Stillers 44, Bungals 38 ...... Dec 1, 2024 …………Game # 12
Stillers - Bungals Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 8-3 Stillers mosied out to Cinci to face the 4-7 Bungals. PIT won toss, deferred and kicked off. PIT was up at halftime, 27-21. The Stillers were up 34-24 after 3 quarters, and then poured it & held on to win, 44-38. The offense was able to overcome a shoddy defensive effort en route to a big AFC North win.
Grades:
QB: Wilson got the start. Hideous INT and pick 6, first series, although it should’ve been an illegal use of hands on the DB. Superb 1Q, going 12 of 15 for 143 and a TD pass. Solid 1H, going 21 of 27 for 257 yards and 2 TDs.
Well placed deep lob, early 3Q, for 36 yards to Pickens. Good extension of play and then a TD strike to Fryboy, late 3Q. Big Russell finished 29 of 38, 414 yards and 3 TDs. Not shabby. A
Fields – played QB on a couple late-game plays. Ran for a key 1D that iced the game.
RB:
Harris – looked gimpy and injured after a short dumpoff, 2nd series. (Turns out a dessert he had THREE days ago, upset his stomach. Go figure.) Solid day, averaging 4.7 yards a crack. A-
Warren – nice 29-yard gainer on a screen, late 2Q. Only rushed 3 times, and had 4 grabs. B
Cord Patt – grabbed a short dumpoff and gained 8, late 1Q. On the very next play, did the same play and gained 7. The play after that, he ran wide and gained 12.
FB: sparingly used.
WR:
Pickens – slick RAC for a 17 yard TD, 2nd series. Drew a silly, needless taunting flag after a 21-yard RAC gain, late 1Q. Stupid, and silly. Grabbed a 36 yard deep lob, early 3Q, but followed up when the play ended with a stupid 15-yard flag for imitating a pistol. His toddler behavior is going to cost this team come playoff time. B-
Van Jeff – thrown a 2 yard out, late 1Q, but it was low and the ball skimmed the turf. Was left wide open, 4Q, and gained 41 or so yards on a catch n’ run.
Austin – got drilled, first play of game, on a seam route. (LB called for DPI.) Solid route and TD catch, first play of 2Q. Got smacked hard after a short grab, late 2Q, and was ruled out in the 3Q with a concussion. Who know how long PeePee will be out. B+
Skowronek – grabbed a short seamer, late 3Q.
Mike Williams – even with PeePee Austin missing the entire 2H, Williams was never targeted. He’s still trying to memorize the playbook in 3 foreign languages, as dictated by Coach Asslin.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – dropped a cake-easy short pass, late 2Q. Had 5 grabs for 43, 1H. Grabbed a TD pass, late 3Q. Had 6 grabs for the game. For once, he came close to earning his fatty salary. A
Darnell – had 1 grab on a dumpoff.
Con Heyward – Never targeted.
Pruitt – Grabbed a 17 yard pass, 1st play of 3Q. Flagged for a hold, late in the game as the team was trying to run out the clock.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Seumalo, Frazier, McCormick, Jones) had a very solid game. The pressure and harassment on the QB was meager. Nice holes were opened in the run game.
Seumalo was flagged for holding, 4Q. Frazier was flagged for being downfield on a pass. Overall, a very acceptable game by this unit. A
DL:
Heyward – came in completely untouched and unblocked for a 3-yard loss, 2Q. Got a sack, 3Q, when the clumsy LG simply tripped over his own feet and basically fell backwards. Got a pinkie on the pass that was clanged off the WRs hands and then INT’d by Donte Jackson, 4Q. Scam had a grand total of 3 solos (not 5, as advertised and proclaimed by Pgh media web sites), and wasn’t anywhere near as dominant as his legions of minion fans claim he was. The defense got hideously gashed, and as the D-side captain, Scam must accept his fair share of blame and responsibility for the gashing. C
Ogunjobi – chipped in a bit.
Lowdermilk – did little.
Benton – good run stuff, 1st series, 1-yard loss. Chipped in for a half Dong sack, 3Q, although the scorekeeper robbed him of the half sack.
