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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (6 Viewers)

Wait...they'll handle the Cowboys offense, but have trouble with Joe Burrow's flying circus?
Yeah, we'll probably lose to the Cowboys, but since we were coming off the bye I gave us a win. And we might very well beat the Bengals twice this year, but I figure we'll lose to at least 1 team that we should beat, so why not the Bengals in Cincy. 

 
Can't wait to see is this D can feast on the league. If Ben's arm doesn't fall off they should make a deep run.

'This year is the total opposite end of the spectrum. I didn't know the playbook very well (when I got here last year). I didn't know my teammates. This year is a different story, total opposite. It's a whole different situation.' - @minkfitz_21

 
Three teams expected to lose by a fair amount won yesterday, the Jags, the Football Team, and the Cards. Hopefully our team doesn't do what they've sometimes done in the past and don't play down to the Giants. Tonight we should be able to overwhelm them on Offense and Defense, let's put the pedal to the metal and not let up. I hope it's a boring game to watch for most of the country because we win by 3+ scores. 

 
Kind of sucks that we had to wait until the contract to get full Bud Dupree but man he was incredible last night.   

Not sure if we should be excited about Snell or not but unfortunately we may have no choice.  

Again most of the O Line issues is Ben still can't just let the ball go.  He took way too much punishment and in my opinion half of it was on him

 
Snell looked good, no problem with him as the featured RB if Conner is out for a while.

Oline is definitely a concern.  Banner got run over a couple times before the injury so he wasn't that impressive to me - but losing 2 linemen last night sucks if they are both long term injuries.  Hopefully DeCastro's injury isn't serious and he can come back soon.

Defense looked great.  Bottled up Barkley all night and came up with big sacks/turnovers at opportune times.

 
I was impressed with the new receivers we are getting.  I mean Dionate Johnson should never play special teams again but otherwise really solid as a receiver.  Even Claypool has a couple strong catches.    Would have liked to seen Ebron more involved in the game 

 
This receiving core is going to be lethal.  The defense will be top 3 in the league.  Ben looked a lot better than I expected TBH (a little rusty to start but finished the game fine). The offensive line is going to be an issue and Ben is not going to stay healthy all year.  So therein lies our conundrum.  But nevertheless great way to open the season.  

Oh and please tell me that Boswell doesn't have the yips again. Can't go through that again.

 
Our Defense looks amazing. Interesting that Spillane and Highsmith got work. Highsmith was so close to getting his first sack! Ola looked solid and TJ and Dupree were dominant. Most of the way through the game Barkley had -2 yards on 11 carries. That is ridiculous. 

Banner could have been better, but without a preseason and his first year as a starter, I thought he looked better than average. I'm assuming he has a torn ACL or worse, so does that mean Chuks will be the RT? Or do we move Feiler back to RT and put someone else at LG, and hopefully Stefan is ok. Any idea when we get Decastro back? Would rather he waits to make sure the knee isn't at risk, but we could really use him so we could put Stefan at LG and Feiler at RT. 

Claypool looked amazing. That sideline catch I was like, no way that was in bounds. Diontae started terrible, but really turned things around in the 2nd half. I'm worried he's going to fumble every time he catches the ball with it being wagged around all over the place while he runs and jukes. 

Big Ben was holding on the ball too long, but I think that could/should get corrected as he gets back in the swing of things. With Juju, Diontae, James Washington Claypool all looking good, and Ebron and McDonald available, he should be able to find a target for a quick slant to get some pressure off the O-line. While Conner didn't look great at first, I put some of that blame on the O-line. They improved as the game went on, Conner was getting smashed in the backfield, while Snell at least had a few holes to run through. 

That said, idk that Conner is 1 and Snell is 2 at this point, I think more like 1A/1B. Conner just can't seem to stay healthy, not sure why, bad luck?

Looking ahead to next week, Broncos have some serious injuries too. Von is done for the year, Chubb is on a pitch count due to tendonitis, two WRs were out last night but might be back by week 2 (sutton and hamler), and Lindsay suffered turf toe. Based on last night's performance I think we have a pretty good shot at a win in Week 2 as long as our Offense can overcome the offensive line injuries and protect Ben. With enough time and limiting mistakes, we'll definitely out score the Broncos. 

