Welcome to the Steelers Point After show on WDBE Pittsburgh, brought to you by your neighborhood Ford Store. The F one fifty is the official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers by Brian Patton and associates. It's all about the benefits by the Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct from the team at shop dot Steelers dot com and by Clearview Federal Credit Union get the financial answers you need. And now here are your hosts, Rob King, Craig Wolfley, and Matt Williamson.
And we thank you for being with us in the Point After on the Steelers Audio Network. Following the Steelers lost to the Chiefs twenty nine to ten on Christmas Day, but perhaps more importantly looking ahead to hopefully some point after touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night. But let's begin by talking about the Chiefs. Our first reaction
is brought to you by First National Bank. Let's get started, Member FDIC, Craig Wolfey, Let's start with you your thoughts on what you saw with the Steelers game against the Chiefs.
Well, I think it was summarized quite frankly by head coach Mike Tomlin it sucked. I mean, it just was not the game that you had expected that was going to be out there in front of everybody. They came out and they weren't able to establish what they wanted to do that. Yeah, they ran the ball well, but really it was all about trying to shut down Pat
Mahomes to some degree, and that just didn't happen. And for the Steelers, you know, again it was one of those things where you know, you got five sacks and you had some ball bounces the wrong way yet again, and even though they were able to rush for two hundred plus yards, which normally would signify a victory in any game, you know, it just did not materialize and they lost to the Chiefs.
Matt.
Yeah, and you know, I was like to look at the opponent in these shows too, and I think the Chiefs are probably playing their best ball of the year, and it was a really buttoned up, clean performance by them. What they missed an extra point, but I can't remember really any self inflicted wounds by Kansas. He Mahomes was tremendous, I mean, to put it mildly, I mean, the ball came out of his hands incredibly quick and even like
unblocked pressures didn't get to him. I mean, the ball came out so fast and he was so precise with it. But it's got to be better. I mean, it did suck. I mean the Steelers didn't play winning football. And Wolf mention it, there's a couple of things that haven't gone their way. They've they've caused fumbles, but they haven't been able to pick them up, you know, like those things will correct themselves, but you got to be better and
both trenches. I thought the secondary got picked on quite a bit and is worrisome without you know, Porter in particular, but just in general and overall, it's just not good enough against the big dogs, you know. I mean he played three really good teams in a row, and you're not quite as good as those guys. I think that's pretty clear.
So Matt, let me ask you this because Wolf and I have talked about this, and Wolf, I'm gonna get your thoughts on this as well. You know, I look at this game and try to put it in a larger context of what you just said. You know, this three game sort of measuring rod and you didn't scoreboard says you did not measure up, and I look back at, you know, an uncharacteristic drop pitch by Najie Harris as you're marching in potentially to tie the game up again.
I use the word potentially advisedly because we don't know whether they would have scored a touchdown, kicked a field goal, what would have happened, whether you could have tied the game up, whether that would have stemmed the tide. But it could have tied that game up. Baltimore, you know, you lose it you don't pounce on a couple of fumbles, but Russell Wilson's taking it in. What happens if you score a touchdown there instead of turning it over again uncharacteristically?
What happens if they don't call what again looked to me to be a dubious holding call on Darnold Washington that nullified a touchdown, and then the next play you throw an interception. You score there, You're actually ahead if you exchange field goals in the third quarter, you go into the fourth quarter ahead against the Chiefs. Now, it's a double edged sword saying that because these these scores get you in the game, or tied in the game, or maybe a slight lead in a game, but you
still had other chances to respond and did not. So I want to have that caveat out there still when you look at it in that light, Matt does it. If you're a Steelers fan, should you be encouraged that had you gotten a break or two, had you not done some things that were uncharacteristic which you can't do to beat good teams, that you could have played with all these teams and potentially won one or more of these games.
No, Okay, I mean it's a lovely way of looking at it, and it's an optimistic way of looking at it that and you didn't say this, but if Nause doesn't fumble that ball on the pitch, well then they're in the you know, then they're right in this thing.
I just never in any.
Of these games felt like the Steelers were the better team or in control of the game or taking control of the game. And yeah, it could have certainly gone different. But I bet if we were sitting here in Kansas City, Baltimore, or Philly, we could probably find two or three plays at our favorite team uncharacter riistically dropped the pass or had a hold or something as well that, oh, we could have want even bigger, you know, I mean right, there's two ways of looking at it, you know.
