from top to bottom (front office to scrubs) we are not as good as teams making a SB run. can we beat Baltimore? Sure, could we go on a 2005 SB run, I guess, but hard to put together after the month we had.

 

Full season