 
I was impressed with the new receivers we are getting.  I mean Dionate Johnson should never play special teams again but otherwise really solid as a receiver.  Even Claypool has a couple strong catches.    Would have liked to seen Ebron more involved in the game 
He tweeted that he was in the trenches, so guessing they were keeping him back to help the oline.

1-0 GREAT TEAM WIN! (I was in them trenches) relax haha.

 
ThaPenguin said:
He tweeted that he was in the trenches, so guessing they were keeping him back to help the oline.
Against teams with a great pass rush I wouldn't be surprised if we had 2 TE sets where both stayed in to block. Our O-line is going to be a weak point this year. 

 
Bouye and Lindsay now out. Mark Barron and Courtland Sutton could also be out. 

I like our odds this  week at home against a banged up team. Worried about oline but as mentioned above hope the TE can help out enough.

 
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Read a couple nice articles about Bud Dupree and that it took those first three years for him to learn pass rush moves. Not only highlighting his dedication to learning from a personal guru and the coaches, but also TJ. Who learned from/with JJ and how it coincides with great athetliscm which coaches/gurus cant always account for.

This heightened learning also flowed to and from Vince Williams, Devin Bush and the LB crew.

 
Read a couple nice articles about Bud Dupree and that it took those first three years for him to learn pass rush moves. Not only highlighting his dedication to learning from a personal guru and the coaches, but also TJ. Who learned from/with JJ and how it coincides with great athetliscm which coaches/gurus cant always account for.

This heightened learning also flowed to and from Vince Williams, Devin Bush and the LB crew.
Was shocked at how dominating Dupree was in NY. Thought he traded Jerseys with TJ.

 
Can't go to a sports bar anymore and the game wasn't covered in my region so I missed the game.  Nice win - next week will be a real test.

 
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Our pass rush is great and our rush defense is great but man our secondary still sucks.  Especially our linebackers who can't cover for ####.  Devin Bush looks lost at times

 
Offense controlled the game from the 2nd quarter on.  

Defense continues to create pressure and dominate against the run. Fun to watch. 

 
We got TJ Watt with the 30th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft!     :lmao:    Our 2nd round pick in that draft - JuJu.  Our 3rd round pick - Conner.  That right there is how you a nail a draft.

 
This team is night and day compared to last year with Ben back at the helm.  I still think Baltimore is the best team in the division by a fair margin but the Steelers are probably top 4 in a loaded AFC this year.  Big matchup against Titans next week and hopefully the Steelers can continue dominating against the run.  

 
There's talk that the Steelers Titans game could be postponed and week 4 could be made the Steelers Bye Week. This would be crap. It's like punishing the Steelers because the Titans screwed up. If they have 3 sick players and 5 sick staff, they should put those players on IR, and play (As long as every person who will be in the stadium will be tested several times between now and Sunday). 

We previously would have had the Bye after the Ravens game (when we typically need time to recover) and prior to the Cowboys, where we could use the extra prep-time. Now we'd have it when most of our team is healthy, and before facing a battered eagles team. We don't need the bye now, we need it in week 8. 