Sure, and Wolf, I've said this before. The scenario I just laid out to Matt. I'd feel better about convincing myself one hundred percent. And I'm partially convinced. I still am. I didn't say those things if I didn't think I'd be a little bit convinced. But I'd be more convinced if you know, some different things happened. So after you know Kareem Hunt, or after that, you know Kareem Hunt two yard touchdown run. Just in this most recent game, Okay,
they go up twenty two ten. Okay, now you respond by going down the field and making it twenty two seventeen and turning it into a one possession game with say nine minutes left on the clock. You didn't do that going back to Philadelphia. Maybe somewhere in a thirteen play, thirteen play and twenty one play. I think it was second half. You know the drive lengths for the Eagles. You made it stopping there somewhere and gave yourself one
more chance to get back in it. I'd be more convinced if those things had happened but I can also understand that you said, hey, we didn't play if you, as a fan said hey, I didn't we didn't play complimentary football. We didn't do some of the small things that emerge bigger when you're playing better teams.
Well, the whole thing is you can make any sort of argument you want. You know, there's there's lies, dang lies, and then there's statistics. As the saying goes, you know what I mean. And I will tell you this quite honestly, I've never felt like you didn't have a puncher's chance. I can't help myself. That's just the player's mentality that I still have to this day. It is what it is, you know, And you can sit there and quote me stats and I'll just look at you and go, yeah,
but if you know, the buttefs get you nowhere. The point being is this, you went into a three game Cheese Greater Gauntlet and you were hoping for much better success than what you came out with. It cost you some, You got some flesh taking off, you were a little blood letting and everything else. And I do believe that, I still believe without a doubt that if you've got a certain play here a certain play there, you could have turned the thing around. It didn't happen. I believe
in the power of the one eleventh. Everybody's got to win their one eleventh to a majority of the degree of the time. You know what I mean. You cannot have one guy not doing it and ten guys doing it. As who is that? Cam Hayward said. The fact of the matter is everybody's got to be on board and do their one eleventh. And when you don't do that, I mean, let's and let's let's be truthful too. Everybody
in this league is a superior player. If you get to this level, you are in a very small percentage in the world of guys that can that that are able to do it. And the thing about it is, if you if guys were doing their job at the point in time, things could be different. They weren't. You got to move on. But you've got to find a way to turn this ship around. And it can be done with the with the next snap. I've seen it happen. I've been part of teams that have had that. It
has happened. When people said there's just no way that you could do that, you find a way and that can the power of that is still there, and I believe in the power of the one snap Rob.
Real quick to how I answered it too, is is I didn't mean it like, boy, there's no chance ever in the history of the world they can't hang with these teams. I mean, that's not exactly what I meant, But I on those days, I thought it was pretty clear on all three of those afternoons evenings whatever, they were the inferior team and it wasn't just a bounce away or anything like that, you know.
Right, And I will say this so so Wolf before we get much further. I enjoy hearing your story of early on one season. I think you lost the Browns at fifty one.
We were just talking about it, get right, So yeah, you would have to bring that, yeah, but.
Again, you know, tell the people that story, and then as you're doing it, tell us all how that turnaround possibly could have happened. So go ahead and lay the story out there.
You know, it was remarkable in the sense of nineteen eighty nine we opened at three Rivers Stadium against the Cleveland Browns at home, and we lost fifty one to nothing. I mean, we lost. It was a turn I think We had eight turnovers in that game. It was just unbelievable. Every other time it seemed like the ball was going the other way.
And I can.
Truthfully say that I was so dispirited and so down. I tried to start a fighting the fourth quarter, and I couldn't get thrown out because the referee knew what was going on. Yeah, it's like you deserve to stay in there. The point being is we lost fifty one and nothing, and everybody was kind of traumatized to a whole thing.
Are you kidding me? The Browns come in and just pound you.
If you want to talk about a game that you weren't even in before it was over, that was the game. So then we think, okay, back to the drawing board. Work hard, you got three hard practices at three rivers. You're pounding out in full pads on the artificial turf. You go into Cincinnati, We're gonna whop them, and they beat us forty five to ten. Now, optimist and me said, well, we cut out six points defensively.
And we scored ten.
All right, so we're getting better in the right.
This is hanging. You're grasping that straw. Okay, like a dying man on the Titanic. You are grasping at that life saver. So we've gotten week three. We've got the two and zero Minnesota Vikings coming in, who have just been terrorizing the first couple of teams that they played and everyone just wrote us off. They made a couple of adjustments, started this guy that guy a little bit, but it was just a couple of guys, and boom,
we beat the Vikings miraculously, unbelievably so beat. The Vikings finished that season with one drop pass away from going to the AFC Championship, and it was one of the most remarkable turnarounds ever seen. I certainly the most remarkable turnaround I've ever been a part of. But it came down to guys that refused to give up, guys that refused to accept the fact that we were less than what we were, and guys started to win more of their one elevenths and then you get this snowball effect.
