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I see us going 4-1 in the last four games, winning the the division and being #2 seed. Jets played NE tough without their #1 draft choice. We play the Chargers strong at home. Raiders are sad, Bengals are...the Bengals. I don’t see us beating the Saints in the the dome.
I see us beating everyone if Ben is healthy and we peak at the right time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkman
Forget the playoffs for now. We have to get home, fix the issues and get ready for a very talented hot Philip Rivers.
He hit 28/29 today. Unreal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezra Tank
It took 4 turnovers, a blocked FG, and three very odd incompletions (that would have been first downs) for the red-hot Broncos to beat the Steelers... in Denver. Seriously. The four turnovers (and the missed FG) created a 27-point differential. This game could just as easily have been 44-24 Steelers.
SUMMATION:
My confidence wasn’t swayed one bit.
15-3-1
He not played three quarters...lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by lipps83
My confidence is still pretty high...we usually lose in Denver anyway.
The same flaws we've had all season will still be flaws in the playoffs. We can win any given game, but will have to be very lucky to win three or four in a row against top-level opposition.
Right now we're looking like the #3 seed, so four hands of blackjack. That means a 6% chance of winning it all. Sounds about right.
edit: wait, are we actually a half-game AHEAD of everyone for the #2 seed because of the goddamn tie? I will be dipped in shit. It'd be nice if we could get that, doubles our odds, maybe more if a certain team of cheating ballsack sniffers gets knocked out early.
Had a good night at church where we kicked off the Christmas season. Came home and jumped on line for a few minutes with Christmas carols ringing in my ears... and then this!
And a Merry Christmas to all! Goodnight!Quote:
Originally Posted by steelreserve
:chuckle:
The Saints lost to the hapless Buccaneers... at home.
The Saints needed a missed FG and a missed XP by the Browns kicker in order to eke out a win against the Browns... at home.
SUMMATION:
Losses happen to every team. And, the Steelers lost to a very good Denver team... on the road.
I can see that too, but the way they played today I can also see them going 2-3 in that stretch tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Hawkman
Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
And, THAT is exactly why sports is so exciting.Quote:
Originally Posted by NCSteeler
This sums up my feelings about this entire thread...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNzkIgGpsAw
I still have a lot of confidence, although dropping this game probably makes the road a bit harder.
Between Boz's blocked FG, Grimble's brain cramp and Conner's fumble, they left at LEAST 13 (and very likely 17) points on the field. They make those 3 plays and this is a fairly comfortable road win against a team that is actually much better than its record would indicate and this thread more than likely isn't even started.
I'd imagine ball security will be the theme of the coming week in practice.
Sloppy game today doesn’t make me feel confident about this team’s chances in the playoffs but there is still time to redeem themselves the rest of the way.
We need Tuitt back for our run defense and need the secondary to play better than they played today in mile high. Hopefully it was just the altitude that got to a few players out there today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Butch
:chuckle:
Some people go apeshit after a loss, and I'm all like, "I'm fine." :lol: Bummed, but fine, because I believe. :)
I get upset just like anyone else, but I am with you these things happen. We are currently in a tough schedule and we may have more moments like today where the team does not play their very best. As Fansince'76 said we left points on the board and that could have been the difference in us walking away with a big win.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Steel
All I can say is buckle up and keep your hands inside the cart because the ride aint over yet. Go Steelers!!!
Thats my girl!:bump:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Steel
No we are not. The Patriots are 8-3 and we are 7-3-1. They currently hold the #2 seed.Quote:
Originally Posted by steelreserve
Not only that, but we dropped all the way to the fourth seed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezra Tank
Yep. If the Texans win tonight we are officially the 4th seed. That loss was huge. You don't want to be the 4th seed because you're going to have to play the Chargers at home and if you can win that then you travel to the #1 seed.
Except there's still 5 games to go...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ezra Tank
Exactly. While my confidence isn't high after the last two weeks, we also have five games to go, and anything can happen in those games. We also play the Pats* so, if we put together a good game, we can climb ahead of them in the standings. Basically, that half-a-game doesn't matter against them because the head-to-head will be the deciding factor (unless we drop another game back from them).Quote:
Originally Posted by fansince'76
True, but all 5 will be tough for us. I could see the Steelers getting up to the third seed, but that's it unless they beat the Patriots.Quote:
Originally Posted by fansince'76
In a sense, I can't get too worked up about any of this. I just do not see a scenario where the Steelers can put together the combined effort it would require to beat the Chiefs (AFC Championship Game) and then Saints/Rams (SB). Playing two perfect games on offense and two games where the pass rush generates 5+ sacks against high level playoff teams is just too much to ask.
Unfortunately, the Steelers are having a really good year when a few teams are having record setting years.
Same as before, this is one of those bone-headed games we were bound to have at some point. IMO if we eliminated the mistakes, this game should have been won by a comfortable margin. Likely 10 or 11 wins and division (3 or 4 seed) but no first round bye. I think we'll beat the Patriots but won't have the better record.
The more I think about it, the more I don't see this as a team capable of a deep playoff run.
The stat that tells the tale for me is turnover differential. 2018 defenses are not really stopping anyone from scoring. So it is all about pressure to disrupt the offensive timing (check -- Steelers do that well) and then generating extra possessions for your offense to score more points. That is where the Steelers are terrible.
Take a look:
Rams +11
Saints +8
Pats +5
Chiefs +4
Steelers -7.
That just isn't going to get it done. Even when the Steelers defense was more talented, they struggled in seasons where they didn't cause turnovers. Not sure how to change this stat because not only is the offense near the top of the league in giveaways, the defense is near the bottom in takeaways -- so it isn't just one side of the ball or the other.
Do you have data showing correlation between regular season turnover differential and super bowl champions?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mojouw
We always seemed to have a talented but accident prone offense and a defense that won't force that many turnovers
Sure. It is all right here -- https://www.footballdb.com/stats/tur...?yr=2017&conf=Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertSteel
2017: Eagles +17 4th in the league vs Pats +6 at aoput 8th in the league (due to teams being tied)
2016: Pats +12 and Falcons +11 for 3rd and 4th in the NFL
2015: Panthers first in the league with +20 and Broncos with -4
2014: Pats +12 for 3rd and Seahawks +10 for 4th
So one team with negative turnover differential in the last 4 years made it to the SB and won. That is bucking some long odds. Plus, 2018 kinda changes things. No one is stopping the top 4-6 offenses in the league from scoring. The per game yardage and points averages for the top offenses is ridiculous. Steelers are scoring 28.7 points per game and sit SIXTH in per game average. Prior to this season that kind of per game output would be top 4 at worst and many years first or second.
Every time two well regarded teams take the same field, it ends up as a shoot-out not a defensive struggle. The best defenses are able to provide so far this season across the league are pass pressure to get one or two key 3rd down stops and turnovers. Basically you are hoping for 3-4 stops out of 12 drives at best. Steelers starting field position has been rough all season. Forces the offense to drive the length of the field. Other "elite" playoff teams are getting short fields from their defense creating turnovers. That helps the offense score points. Forces the opposing team to be abandon the run. The pass rush gets more pressure, etc. etc.
If they can not force 1-2 turnovers a game and stop giving the ball away 2-3 times a game, this will not be a long playoff run. Can not give Mahomes, Brady, Rivers, Watson, etc extra chances to beat you. They have an easy enough time doing it already.