 
  1. Giants - Win (A) - If we can stop the run we win by 2 scores.
  2. Broncos - Win (H) - Is Drew Lock legit? Our D could feast.
  3. Texans - Win (H) - Close game, Brandin Cooks already hurt, David Johnson washed up? Watt vs Watt.
  4. Titans - Loss (A) - Away game against a team with a great run game and solid D. I don't think we go 4-0, first loss could be here or Texans.
  5. Eagles - Win (H) - Already losing all their pass catchers, they seem to be cursed with injuries this year and have a terrible O-line.
  6. Browns - Win (H) - I think the Browns are better this year, but if Ben is healthy he leads us to a win.
  7. Ravens - Loss (A) - We lose by 3 scores and it's really ugly. Ravens are crowned the best team in the AFC. They let it go to their heads. 
  8. BYE
  9. Cowboys - Win(A) - We pull off a win on the road against one of the top NFC teams in their own stadium. Mainly via defense with a special teams TD from Diontae. 
  10. Bengals - Win (H) - Game is closer than expected with AJ Green already out for the year by week 10. But Tee Higgins, Mixon, and Boyd combine for 4 TDs in Joe Burrow's flying circus. 
  11. Jaguars - Win (A) - Easy win right? ... RIGHT? We win by 1 score against a team we should blow out on the road. 
  12. Ravens - Win (H) - We win by 3 scores dominating from the start. Our Defense gets a score and shuts down Lamar completely. 
  13. Washington - Win (H) - Washington Football Team realizes in week 12 that they might be in running for top 2 draft pick. We win by a mile. 
  14. Bills - Win (A) - Close game but the fact that Josh Allen isn't accurate at all allows us to squeak by. 
  15. Bengals - Loss (A) - Joe Burrow throws for more yards against us than any team so far this year. 
  16. Colts - Win (H) - Phillip Rivers really is done, by the end of the season his arm is shot and he throws 3 picks, 2 to Minkah. 
  17. Browns - Win (A) - Browns gonna Brown. 
Right so far, but I think if we play this week, we beat the Titans. Eagles and Browns look pretty meh, we should be able to get wins there. Also, Burrow looks legit, we could drop 1 to the Bengals this year. Bills are looking better than I expected, looks like Diggs is helping Allen become a real passer. Might lose to them instead of the Titans. 

Still holding onto 13-3!

 
There's talk that the Steelers Titans game could be postponed and week 4 could be made the Steelers Bye Week. This would be crap. It's like punishing the Steelers because the Titans screwed up. If they have 3 sick players and 5 sick staff, they should put those players on IR, and play (As long as every person who will be in the stadium will be tested several times between now and Sunday). 

We previously would have had the Bye after the Ravens game (when we typically need time to recover) and prior to the Cowboys, where we could use the extra prep-time. Now we'd have it when most of our team is healthy, and before facing a battered eagles team. We don't need the bye now, we need it in week 8. 
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports the league notified the Titans, Steelers, Vikings, and Texans that it may be forced to reschedule both contests for Week 4.

The league reportedly told the Steelers to proceed with game preparations against the Titans, which were forced to shut down its facilities until Saturday following eight new positive tests among the organization. Minnesota's facitilites, which provided 0 positive tests as of Tuesday afternoon, were also evacuated until further notice. The NFL is still discussing plans for postponement which include pushing both games to Monday/Tuesday night or rescheduling bye weeks to assist with games in Weeks 7 and 8. All ideas are on the table.

- Rotoworld
So, Steelers wouldn't have the benefit of a bye week this week because they have to practice and prepare AND wouldn't get a bye week later.

 
Well they can't play this week at least against the Titans.  I don't understand why they have to practice like it is just a normal week.  There isn't going to be a replacement game this week

 
Well they can't play this week at least against the Titans.  I don't understand why they have to practice like it is just a normal week.  There isn't going to be a replacement game this week
Isn't it too early to say they can't play this week?  If it's only 3 players (after contact tracing and additional testing) they should be able to play.  Although, I'm not sure what the NFL plans to do with this situation so I'm just talking off the cuff.

 
Well they can't play this week at least against the Titans.  I don't understand why they have to practice like it is just a normal week.  There isn't going to be a replacement game this week
From NFL.com:

Pittsburgh said in a statement, "We have been in contact with the NFL regarding the positive COVID-19 tests with the Tennessee Titans. We have been informed to proceed with our game preparations for Sunday's game until we are informed otherwise."

Garafolo reported that Titans coach have told players that if they are forced to go without any on-field practice work apart from a potential Saturday walkthrough ahead of Sunday's game, then that will simply be what they have to do this week and there will be no excuses.

 
Rumor the game could be moved to Monday
According to Schefty, current plan is Sunday as scheduled with alternate plan of Monday Night. There is a letter circulating from Goodell that sounds like it basically says, we anticipated positive tests during the season and will proceed as scheduled. 

If we play Sunday or Monday Night I think that gives the Steelers and advantage, but if the game is moved to Week 7 and the Steelers Ravens game moved to week 8, that will put us at a disadvantage. Takes away our later bye and gives us 3 road games against tough opponents in a row. 

 
I find it highly unlikely that it gets moved to another week.  A few teams in baseball were impacted early on (i.e. Marlins and Cardinals) but after that, when a few players/staff tested positive they typically only cancelled the next series (i.e. 3-4 days).  Then they were right back on the field.  I can see it getting moved to Monday but not week 8.  NFL surely has learned from MLB.  If anything, this should be an advantage if the Titans are down a few men.  