And that's really what happened. And that's why I say I believe in the power of the next snap. Get that next snap.
And boom.
You never know when you're going to start that comeback thing.
Well, the other thing you beat the Browns a couple weeks later, didn't you.
Oh yeah we did. Oh yeah, the same team that beat that got fifty one nothing. We went into Cleveland and beat them. I believe it was four weeks later, thirty four, fourteen or something like that.
Yeah, we beat them.
Well, you know, and it was just it was incredible because I don't know how you turn around from fifty one to nothing with the same people go in there, but we did.
And that is the questions, how did it happen?
Well, guys won more than one eleventh. That's the simple thing about it. You didn't turn the ball over, you were able to win possession downs, Guys made the block at key points, Guys covered at the right points that you don't all those things come together, and you had a determination to stay with it. I will say this that the the funniest part was after this the second game, Uh, Chuck Dole had us in the team meeting room and h there was a headline in the USA today and says,
has the game bypassed Chuck Nolan. Chuck was adamant and making sure, listen, what you put into your brain is what's gonna come out in effort all right, you got to make sure you you make sure that you're not reading a lot of garbage and you're getting that negative, just as Russ was talking about this morning, the negativity that's associated with losing like that, you gotta keep that from your brain. So they said, you know, let me
tell you you got a pool. Well, at this point, we know Chuck's gonna tell a story, and everybody's already gone, the eyes are kind of glazing over and stuff. And he talked about the you know, amount of chlorine and all other constituent parts of you know, doing this, and he's and he can tell he's losing.
Everybody.
The whole room's like going, oh, you gotta be kidding me. And finally Chuck gets frustrated, says, what I'm trying to tell you is don't let anybody pee in your pool. In other words, don't don't be taken in by the negativity of everybody else, and make sure that you protect in your mind what's going on. And I think that was the key. You know, the battle cry became over the next several weeks, the onlybody pe in your pool?
Yeah, right, Well, I don't know how we can do better than that. I'm Matt's pretty great. I think at this stage of the game we should probably go ahead and take a break.
That's a good one, good way in which, yeah, I don't know, there's nothing to add to that.
Keep those pools clean, man.
Matt Williamson, Oh, former pool cleaner, right, cleaning back of the day.
I'm surprised you knew that.
That's what I did out through college and then I bought the business. And coincidentally, you get winners off whenever you're a Pittsburgh pool owner. And so I started volunteering at Duquine and threw away a very successful pool business and joined the Pit Panthers.
And we are glad you did.
You'll be doo.
Yeah, oh good.
That was a good conversation with the wife. Like, I'm gonna make twelve grand a year as a GA at pitt and throw his pool business away.
What do you think? Yeah, go for it, Matt. I'm sure you'll be really successful.
Great. Yeah, that's probably were her love of Halloween started years later or whatever. Yeah, yeah, it turned out to be a treat for us. We're going to continue on clear pool services.
By the way, don't in the pool.
Yeah, that's Matt Williams said, along with Craig hopefully I'm rob kidt you're listening to the point after on the Steelers Audio Network.
Back to the point after on dv E play.
Action pass rolling out to the left, Wilson trying to get to the edge. Wilson dies one two step and three is in for six touchdown Pittsburgh Steelers first rushing touchdown of the year for Russell Wilson. Uh. The play of the game is brought to you by S and T Bank, proudly serving our community since night. You know, two stBank dot com s and T Bank member fd I c little nod to to Russell's wife Sierra with a song one two step excellent song in case you're wondering.
So there were some moments in that game, guys, as we welcome you back to the point after on this stee there's audio network. You know, we talked about that game and Wolf. You know, Russ is going in against Baltimore with an opportunity to give you an early fourteen to seven lead. Fumbles they turn around and score. You know, when when you look at what's been going on with the Steelers and the things to clean up and Mike
Tom want address the media earlier today. I would think, uh, turnovers have to be at the very top of the list, creating more turnovers and having fewer turnovers. You know, we talked about, you know, the naugy pitch that never happens with Nagee. We talked about Russell Wilson. He's not a guy I would expect to fumble against Baltimore or there
were opportunities I think for the team to get the lead. Now, the lack of response is one thing, but playing with the lead, you know, for me that that imbues the team with confidence and also puts you in a position to eventually get the game to go the way you want to, to not be one dimensional, but to force the other team to get one dimensional. Maybe that's just an end of half scenario. Maybe it's an end of game scenario. But these things go hand in hand to me,
and I'd like to get your your thoughts on that. Well.
