Last Week’s Result

• Pittsburgh 41, St. Louis 24
• Record: 10-5
• Standings: 2007 AFC North Champions
• Current Playoff Seeding: Fourth

Last Weeks Game Recap

I am kind of late getting this write up finished. I kind of slacked off during the holidays. It has been almost a week since the Steelers played and that is a long time for my memory to be honest. I did want to briefly post something even though the final game of the regular season is only a day away.

A win is a win, especially in the competitive NFL. The Steelers were in desperate need of a win and they were able to pull one out on the road against a team that was getting healthy and confident. Many people, myself included, predicted that the Rams may challenge for the NFC West crown this year. However, they got off to a dismal start, loosing 8 straight games to start the season. In their next 6 games however, they went 3-3 and seemed to be getting some of their explosiveness back on offense. While, this wasn’t the New England Patriots, they certainly weren’t a walk over either. > more <

Last Week’s Result

• Jacksonville 29, Pittsburgh 22
• Record: 9-5
• Standings: Tied for 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

Most every fan begins the season with dreams of their team winning the Superbowl. Some of these dreams are crushed early on and some survive into the playoffs. The deeper that your team can go into the season with the dream alive basically defines how good of a season your team has. This year, the dream has survived for me until week #15. I have had doubts throughout the season, but I always felt that there were small things that were fixable and that if the Steelers could make the playoffs that they could definitely compete with anyone. I have had painful lessons in the fact that the best season record does not always equate to playoff success. I would rather have a team peaking in December that just gets into the playoffs than one that doesn’t play well in December and backs into the playoffs.

Unfortunately the Steelers are the team that were able to win some games early on and look to be in prime position to make a playoff run. However, while the Steelers have plateaued, and in fact descended, the other AFC teams are beginning to peak. The Steelers have fallen from just below the Patriots and Colts to the middle of the pack. On the other hand, the Jaguars and the Chargers are playing inspired football right now and they may be the scariest teams to face in the playoffs. Jacksonville is not a warm weather team and I really don’t think that home field advantage means a lot to them. They are really not supported that well at home. They are what the Steelers want to be. A tough, clock controlling team that does not make many mistakes.

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Last Week’s Result

• New England 34, Pittsburgh 13
• Record: 9-4
• Standings: Sole possession of 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

I feel that this was a barometer game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The competition that they have played to date have not been near as good as the New England Patriots (obviously). One or two slip ups in September through November can be forgiven and quickly forgotten if a team can take care of business in December. This is the time when you want to peak and there is no better gauge for where you are at then taking on an outstanding, undefeated team at their house in December. In the Steelers losses, I had mentioned that there were some things that worried me. In the New York Jets Defeat thread in particular, I listed four items that were keeping this team from being a championship team. Unfortunately these four items raised up once again and proved that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not an elite team in this league.

The Steelers now have a dreadful 2-4 record on the road and continue to prove that they can not win on the road. The special teams had a turnover as well as some coverage problems again. The offensive line has shown improvement, but continues to have pass protection inconsistencies. And finally, despite gaudy statistics, the defense seems unable to get off the field when it really matters. I may be the blindest of fan-boys, but despite all that, I still think this team is a good team with the potential to be a great team. > more <

Last Weeks Result

• Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 10
• Record: 9-3
• Standings: Sole possession of 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

For the second week in a row, Heinz Field has had a chance to be spotlighted in a prime time game. Much like last week, the conditions were wet and rainy. However, unlike last week, the field provided solid if not fast footing. I felt that the grounds crew did an outstanding job of getting this field prepared. Most of the Steelers players have said that they prefer the natural surface and I agree. It gives the Steelers a true home field advantage as it slows down “run and gun” teams. This was evident on Sunday night as the high powered offense of the Bengals was mostly held in check — mostly… > more <