 
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Bengals fan walking in with truce flag.  Aside from the ominous reason for the week 4 postponement does the bye being moved up likely help or hurt you guys?  I would think the prospect of playing 13 weeks in a row isn't ideal but do you guys have any injured players that weren't ready this week but could be ready for a game presumably in week 7?

-QG

 
Officially postponed until later in the season. Steelers getting the short end of the stick. I imagine it will be what others have said, changing steelers bye to week 4, giving us 3 tough road games in a row. 

Crap. This sucks. I hope the NFL isn't going to rearrange our schedule and give us 3 road games in a row against tough teams, but that seems the most likely avenue. We're punished because another team had an outbreak, cool. 

 
Bengals fan walking in with truce flag.  Aside from the ominous reason for the week 4 postponement does the bye being moved up likely help or hurt you guys?  I would think the prospect of playing 13 weeks in a row isn't ideal but do you guys have any injured players that weren't ready this week but could be ready for a game presumably in week 7?

-QG
It's almost entirely bad. We only had 2 players injured, Derek Watt and Diontae Johnson, and Diontae might have been good to go by Monday. We would now play 13 weeks in a row and face Titans/Ravens/Cowboys on the road in a 3 week span instead of Ravens on the Road, Bye week to rest, Cowboys on the road. 

I'm hoping that the NFL is coming up with some other plan, because if another outbreak happens after a team has had its bye, they can't do this same scenario. 

 
It's almost entirely bad. We only had 2 players injured, Derek Watt and Diontae Johnson, and Diontae might have been good to go by Monday. We would now play 13 weeks in a row and face Titans/Ravens/Cowboys on the road in a 3 week span instead of Ravens on the Road, Bye week to rest, Cowboys on the road. 

I'm hoping that the NFL is coming up with some other plan, because if another outbreak happens after a team has had its bye, they can't do this same scenario. 
I bet they also are waiting to see if the Titans can even play week 5.  Also just realized that surely is a players' association angle 

-QG

 
And PA definitely can argue that this wasn't a "true" bye since players have been doing prep work this week.

-QG
That is actually a very good point QG.  Maybe provide players who will be effected by this game and if their are others an extra paid week during the off-season or work out some sort of other compromise/compensation to the players for their time. 

 
John Harbaugh was asked about moving the Steelers/Ravens game to week 7, "We don't care." lol He apparently liked Tomlin's take. 

Well, we'll know what the Steelers are by the end of week 9. If we're able to beat 2 of the Ravens/Titans/Cowboys, we're a legit team with deep playoff possibilities. If we go 3-0 in that stretch, this team is a Super Bowl contender. 

If we go 0-3 in that stretch, we have built in excuses and can remain blind optimists that this season will still end in glory. 

 
I'm happy Philly got their first win. I'd rather face them coming off a win than 0-3-1 and hungry. The Eagles also suffered a few injuries Sunday night, further depleting their defense and O-line. 

We've got a long 13 weeks ahead, hope the Steelers can come out of the gate fast and dominate from kickoff next Sunday. 

 
I'm happy Philly got their first win. I'd rather face them coming off a win than 0-3-1 and hungry. The Eagles also suffered a few injuries Sunday night, further depleting their defense and O-line. 

We've got a long 13 weeks ahead, hope the Steelers can come out of the gate fast and dominate from kickoff next Sunday. 
Wentz looked like a QB trying to put the whole team on his back anticipating the OLine wasn’t holding up. Played as a disrespected star athlete. Tremendous effort. 

Steelers had better wrap him up and finish. Can’t just tug on his cape.

 
Wentz looked like a QB trying to put the whole team on his back anticipating the OLine wasn’t holding up. Played as a disrespected star athlete. Tremendous effort. 

Steelers had better wrap him up and finish. Can’t just tug on his cape.
They were finally letting Wentz loose and he flourished.  Steelers defensive front will need to control this game.   Philly also has a strong defensive front so I could see some turnovers in this game (by both sides).  

 
Anyone know if fans will be allowed THIS week at Heinz field or if they're going to wait a week?

 

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