Week 2: Steelers vs. Vikings game thread

Looks like Bradford is out.


Aditi Kinkhabwala @AKinkhabwala
Case Keenum warming up on Heinz Field now, def looking like a man starting at QB in two hours. #Vikings

Jesse James got hurt on the first play of the game, no word on what or how serious yet

Where is everyone?

OX1947 wrote:

Where is everyone?

Watching a stream. :(

The offense game plan is pretty terrible at this point... whatever happened to just moving the chains? Watching Ben load up and throw long bombs series after series isn't going to beat many quality teams. Very little quality drives done by the offense so far this year.

You've tired out your defense, it's time to put REAL points on the board. This team is not impressing me the past couple weeks shy of the defense.

Bryant is smoking these Vikes.

Not impressed with the offense. Bell isn't making a case for the money he wants.

Defense is looking good though.

Boswell MVP

another week....another injury to our Defense to worry about.....

Hope T.J is going to be ok

We won. Not an exciting win but 2-0. Hopefully Watt is okay.

Got to give credit to the vikings D. they played tough.

Good tough win by the Steelers. Like most others, i was hoping the offense would light it up. Hasn't really happened yet. I'll attribute the first week to getting warmed up, and this one to a tough Vikings D.

Didn't get to listen to the whole game. Got to listen to it until the radio faded. Sounded like a tough game...

they're a middle of the road team (the vikings), but definitely not a pushover game. it was a decisive win despite us not looking good again. I really want to see how we look when all cylinders are firing, but the offense still seems to be in preseason mode

the Steelers have given Ben all the piece for a great offense now it is up to him how he uses those pieces. at times its Ben holding this offense back.

The good thing is they haven't started to click yet but 2-0 is 2-0. There've been years past where 2 games like this were losses and at the end of the year we were a game or 2 back from a 1st or 2nd playoff seed. I'll take them both. It was good to see Bryant's performance, I think Bell took some steps forward, and that the team played more disciplined with fewer penalties. We get the Bears next week.

ESPN wrote:

The road to the playoffs already looks much easier for the Broncos, Chiefs, Panthers, Raiders, Ravens and Steelers. Since the postseason field expanded to 12 in 1990, 63 percent of teams to start 2-0 have made the playoffs.

AB was covered most of the game and for the first half it looked like Ben took that as a personal challenge. Like there were no other Receivers out there. Bell still looks rusty. His decision making lags. Did you guys see Ju Ju pancake the DB (I think it was Harris)? I was glad to see JJ back in the game.

The D played well. Lots of pressure and they stopped their running attack. It looked to me like they played mostly zone coverage and it worked.

It would have been a lot closer if the Vikings didn't have all those penalties.

Vikings defense are no pushovers. Pretty damn decent front 7. The Steelers have had to play some tough fronts these first two weeks. Making it hard to get into a rythym and teams are definitely keyed in on stopping the run, and taking away the big play.

Have work to do. O-Line definitely playing mediocre for their standards. Not opening up much room for Bell to run. Need to get much better in our run blocking. The passing game needs to rely less on forcing deep balls and focus in on spreading the wealth and taking what the defense gives us. Situational playcalling was pretty awful. I saw one play where the Vikings stacked 8 men in the box with one safety deep. Looked like Cover 1 Man to me. Should've definitely thrown the ball. Instead we ran it right into the 8 man box, I mean come on guys...

Defense is playing quite well though, just kind of a head scratcher to me that Harrison isn't playing. Watt got hurt and the put in Chickillo who also plays special teams, why not put in Deebo with fresher legs? At least rotate him in. Just bizarre to me that he's riding the pine. Deebo is still an above average pass rusher.

Good point Iowa with the bombs vs taking what the defense gives you. I wish we'd use more short-intermediate throws. Bryant, AB, and Bell are the types of players that can make big plays with their feet (an obvious display with MB's touchdown catch, it was a basic short crosser), why the need to air it out? And when I say short passes, I'm not saying the bubble screen either

Fire Arians wrote:

I wish we'd use more short-intermediate throws.

In the first quarter, I was yelling at them to throw the ball downfield. I didnt mean deep passes ... just not screens and dump offs. Then after the first quarter, it seemed like every other pass was deep. I was then yelling at them to stop throwing deep.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like 95 percent of the throws were either dump offs or deep passes. They need to focus more on intermediate passes and use the middle of the field better.

