Steelers: Hope Jaguars win today

Whatever, meaning you have no response. The defense was horrible against the Browns. It seemed as if they loaded up to stop the run and the secondary couldn't do it's part. I wouldn't be surprised if the scheme is similar against the Jaguars, with the focus on stopping the run and containing Bortles in the pocket, but the secondary is going to have to play a hell of a lot better.

 

Damn Alfred Popunu!

 

The optimist in me thinks that the defense was probably taking a preseason mentality to things. The big requirement of the Browns game was to keep away from injuries. If players were a step or two slower, letting Kizer put up some good numbers, then that's one explanation.

That's the optimist in me, of course...

 

Steelers definitely overlooked the Chokers on that day. Stan Humphries. STAN, @#$%$#^&, Humphries!

 

I never said that one game was a harbinger of doom. It was simply the latest example of a defense that was struggling even before losing Shazier for the season, which was clearly a devastating blow.

The Jaguars' defense has been among the league's best all season. They have turned in dominant performances since that failure against the 49ers. Anybody with a clue about football sees that one game as an anomoly.

The Steelers struggled against the run all season. They were doing a great job preventing big passing plays early, but ended up among the worst defenses in the league in that area. It wasn't just guys like Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford shredding them. It was guys like Kizer, Hundley and Brissett hitting them for multiple big plays. The reason Kizer was troubling is that was the starting secondary out there for that one. No more excuse that Joe Haden is out. He was there and he got torched for one of the long pass plays.

 

My response is, the final game of the year, with no meaning, against a horrible team, does not override into the playoffs. Teams step it up in the playoffs, especially teams that have been there before.

How is this for a response: The Steelers will beat the Jags by 17 points.

 

My biggest fear is we come out rusty and slow and Jacksonville gets a lead and we fall into the same trap of becoming pass happy and predictable. If we come out in rythm early our chances improve tremendously.

 

I was citing one of many examples of the Steelers propping up bad quarterbacks this season. Take Hundley as another example. What excuse to do you have for that one not counting?

 

You, and others, really should stop with the bit about how they should be 11-0 because stuff happened in the Patriots game. Look how many close games the Steelers won this season. Remember the five games before the loss to the Patriots? They won four of those on field goals in the final minute. Every one of those was a play away from a loss.

You can be annoyed by how I made my point regarding the Jaguars all you wish, but it doesn't change that the 49ers game is the anomaly.

Revenge is overrated. The Chiefs wanted revenge in the playoffs last year, too. How did that work out? The Steelers wanted revenge on the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. How did that go?

I agree that having Gilbert back at right tackle instead of Hubbard is huge for this game. Hubbard was awful in Jacksonville, so hopefully the pass protection will be better this time.

You are also correct in pointing out that Roethlisberger and Bryant have been much better in the second half of the season and Smith-Schuster has emerged in that time. Much of that was rhythm and timing between Roethlisberger and his receivers, something that they may have lost by going three weeks between games.

Also, the defense is playing a lot worse now than it was in October. Part of the problem on pass defense was Haden's injury, but even with him back, the safeties still suck and the run defense is weak. The defense was actually very good until the fourth quarter last time around, but that was a unit that had Shazier and it was playing a hell of a lot better than what they are now.

My overall point being, while the offense has come a long way since the first half of the season, the Pittsburgh defense has regressed a great deal as well.