It's also a win the first two downs scenario. You win the first two downs and you put them in a position where they're behind the chains, they're in the off schedule, and now you've got to make up ground. And that's where you always want to be defensively speaking, you want to have kind of like your foot kind of on the throat of the offense, or at least a three and out, if not a turnover or a takeaway because maybe they got to exceed their reach a little bit in a throw or in a run, and
you know you're always poised for that. And this is a team, you know, It's what's amazing is this is a team that was plus seventeen going into this three game gauntlet stretch here and now you know, everything turned around. This is a team that the ball seem to find. These guys where you know, they work each and every day. I watch them in practice. They work every day on ball searching skills, on ball security, offensively, depending on which side of line of scrims you line up, they work
at all those aspects of it. And in my experience, you always have the worm turns eventually, you know, especially when you stay dedicated to working the fundamentals and you stay positive about it and know that's part of your job, part of what you do. When you get into reflexive movements and a pile up and a tackle or you know, on the other side of it, whether it's offensively and protecting the ball and so forth. But these are the things.
You got to have faith that your work is going to bear out and provide fruit inside the stadiums in game day. And that's something that is integral and you're working at it, and you can't just kind of like, you know, breeze through and go okay, I got more
ball searching. You know, it's drills here or ball security drills. No, you've got to put your whole heart and effort into it and your mindset too, because the person who looks for it, who refuses to be discouraged by it but keeps looking, is the person that's going to find it.
So Matt, let's get discouraged. Miss You and I do that together.
So either way, if you get too discouraged, have a nice chocolate chip cookie, take a deep breath, and then get back to work.
That sounds excellent, sage advice. Thank you, my friend. The last three games, you know, going into this gauntlet, and again we understand no pickings for some of this, but when I look at the offense first, you're averaging you know, twenty eight twenty nine points per game with Russell Wilson as your quarterback. Those opponents are the Jets, the Giants. Okay, Washington, you only score eighteen against Baltimore, you lose by scoring
nineteen against Cleveland. You drop forty four on Cincinnati. You score twenty seven against Cleveland. So, on the one hand, the offense looks completely different than it has at any time, probably since Ben Roethlisberger was your quarterback, and he was kind of in his heyday, and even maybe the beginning of the twenty twenty season when they were doing the quick throwing and not really pressing the ball down the field. Regardless, it's been a while since we've seen the offense look
that good. I think. Then, you know, you talk about the quality of opponents improving, and you're looking at thirteen points, seventeen points, and ten points. That that's not going to cut the mustard come playoff time. So in your opinion, what needs to happen for this offense to be better? And is there any encouragement you can take from the fact that the last two games at least they've run the ball better.
Yeah, I definitely think there's some encouragement there. I mean that, now, let's not forget that there was what one drive at the end of the Chiefs game where Nausey's racking up a lot of rushing yards against very little pump.
PETENTI what over a thousand, by the way, congratulations, that's.
Impressive feet, no question. But I do think they ran the ball well in that game from start to finish.
Basically.
I mean, the running game look like it's turning the corner and it's something that they can rely on. Back to the turnover situation, I think that's bound to go back to where it was or close to, because it's something they've been really, really good at for years. To be honest, is they're very opportunistic on defense, and they have caused some turnovers over this stretch, and they do value the football. Nause he's not a fumbler. Wilson doesn't have a long history or turn the ball over either.
It's one of the reasons he's here.
You know.
So part of that was just some bad luck.
And I also think that Pickens is a one of the guys you can't really replace. I mean, everybody can step up, but he's a noticeably chunk better than his teammates at his respective position. So he's coming back. And I also think it's huge that you have a nice long stretch before you play your next two games. You know, the Bengals are coming up here on Saturday, and then
you know a playoff game wherever that ends up. And I think that there was a lot of fatigue on this team, rightfully, So you know, I mean, for of these teams had to play three games in eleven days, and that's Frankly, I don't think the NFL has player safety in mind at all whenever they designed that, and it's a bit of a money grab. And we're seeing games every night of the week this week, which is
a little crazy. But two of those teams, Houston and Baltimore at least had a week fourteen by you know, where the Steelers are on the road a bunch before the three stretch, and then you start to see that three game stretch with Philly where the defense like never left the field in the second half. And where I'm going with this is just get back to winning time
of possession. You know, like when you walked into Philly, you are the best time of possession team in the league, and that's dropped quite a bit over the last two weeks. But I mean three weeks, but You're still above average and it's still how you're built. And with a little bit of fresher legs, a little bit of health, if you can get back to holding the ball for thirty three to thirty four minutes, everything else will kind of fall into place.