Wallace108 wrote:

Fire Arians wrote:

I wish we'd use more short-intermediate throws.

In the first quarter, I was yelling at them to throw the ball downfield. I didnt mean deep passes ... just not screens and dump offs. Then after the first quarter, it seemed like every other pass was deep. I was then yelling at them to stop throwing deep.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like 95 percent of the throws were either dump offs or deep passes. They need to focus more on intermediate passes and use the middle of the field better.

To me the passes to Rogers and JJ in the second half proved that Ben needs to quit focusing on AB alone and look for the open man. I don't care how good a defense is they CAN'T cover all of our guys. I don't know how many of these calls are Haley and how many are Ben changing things up but damn the calls have looked the opposite of what we need at the time.

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

Fire Arians wrote:

I wish we'd use more short-intermediate throws.

In the first quarter, I was yelling at them to throw the ball downfield. I didnt mean deep passes ... just not screens and dump offs. Then after the first quarter, it seemed like every other pass was deep. I was then yelling at them to stop throwing deep.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like 95 percent of the throws were either dump offs or deep passes. They need to focus more on intermediate passes and use the middle of the field better.

To me the passes to Rogers and JJ in the second half proved that Ben needs to quit focusing on AB alone and look for the open man. I don't care how good a defense is they CAN'T cover all of our guys. I don't know how many of these calls are Haley and how many are Ben changing things up but damn the calls have looked the opposite of what we need at the time.

That's as much why you want players like Brown,Bryant and Bell, Not only for what they can do but for the fear they put into opponents and how that can open up plays for other, supposed, lesser players.

So far, two games in, two wins but we don't seem to be firing on all cylinders. Playing down to the opposition or just rusty. Time will tell.

I'm not sure who was responsible.....Ben or Haley....

but I don't know wtf they were thinking running that Play action from under center on 3rd and 6 inside the Vikes 10.....who the hell was going to respect the run on that....and it obviously got blown up....wasted 2 seconds on fooling no one.

Geordie wrote:

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

Fire Arians wrote:

I wish we'd use more short-intermediate throws.

In the first quarter, I was yelling at them to throw the ball downfield. I didnt mean deep passes ... just not screens and dump offs. Then after the first quarter, it seemed like every other pass was deep. I was then yelling at them to stop throwing deep.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like 95 percent of the throws were either dump offs or deep passes. They need to focus more on intermediate passes and use the middle of the field better.

To me the passes to Rogers and JJ in the second half proved that Ben needs to quit focusing on AB alone and look for the open man. I don't care how good a defense is they CAN'T cover all of our guys. I don't know how many of these calls are Haley and how many are Ben changing things up but damn the calls have looked the opposite of what we need at the time.

That's as much why you want players like Brown,Bryant and Bell, Not only for what they can do but for the fear they put into opponents and how that can open up plays for other, supposed, lesser players.

So far, two games in, two wins but we don't seem to be firing on all cylinders. Playing down to the opposition or just rusty. Time will tell.

if called right the Steelers offense could be unstoppable.

AB and Bryant can stretch defenses and command double coverage Eli, James, and JuJu to find the holes underneath with a the running game I tell ya get this offense tuned up unstoppable.

opposing defenses know the Steelers offense can go vertical I'm hopping all these bubble screens and that are being called to show opposing defenses the Steelers offense will also go horizontal in the passing game

defenses have been showing great gap discipline against Bell and the Steelers running game. Ju Ju the Steelers new trap blocking WR.

That game was a lot of fun for the home opener.  My Vikings buddy I went with didn't think so, but we hung out with some really cool tailgaters who let us crash and even though Ben looked off, we are 2-0 and looking for more.  Next game I'm going to is the Jagoffs!

Drizztbob wrote:

That game was a lot of fun for the home opener.  My Vikings buddy I went with didn't think so, but we hung out with some really cool tailgaters who let us crash and even though Ben looked off, we are 2-0 and looking for more.  Next game I'm going to is the Jagoffs!

Glad you enjoyed the game as well! Hot as hell though, I sat on the visitor's side in 117 and the Sun was beating down on the wife and I all game long. Nice win, but the offense was underwhelming once again, they need to get on the same page with one another. They've had some mediocre teams to warm up with, they're going to need to step it up when they start playing tougher competition.