Gerry Dulac: Put the celebratory hats and T-shirts on hold — Steelers division title hopes are rapidly fading
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DEC 21, 2024
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/202412210059
Gerry Dulac: Put the celebratory hats and T-shirts on hold — Steelers division title hopes are rapidly fading
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DEC 21, 2024
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/202412210059
No shit Gerry. Everything could’ve been wrapped up yesterday with the potential for the two seed…but they choked.
Originally Posted by Dwinsgames
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
They got beat by a superior division opponent on the road.
This should be neither surprising nor disappointing.
It is what should’ve been expected.
Hoping for other outcomes was legitimate but did anyone really believe the Steelers were the better team? An injury depleted defense and a middling offense at best.
Honestly, it went better than I was expecting.
Array title="Born2Steel has a reputation beyond repute">
Hope is not fading.
We have another game on Christmas Day against an injury riddled Chiefs. It will be like a preseason game where we have no idea until right before kickoff who will be playing for either team. Nor for how many snaps. This will be a game where the offense and ST may have to carry the day. BUT...Hope is not fading.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Fading is debatable. They have 2 games left and control their own destiny. Losses to the Eagles and the Ravens on the road without your only good receiver are not the end of the world.
lets be honest the Ravens without a doubt have the inside track to win the division ...easier path gives them the upper hand ...
That said Russ single handedly was the reason we lost yesterday his two turnovers was a 21 point swing ....
he fumbles on the 3 where we would have had it 1st n goal (likely 7 points lost ) Ravens then drive the length of the field and get a TD (14 point swing) then tosses a pick 6 later for a 21 point swing in total ... and when you lose by 17 that is kinda a big deal
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. 4 teams in 5 years and traded twice in one off season
Turnovers were the difference. Steelers beat the Ravens on fluke y stuff last couple of times.
Ravens are better at QB, RB, TE, OL. It’s a toss up at DL and LB. And with all the injuries, it’s a push at DB. Without GO, I’d take the Ravens WR.
Steelers had to play perfect and get 2-3 things to go their way.
You could say that the Ravens won yesterday on flukey stuff.
Array title="Born2Steel has a reputation beyond repute">
The Ravens won yesterday due to the Steelers TOs and key injuries. I don't consider the Ravens SB contenders nor better than the Steelers. When we meet on common ground the Steelers win most of the time. Been that way for a decade.
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Let's get healthy first and foremost. Then I'll take my chances with anyone that gets put in front of them. The depth on this team isn't good enough to overcome a large number of injuries. Get the team as healthy as possible, even if that guarantees only being a wildcard seed.
I don't care. Just......get......healthy.
It's the only chance they really have if they are going to have a chance to take advantage of the opportunity to win four games against the best teams when the regular season ends.
Health means everything at this point. The seeding doesn't matter to me, because they can't win if they are missing 8 starters in the playoffs.
This is the best depth they've had in years and years and years.
Ravens gained a total of 220 yards on the ground yesterday, Derrick Henry averaged 6.8 yds per carry.
Nothing flukey about that.
Sure. And some of the fluky stuff was due to go their way.
And I don’t think Henry was all that fluky. The Ravens O line and playcalling seemed to have a great afternoon.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Thank you! Exactly. This place has a double standard.
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
I understand, but they only have one starter available in the secondary. That forced Trice to actually play, and he has barely seen the field because he was injured most of the season and just came off of IR himself. TJ Watt(Their best player) is playing, but his ankle needs rest to recover so he can be effective. George Pickens needs to get healthy or they are going into the playoffs without their biggest offensive threat and the guy that opens everything up for everybody else AND allows the quarterback to play the style of game he is best at.
This isn't just about the strength of the roster. This is about who is injured and how many are injured from a single level of the defense. TJ Watt and George Pickens are the two most important pieces outside of a starting quarterback.....maybe even more important than the QB on this team. I don't know how else to really say it. Those two guys and three of the four secondary players out are killer. You can't lose that many people in the secondary and expect things to be ok when you are playing against the quarterbacks in the AFC.
I would be fine playing as many backup players as possible to get as many key players as close to 100% as possible. I don't always feel that way about playing it that way, but with this group of players that are injured, this team is literally a much easier team to deal with as this team is constructed.
Let's face it, the Ravens fumbled as well, but every fumble in the game bounced right to them. That's the way it bounces sometimes.
Remember Lamar got stripped early in Ravens territory, and the ball bounced FORWARD right to a Raven.
All flukey…
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Bring on the Chiefs!!!!!
The Ravens got all the bounces and random flukes stuff.
The Steelers are not dominant enough to beat the Ravens when that happens.
Few teams are. Maybe the fully healthy Lions? The Bills?
Bills needed flukey stuff to beat the Patriots yesterday. It happens.
I’ve never argued it doesn’t.
I just believe the Steelers need it all on their side. Of the other team gets a couple, they’re not good enough on offense to overcome it.
Array title="Born2Steel has a reputation beyond repute">
Not yet.
So if the Steelers split the last 2 games with Chiefs and Bengals, while the Ravens win out vs Texans and Browns, then Steelers are a wildcard.
Chargers have the Patriots and Raiders left, but Steelers have head to head, so most likely the Steelers would be the 5 seed and Texans the 4, which means the Steelers would play the Texans on the road in the first round.
So unless the Steelers beat the Chiefs and Bengals, they are going to likely be playing a road playoff game in R1.
Array title="Born2Steel has a reputation beyond repute">
If we end up on the road playing Houston and we are healthy-ish, I'll take that. I think we beat them if we are healthy enough. If somebody else knocks off the 2nd or 3rd seed, we could get a home game after that.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I think the Texans have a shot against the Ravens on Wednesday.
The Steelers are 7-3 in the AFC while the Ravens are 6-4 and that is the tiebreaker that keeps Baltimore at No. 5. If the teams have the same result over the last two weeks, the Steelers will win the AFC North based on that tiebreaker.
Sure, everybody "has a shot", but 4 weeks ago the Texans lost to the Titans and the week after that they beat the powerful Jaguars 23-20. Followed up by 8 point win over the Dolphins and a loss to the Chiefs.
Sorry if I am not that optimistic a team that lost to the Titans and narrowly beat the Jaguars, can beat the Ravens who looked pretty good on Saturday.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I realize. And the Ravens lost to the Browns and the Raiders. One thing is for sure, the Ravens aren’t invincible.
Doesn't division record come before conference record?
That would be tied.
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