You know.
I got to tell you, he is, Oh.
Go ahead. Well if I just want to throw this out real quick to Matt, because you mentioned the schedule, I don't want to lose this, and then I want to get your thought. Yeah, the Chiefs announcer told me. The play by play guy was talking Tom before the game, said the Chiefs have played on every day of the week except Tuesday this year. Yeah. I heard.
That's crazy.
Yeah, that is insane. I'm sorry, Well, go ahead, I just I just had to throw that in there.
No, and I mean Matt is exactly correct, you know. I mean the accumulative fatigue that comes with all that, that is something to be accounted for, and certainly for the players, they've got to get back to re establishing their routines. One of the things I've always said is players are very routine creatures. You know, we live by the routine. You know, five days out, you do this,
four days out, three, days two one. You know, you have this routine of preparation that leads you into and when you have kind of like very where you're you're piling days four, three and two into one, it creates some problems. But listen, everybody whoever was there had to go through it too, whoever played in those those both in those games. But the fact is it does create some of those Some guys handle it better than others.
You know, that's just the way it is. But certainly, you know, you look at this and you think to yourself, if they you know, if they were playing these games at a full full week off and so forth, and you had the opportunity to rethink some things, you know, I think things would be different. But that's just me, and that's my kind of optimistic players type of you know, that's how I see things.
Well, if I think one of the things that makes me optimistic that this team can regain its offensive roof, you know, to me, they've got I think, you know, Pat Fryarmith is a really good tight end, and there's guys they can utilize in different ways. But I you know, and Calvin Austin can be a weapon. Carl Pickens is Carl Pickens playing Cincinnati already got my thoughts on the
former Tennessee grad. Uh so George Pickens. But to me, man, we are seeing the best of Jalen Warren, and Jalen Warren uh in his own way, can be a real weapon on this team. And I think that you know, you talk about you know, we were a lot of us were critical. I think of Atlanta and not using Kirk Cousins in the preseason and some of these teams getting off to slow starts because they didn't play their
guys in the preseason. Well, Jalen Warren was hurt and he's trying to come back without that preseason, without the regular season, without the regular reps. It looks to me like right now this is the Jaalen Warren we seen in the last couple of years. This is an explosive runner, a guy I would love to see get the ball out in space because I think he can do things with it. This guy, I think can be a weapon for this year. There's and I think that he is peaking as we get to the end of the season.
There's no question in my mind that that's occurring right now. I mean, whatever the groove is. The groove has really been established with Jalen Warren doing some very positive things. And that's not taking away anything away from Nagy. Nage has been superb all season, long, worked tired. He's a banger. You got, you got a thumper, and you got a bumper.
When the bumper is is Jalen Warren. This guy bounces off of things and and does things that are different than what than what Nagy's does, and Nage does things that are different than what Jalen does. But I love the aspect in which right now when you see when you see Jalen, he's feeling it. I mean, this guy is hotter than a bowl of Texas chili, you know. I mean he really is a guy that he you know, he sees the blocking schematics and he sees the hole, he reacts, he sees he does you know, I mean
that sort of a sead type thing. He's doing it, and you love the fact that he's so good in open space also with catching the ball, and that's where I think one of the things if you saw what the Chiefs did, you think about Xavier Worthy and some of the things he did with the lateral passing game, and that's exactly how Jalen could be utilized too, in a manner of such as that very positively.
So and Rob you kind of mentioned it, but I just wanted to kind of reiterate it too. It's clear that Warren is trending up in a big way right now, but I also think Austin and Frearmuth are trending in the right direction as well. And some of it's because Pickens was out. Somebody has to step up, and maybe he didn't win the game, but so good things happened while he was out, and now you get ten days
off or whatever. And some of those rookies, you know, Frasier and McCormick that would never admit to hitting a rookie wall but have never played this much football or probably very much embracing it, let alone. The old dudes like Cam and Russ, you know, that know how to handle it. But the bodies are older, you know.
Yeah, I I do think, Matt, that there's reason for optimism there that you know. It feels a little to me. And I've used this analogy with Wolf, like you got a bunch of puzzle pieces and they don't quite fit. They haven't quite fit why why the three and outs, and certainly Philadelphia had something to do with that, but now it feels.
A lot to do with all of this stuff. I mean, they're really good team about no question.
Absolutely, But I also think that you know, if you have Pickens back, George Pickens that is, and you have Russell Wilson and you have you know, this freshness of this sort of mini by at the end of the year and guys feeling good that they're there, should be reason for optimism. Now again, you're gonna have to carry
that into Saturday night against Cincinnati to begin there. But I do think that they're you know, if you're a Steelers player, if you're a Steelers fan, take a breath and think, Okay, this this can still happen.
