NFL Week 13 thread -- Cold weather calls for Isotoners

Absent a major injury to a QB or something like that, it's quite unusual. You might see it move a point, maybe two. To drop 4.5 is massive.

 

I clicked on this thread for the first time all night and I don't know why I expected any different.

 

Oh, this goes all the way back to all the Steelers being conceived, which was far from immaculate.

 

Poor Yab. You mad so many poor arguments. Are you crying while you whack away at that straw man?

 

And y’all tell me I have trouble taking the L.

 

It’s not a stretch to perhaps seeing a 12-4 record for the Steelers.

 

They saw what I saw. Pittsburgh is good, but the offense is flawed and the defense is breaking down with injuries. The short week came at the worst possible time. Washington had an excellent plan for attacking the Steelers in place, which is what I expected from a good coaching staff with an extra week to prepare. The Pittsburgh offense is particularly vulnerable to a team that can generate pressure rushing only four or five like Washington. They were able to drop seven in coverage and clog the lanes for all those short passes.

The defense ran into one problem I foresaw and another I didn't. The former was the loss of Bud Dupree. They got no pass rush at all from his replacement, rookie Alex Highsmith. Maybe once they have a little time to make adjustments, that will get better, but last night wasn't promising. The Steelers were far less effective than usual when they rushed only four. With the exception of a great individual effort by Tuitt for a sack right before the half, they got almost no pressure every time they did it.

The thing I didn't anticipate was more injuries. Joe Haden left the game with a concussion. At that point, Pittsburgh was without both cornerbacks. Oddly enough, it was Robert Spillane's knee injury that seemed to cause more trouble. He took over defensive signal-calling duties when Devin Bush blew out his knee, mostly because Vince Williams sucks in that role. Even Tomlin admitted after the game that the communication broke down when players got hurt. That was apparent on the game-tying touchdown drive.

To be fair, the Steelers had both of those guys on the opening drive of the second half, which was a huge turning point in the game. There is no excuse for allowing a team to convert a third-and-16 with a wide receiver screen. The Steelers had been making those plays much of this season.

Yet another short week offers very little time for Haden and Spillane to get back on the field. Tomlin said Spillane was still being evaluated after the game, but even if the injury is minor, he's probably not going to be ready in six days. If all those guys are out, Josh Allen is going to have another very big day next Sunday. At that point, the Steelers would be 11-2 and reeling, with even the division title in some jeopardy.

Despite some of the idiocy some keep posting on this thread, there is no conspiracy. There have been a series of decisions by the league regarding scheduling that left the Steelers without the time to rest and adjust and the results are starting to show.

 

Pittsburgh’s offense has become too one-dimensional and Washington has the d-line to shut that down.

Next week look for more runs and more deep passes. McFarland is their best running back right now. He will get more work, too.

They will be fine. They are still a very good team.

 

That is possible. My best guess right now is 13-3, which would be good enough to hang on to the AFC North as long as one of those victories comes against the Bengals or Browns. I think they will lose to Buffalo, beat Cinci, then split the final two. This assumes they get some guys back. Right now, they are without both cornerbacks, a starting inside linebacker, their kicker, their only decent running back, and their center.

 

As a WFT fun, that was fun to watch last night. Haven't really read up to find out what the hell was going on with the bloodbath inside Smith's sock.

 

They showed he was cleated by a back peddling linemen.

 

Ah, thanks. Was watching in a place with no sound so I didn't get the explanation.