After the team arrived in New York we learned the Pittsburgh Steelers had made a deal with Cameron Heyward. James Pierre was activated from the practice squad, and Nick Herbig did not play after limited practice participation during the week.
A big storyline for this game was quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields facing their teammates from the previous season. Who would prevail? The Jets had lost starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker forcing a realignment of their interior line. And the Jets were starting rookie first-round pick Armand Membou. Seemingly an advantage for the Pittsburgh front seven. But the Jets have a strong defense. Could Pittsburgh’s young offensive line open running lanes and protect the aged Rodgers?
For this game, I drove up to Frederick, Maryland, to watch the game with the Frederick Steelers Fan Club.
Frederick Steelers Fan Club
The Frederick Steelers Fan Club has been around since 1994. It is an offshoot of the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Baltimore (now the Steelers Fan Club of Maryland) that met at the Purple Goose Saloon. But the Purple Goose transitioned to a Ravens Roost in the mid-2000s. The Frederick Club was for a cadre of fans in Frederick County and its environs.
The Frederick Steelers Fan Club meets at the X-Golf on Buckeystown Road in Frederick for Steelers games. There are usually 25-30 Steelers fans sequestered in their own section away from other miscellaneous NFL fans watching games in the main room of the Birdie Bar.
Many Steelers bars have gone under due to the introduction of the NFL ticket, which keeps a lot of football fans at home. And because the license charges establishments a per-seat fee, they must seek a broader customer base. So, multiple TV monitors cover all the games diluting the camaraderie of a single fan base. For me, it is much more rewarding to share the excitement and panic attacks with a group of like-minded fans. So, X-Golf is a perfect venue.
So, if you are in Frederick, Maryland, or within driving distance on a gameday come check them out. Here is a link to their Facebook page if you want to follow them. Britanny does an outstanding job as a hostess and the cost for food and drink are very reasonable.
Now, onto the game. Just my overall impressions as an average fan. I’ve included links at the end for more detailed analysis by a variety of Steelers Depot contributors.
Steelers Offense
I thought Aaron Rodgers threw his passes decisively. Much more confident than Justin Fields or even Russell Wilson last season. Even after absorbing four sacks, he seemed unphased. But the offensive line needs work. As a unit, it failed to consistently open running lanes. I believe three of the sacks can be attributed to Broderick Jones, who had a particularly bad day that included allowing a tackle for a loss on a second and one play up the middle. He almost singlehandedly derailed the offense.
But it was refreshing to see Pittsburgh receivers catching passes in space. Ben Skowronek scoring on the Steelers’ opening drive had us jumping up and down.
Rodgers and the rest of the offense showed they could engage in a shootout. The lead changed seven times.
Steelers Defense
A couple players on defense played very well. And the Steelers made a great stand at the end of the game. Jalen Ramsey seemed to be everywhere. He lit up Jets WR Garrett Wilson to force an incompletion to end the game. But this was a miserable performance. A makeshift Jets offensive line blew the Steelers’ front off the line of scrimmage from the very start. Their first run went 18 yards. The Jets ran 39 times for 182 yards.
If that was not bad enough, the defense combined for just one sack. Also, Fields was able to high step into the end zone untouched on a keeper. Now, I’m just an average fan. But I believe if Watt stays on the edge and takes a step over the line of scrimmage, he has Fields bottled up for a loss. Instead, he trails behind the line of scrimmage following the run that is away from him. It is a habit he’s picked up because he has corralled running backs trying to cut back before. But others say that the backside contain was a cornerback’s job. Watt did bat a pass down. But he failed to sack a quarterback for the fifth game in a row.
Justin Fields looked sharp. He eluded sacks several times and either gained yardage with his legs or completed passes to keep drives going. The defensive line was mugged. Darius Slay got burned for the Jets’ first score. It’s going to be a long season if the defensive players don’t shed blocks and finish tackles in the backfield.
Special Teams
Chris Boswell is ice. His 56-yard field goal early in the game looked like it could have been a 60-yarder. Boswell’s 60-yard game winner looked like it could have been a 65-yarder.
Kaleb Johnson fumbled one of his kickoff returns that an alert Juan Thornhill recovered. Johnson looked tentative. He averaged 26.4 yards on five returns while Kenneth Gainwell returned the last kickoff 33 yards. The Steelers’ coverage units held three different Jets returners 29.4 yards a kickoff return. But the huge play was Gainwell stripping the returner with Ben Skowronek recovering the loose ball. Huge play that shifted the momentum to Pittsburgh.
Corliss Waitman punted four times with a long of 50 yards. I think he did not want to outkick the coverage, but the Jets managed two returns for 19 yards. Connor Heyward made a bonehead penalty on a New York punt that pushed the Steelers’ starting position behind the 20-yard line instead of the 38.
Pittsburgh stopped both Jets’ two-point conversion attempts. Those four points were big in a 34-32 game.
Game Review Resources
Here are some regular Steelers Depot articles that I read before and after games. If you want more details or analysis of the game. Check these out:
Steelers Five Keys To Victory by Tom Mead
Steelers Versus Jets Prediction by Alex Kozora
Recap Steelers Versus Jets by Jake Brockhoff
Steelers Versus Jets Winners And Losers by Alex Kozora
Positional Grades Steelers Versus Jets by Josh Carney
Tom’s Ten Takes On Steelers Versus Jets by Tom Mead
Listen: Kozora Recap And Analysis To Steelers Versus Jets by Alex Kozora
Stats Of The Weird Steelers Versus Jets by Alex Kozora
Your Hot Takes During the Game
Ross McCorkle’s Live Update and Discussion Threads kept fans engaged, with 1,749 first-half comments. And 1,877 more in the second half with an exciting finish.
Here are the top three comments from each half. Disqus highlighted these top fan reactions.
The top first-half comments:
Rob S. made the top first-half comment. I don’t think he was satisfied with Cam Heyward’s performance: “Hey Cam, you think you deserve another raise yet?”
Ralph Neeley may have a new chant for Jonnu Smith. He earned it by scoring: “NANU NANU!!! TD 81.”
Ike Evans appreciated the play of a former Steeler. “Boy, Fields sure does look competent with good coaching.”
The second-half comments:
Jay Clam led the second-half comments with an apt synopsis of the game: “All this talk about Rodgers maybe being washed. Only thing washed is this defense.”
Alevin16 gave kudos to Justin Fields: “Justin Fields has NOTHING to be upset about, he played great.”
Chris92021 Captured a sentiment shared by many other fans. “No matter what happens, the entire ‘historic’ defense is a loser today.”
Hope you all enjoy the banter on the live update and discussion threads!
Conclusion
The offense proved it can score. Kudos to Arthur Smith for the schemes. And to Aaron Rodgers for executing it. Four TD passes to four different receivers not including number one DK Metcalf. But the offensive line must improve. The run game must get on track and that starts with opening holes. And Rodgers just needs a little more time.
Jalen Ramsey was about the only defender that stood out to me. He smacked Fields hard. And he broke up the last pass of the game with a jarring hit. He even drew a penalty on the Jets. Alex Highsmith got a sack. And the defense did stop a pair of two-point conversion attempts that saved four points. But it stops there. A makeshift Jets offensive line overpowered the Steelers’ front seven. And Justin Fields evaded several near sacks and turned it into positive yardage. Unacceptable.
I’ll be in Pittsburgh for the home opener. Here we go.
Your Song Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. Start spreading the news. The Steelers fought hard. Did not panic and ended on top of the heap with a victory. What other choice than New York, New York performed by Frank Sinatra.
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