Yeah, And I really want our listeners to under stand this. And Wolfe understand it even better than us because he's a player. But I host a Thursday show with Mike Persuda and Merrill Hodge and we always this Merril's with the whole second segment and we set it up and he exes and oes us to death and it's wonderful. And he had mentioned over this three game stretch. And there's other problems. But here's one example just sticks with me is when teams would go to trips offenses against
the Steeler defense. The Steeler defense has had a lot of communication errors, bunches and trip sets three receivers the one side. Okay, I mean the Steelers recognize that. Every offensive coordinator on the planet recognizes that. But when you play three games in eleven days, you really don't even have the practice time to fix it.
You know, Like, I know that's a problem. They know it's a problem.
They're gonna pick that scab forever, but I got no time to heal the wound.
You know, that's a great point. It This is how the world works.
It really is.
Yeah, you know, there's no question.
One of the things that you see is how you are going to operate, say with the Travis Kelcey, Yeah, you know. I mean there's so many variations. One of them is an island bunch, where the bunch is that, you know, three guys in a bunch is slightly removed from the offensive tackle a little bit wider, and the guy motions to the bunch and then they go on crossing routes And I'm like are.
You kidding me? That looks you know, it looks it looks like you could You couldn't.
It was like guys playing tag in Grand Central Station at rush hour, trying to keep up with these guys crossing and everything else. And Matt makes a great point, how do you put that into a small time frame and work on that.
When you got one real practice to get a fit, Like, yeah, you can sit there in the meeting rooms and no, it's a problem. But it's hard to work those problems out such a short amount of time.
I can only tell you when you're in a limited walkthrough, you're not getting along.
Right right right, let alone when the two time defending champs come to town and they're the best in the league at it, you know.
Well, let's leave off there because we want to talk a little bit about this defense and we want to take a look ahead to the Cincinnati Bengals and maybe a sneak peek ahead of the playoffs as well. You're listening to the Point After on the Steelers Audio Network, back to the Point After on DVD by acun Pass Wilson looking backside pressure down, he goes, he is sacked and he's dropped by and Azuki Uzoma and A D kay Zoe. I think it was anyway, but but I
only had to say that name once. Glad there weren't too many sacks. Although we will say this, The Sack Hunger segment is brought to you by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Get food, volunteer, donate at Pittsburgh Foodbank dot org. So the offense, we just talked about that a little bit. The defense guys, on the one hand, the offense has not helped the defense. And you know, I don't know if somebody were to say, you know, what's the biggest culprit offense? Defense? You don't get to
say turnovers. You don't get to say special teams, although I don't think that's really been an issue. You don't get to say that you have to pick offense or defense. I'm not sure wolf which side I'd picked, because whereas the offense, you know, we just outlined the paucity of points. They've scored forty over the last three they've also given up a bunch to three top teams. Unless we forget, you know, when we want to look at and as I do, and I know you do, Hey, this could
have turned out differently. You know, the Eagles kneeled down. They knelt down at the end of the game. That could easily if they could have gotten into the thirties net game. And you give up thirty four to Baltimore, you give up twenty nine to KC. There are some things there that need to be fixed, Wolf, and maybe this extra time, as we were saying at the end of the last segment, will give you time to fix those things.
Well, in my mind, Matt nailed it from the get go. Time of possession. I am such a big believer in time possession doesn't guarantee a win, but at the same time, it guarantees you're in in the ball game. Okay, if you control the ball, obviously the opposition is not scoring too many points. Now, the problem is the more you how do I put this against a good team like the like like case, You got to control that ball like forty minutes. It's it can't be thirty one and change.
It's you know where you're just slightly you know it. It's about you got to dominate that time of possession and then do something with it. And whether you're kicking eight what how many field six, field goals like they did in the Ravens game, you know, with with Boswell or what you know, it's it's you got to turn some points there. But the fact is winning possession is nine tenths of the law, and winning is nine tenths of the of the you know, possession. You know, I didn't
think that made sense. The point being is I think we got close. You understand where I'm coming from. If you're hanging on to that ball, they ain't got it. And you got to keep mahomes on the blanket on the bench, keeping warm. That's the best way to do it.
Matt. Do you have any to add to that?
Well?
How could you?
Yeah?
It was all over the place, just the league wide though. I mean there aren't steel curtains anymore. There aren't eighty five bears, you know where you're happy to get the ten points, you know, like there's those defenses don't exist. I mean, the league has changed too dramatically. These offensive players are too good, et cetera, et cetera. But what is very true is too much defense is bad defense. It doesn't matter what defense it is.