LB:
Queen – The God of LB Coverage, Pat Queen, got TORCHED by Gisieki for a 16 yard gainer, 2Q. Just torched and scorched. Then got completely tooled, and then QUIT, on a RAC by the RB, 10:00 4Q. Very pathetic. Had 4 solos in a mediocre effort. C
Landon Rob – played some. No solos, 1 A.
Watt – stripped the ball from Burrow for a huge turnover, 4:36 2Q. Got a half Dong sack, 3Q, after Burrow had about 9 seconds back in the pocket and then just ate the football. (The scorekeeper gave him the full Dong sack.) Had 3 solos, 0 As. Not doing enough, given his fatty salary. B
Highsmith – thankfully did not dress.
Herbig – harassed Burrow on 3d & 1, late 2Q, for an inc pass. Stripped Burrow of the ball, 4Q, which Pey Wilson ran in for a TD. All this dude does is make plays. That was his only solo, however. I always want to see more than just 1 play out of a defender. B+
Pey Wilson – scooped up the strip by Herbig and jogged in for a TD, 4Q. Had only 1 solo despite playing a massive number of snaps. C
Pres Smith – did little.
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - flagged for a blatant hold of Higgins, early 2Q. Flagged for a PI in the EZ, 2Q, on a miserable play. Flagged for PI, 12:00 4Q. Did a 2-fer 8:47 4Q, flagged for holding early in the play, and then PI in the EZ. Allowed a fairly easy INT to go right thru his hands, late 4Q. Next play, was flagged for illegal use of hands to the face, which was declined due to a TD catch on the play. F
Donte Jackson – got scorched for a 5 yard TD pass, 2Q. In the 4Q, Dong INT, Donte Jackson, his fourth Dong INT of the season. He'll probably be lavished with a $58M extension by Hextall Khan come March. Did little in coverage all day long. C
Kazee – did little.
DeShon Elliot – Led the team in tackles. Coverage wise, he was suspect as well. B
Minkah – again nearly invisible. Had 4 solos. I don’t want to hear more of the bullshoit about “Minkah is playing 32 yards off the ball”. When the defense is getting gashed and gouged like it did today, I want the highest paid FS in the NFL to actually do something. C-
Sutton – got abused by Higgins for a short TD, 4Q.
Bishop – played only sparingly.
Spec teams:
Waitman – decent punt, 4Q, FC at the 11. This was his only punt.
Boswell – nailed a 50-yard FG. 3:31 2Q. Booted a 34 yard FG, last play of 1H. Had a FG blocked, although it wasn’t his fault.
Killebrew had a punishing tackle, 2nd KO. Cinci blocked a routine FG, 3Q.
Conn Hey recovered a late onsides KO.
OC: Art Smith had an overall solid day.
It started off grisly, of course. The Mighty Arthur Smith had 2nd & 3, first series, and ordered a short pass that was INC. On 3d & 3, another pass, which was picked and taken to the house. Shoit playcalling at its worst. Sure, there should have been a defensive flag on the INT, but it showed some needless greed by Arthur The Great.
Offense was flagged for a DoG penalty, late 1Q. Wasted timeout, early 3Q, as time was ticking on a 3d & 8. This kind of timidity to get a play called and sent to the QB is unacceptable this deep into the season.
Granted, the opposing defense was feeble and inept, but there was lots to like in this game. A
DC: Austin struggled like a girlish beehotch in this game. Sure, 7 points for Cinci came on a pick 6, but the other 31 points were surrendered by The Softee Defense.
Case in point: 3d & 21 for Cinci ..... too easy. 31 yard pitch n' catch to Higgins, mid 3Q. Austin has about 5 weeks to get this vaunted defense in order before playoff time. C-
HC: Mike Asslin managed to rebound from the shoddy loss to Cleve 10 days ago.
Completely mangled late-half time management by Mike Stoogelin. P!ssed away the chance to take an EZ stab before booting a FG. Stone stupid.
Tomlin is a defensive coach, and when the defense gets gashed the way it did, he warrants and deserves criticism. What we saw on defense today, won’t enable victory come playoff time. The lack of discipline and focus by Pickens and Porter was also unacceptable, and Stoogelin must shoulder blame for this as well. C+
Synopsis: Adequate win over a divisional foe. Up next, the Browns come to Pgh for a re-match.
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