In this league.
If they're out there thirty two plus minutes, they get figured out, Fatigues said, you know, certainly starts, the pass rush slows down, the pads come up. But maybe more importantly Mahomes and Red, for example, they're the latest opponent. But this is true for everybody, but they're the best at it. They start to learn all your checks, you know, like if I do this specific motion, they check the cover too. Okay, well I'm gonna do this motion next time,
and I'm going to run my cover two beaters. And you can't just adjust everything on the sideline. They can't just stop and hit pause and be like, well, let's change all our checks. You know, they figure you out. And that's why teams script plays to start things. You know, we're just gonna put out thirteen personnel and see what kind of defense they play against it. Wow, they're playing base. Okay, we're gonna throw out of thirteen going forward. I mean,
that's why you do those things. So the more you're out there, the more you're telling the homes and read the answers to the tests. And that's when it gets really ugly.
You know. Whenever I think a time of possession and an explosive team, I mean the biggest discrepancy I can think of in Super Bowl history is that the Giants Bills in ninety one, you know, the wide right game. If Norwood makes the field goal, we're not even talking about it. But the time of possession in that game was nineteen twenty seven for Buffalo and forty thirty three for the Giants, and the Bill still almost won the game, still had a forty seven yard field goal at the
buzzer to win it. The yards are almost identical, the point being the Giants didn't have an explosive offense. Their defense was good, but not the same defense that had been five years before. They won that game because they controlled the clock.
That you know, like Otis Anderson all day on you right right, yeah yeah.
And it wasn't even it wasn't even great running. I mean, the Bills ran for over six yards to carry. The Giants were just over four, just slugging it out. But the lack of negative plays, what Wolf said, the winning on first and second down, the ability to keep drives alive. You know, I think the notion that once we get into your territory, if it's fourth and one, we're probably going for it. With Otis Anderson here he comes. All those things so you're.
Rise in rushing the pastor in the fourth quarter like he is in the first quarter.
That's right, No, exactly right, yeah, yeah, all those things contribute. And even though I think the Steelers, going back to you know what we're talking about last segment, that they have the capacity to be more explosive, it is still seemingly more in their dna to win games that way. Now, I do think if you have everybody at your disposal and you have to get into a shootout, you have a greater chance to win now than any time in many many years as the Steelers. But that's not, you know,
clearly not the way they want to do things. So well, if what do they have to do? Joe Burrow has been phenomenal. The Bengals have won four in a row. They're putting this game on Saturday night. I think, you know, they're wrapping up the AFC North. You can kind of understand probably where they're coming from. You know, if Cincinnati were to beat Baltimore, if Cincinnati would to beat Steeers, Baltimore would have nothing to play for. Okay, so you
put Baltimore first. Now, the Steelers could be playing for a third seed. If if Baltimore loses or a fourth or fifth seed, or a fifth or sixty, you're guaranteeing yourself a fifth seed if you win the game. So it's still important to the Steelers. What do they need to do to beat a Bengals team that is starting to resemble the Bengals team we all thought it was going to be at the beginning of the year, which is, you know, a legitimate tough contender, a difficult team to beat.
This is going to be a team that you got to dominate the time of possession. I mean, this is you got to keep Joe Burrow on the bench to the best of your abilities, and obviously Sacerman put pressure, what have you went, He's out there. But the fact of the matter is you need to win the time with possession, and you need to do that by doing a couple of things. You've got to win on first second downs. You've got to have the ability to convert
on the possession downs. You've got to have a quarterback get the ball out on schedule. I'm sorry, but you cannot get in those four second ranges with the ball on pass pro You've got a group of young offensive linemen and when you have negative yardage through sacks on young offensive lineman. Look, you gotta understand these fivesome, these young guys all out there together. They play more for
each other than they do anything else. It's about being part of a group effort when you're an offensive lineman, and the negativity that's associated with the sacks creates sometimes doubt and and lack of confidence and guys start looking around. That can be sort of problematic when you're a young guy not having weathered storms such as some of the older guys have already. Well, the fact of the matter
is you got to help them out. The very first play that of last week against the Chiefs was a nice little eight year eight yard out to Pat Fryarmouth that took two seconds, maybe a one point nine to nine or something like that, And I thought that was a terrific tone setter. Now continue, you know, stay in that vein, in that sort of thing. I think the world to Russ. I think he is a great quarterback.
I think he's capable of producing big things. But what he's got to be careful of is not trying not to take over the offense to such a degree that you start to put the passing schedule at risk, you know, with sacks. Negative plays like that just create a lot of problems.
So from what I remember, that's great because from what I remember in the Bengals game, this is just off the top of my head, I think was Russ's shortest time to throw in like ten years, not let alone in a Steeler uniform. I mean, and he's a higher one to begin with. I mean, he's a good athlete, he moves around right at this stage of his career.
I think it's a bit of a negative that he needs to s I mean, I always say, I've said this forever that sacks are as much a quarterback stats an O line stat.
And I'm sure you O lineman agree. There's some guys that just take sacks that there's some that don't.
And I think this the pressure against the Chiefs in particular, was probably more on the quarterback than the blocking. You know, you don't have to take sacks if you don't necessarily, you can throw the ball away, you can, you can dirt it whatever. And I think he needs to evaluate that part of it as well, because this offense can't afford those negative plays.
So how about defensively and trying to slow down. It's gonna be and it's very difficult to slow down.
They got so many weapons. I mean, you think about number one, Chase Brown, I mean Chase Brown, I mean he though, yeah.
Fine, but look pretty bad at the end of the right.
So then you've got also you got the wide receivers that can create you know, a lot of downfield yardage with t Higgins and whoever, you know, whoever they put out there. The fact of the matter is Joe Burrow is on a tear. He is just on a tear. Back in the day, Mike Webster used to say, it'd
be like the mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom. You know, Jim had the dart gun that would would make the wild beasts go to sleep, you know, you know, and Webby said, we need one of those guys out there had that, and so you can dart one of those
quarterbacks that are getting out of control. The fact of the matter is it's very hard to do the things that you want to do against it, you know, somebody like Joe Burrow, other than keep them on the bench and pressure them, you know, And that's that that by and large is going to be about those guys up front.
Well, how important is it to play a good game for the Steelers for their psyche and and to you know, I think it's probably at this stage of the game, it's psyche as much as anything else, isn't it. I'm just you know, you've beaten good teams. You beat Cincinnati Baltimore earlier this year, this year, you beat Denver earlier
this year, You've beaten quality teams. But it just feels like after these last three games, maybe for your psyche, it's important to play a strong game one way or the other to give you, you know, a little bit of headway heading into the playoffs.
Unquestionably, so, I mean, you want to write the ship and get to have a good feel about you as you enter into the playoffs, and certainly going out and mastering a second win over the Bengals is going to be important. And I can't think of anything other than say, yeah, you need to win and win, you know, in a good, good way, not you know, doing the things that they got you here. You know, the same guys that got to ten and three also are here at ten and six.
And the fact of the matter is you can right this ship with the next snap of a game, you know, get in there and get do the things that you did to get to ten and three, and that's really where they've got to right the ship.
Matt.
Yeah, I also think there's something to kick the Bengals when they're down. You know, the Bengals are on a winning streak, They're they're riding high, they're pulling things out left and right, and Burrows on top of the world and playing great. But if you can end their season and keep a fabulous quarterback out of the playoffs and then all of a sudden they're back to the drawing
board too, there's a double whammie there. I definitely think along with Wolf was saying, you do not want to limp into the playoffs on a four game losing streak. Can go on a road game, I mean, I think there's a lot to be had in this upcoming game.
Yeah, and the Bengals offseason would be considerably better even if they don't get into playoffs. Hey, look what we did at the end of the season. Who we are. I mean, it's a complete reversal for them. Any thoughts on whether how important it is to maybe get that five seed and be taking on Houston. Houston hasn't looked that good. Matt and the Ravens have looked really good.
Yeah, I think the Ravens are playing at a extremely high level. Now, the last game didn't go this way, but we also still know that Ravens Steeler history implies tight physical games. I mean, I don't think that all of a sudden that that's out the window. But Houston's got a lot of issues. I mean, I would much rather go to Houston than go to home.
Let's just play a good game first time. Wolf.
Yeah, yeah, go get it.
I mean, I don't mean, I'm not trying to be dismissive. I'm just saying, no, that's the first order of business. Just go play a good football game.
That's exactly the first order of business, you know. I mean, and that you can't overlook it. You've got to focus on it. That's all that matters right now.
Well, gear up with the latest game day necessities the official Steelers Pro shops. Get the latest sideline apparel, jerseys, terrible towels, euthentic memorabilia, and custom exclusives you can only find directly from the team. Visit one of the officials Steelers Pro shops located at Akroscher Stadium, Grove City Premium Outlets, or Tanger outlets. Or gear up online at shop dot Steelers dot com. For Craig Wolfley, for Matt Williamson, For
our producer Justin Miller, I'm Rob King. We thank you for listening to the point after on the Steelers Audio Network