Stillers 23, Bungals 20……. Dec 4, 2017………Game # 12
Stillers-Bungals Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 9-2 Stillers went to Cinci (5-6) to take on the hated Bungals. Before ya knew it, the Stillers were down 17-0, and Shazier was getting carted off the field with a severe spinal cord type injury. The game then turned into a literal slugfest, where it seemed every 3 minutes a player on both teams was limping off the field or getting carted off. The Stiller mounted a stellar 2H comeback and won with a last sec FG by Bos.
Grades:
QB:
Threw an INT, first series, on a shoddy jump pass. Had a couple balls batted, which enraged me. Had 290 yards passing and was on fire on the 2H. B+
RB:
Bell - flagged for unsp. conduct after the early INT, even though Burfict literally got in his grill, pushing and shoving. Had a superb nite, rushing for 76 and gaining 106 on 5 grabs & a TD. Had a superb 4th down run in which he trucked a Cinci DB. Ran with perhaps the most authority he’s shown all season. A+
Conner - Got 3 straight carries in the 3Q, and of course never saw the pill otherwise.
FB:
Nix - like an imbecile, flagged for a false start, very first play of game. Had some ok blocks. B-
WR:
Brownie – Allowed a sure TD to pop out as he hit the EZ, 3Q. Fortunately, Bell scored the next play. Dropped a slant deep in Cinci territory that woulda produced a 1D, 4Q. Clutch 4Q TD grab despite a huge lick to the head; a play that maybe 2 other WRs in the NFL make. A stud performance. A
Bryant - made a “hoop” catch by allowing a deep ball to go right thru his arms for an inc pass, 2Q. Good grab of slant in tight coverage, late 4Q. Had 4 grabs for 40. B
Eli - flagged for a false start, late 3Q. 1 grab for 4. B-
Heyward-Gay – no PT on O.
JuJu - completely lambasted Burfict with a pancake block on a 4Q dumpoff to Bell, which drew a flag, and then he stood over the fat-assed Burrfict and drew a taunting flag. Still, I loved every second of it !! Perhaps 6 plays later, he applied a stellar block on James’ RAC. 4 grabs for 17. B+
TE:
Jesse James - had just 1 grab, though it was a clutch 13 yard RAC in the 4Q. B
Grimble - Had 1 grab for 9 yards, which set up the 4th and inches in the 4Q.
OL: Overall, the line gave Ben decent time and opened some holes in the ground game. There were some leaks in the 1H but it was pretty clean in the 2H. A-
Villeneueva - flagged for a hold (declined), late 3Q.
Gilbert - FatAss Marcus again sat out due to suspension.
Hubbard - started in place of Gilbert. Had some usual struggles.
Foster – got abused by Dunlap for a sack, 2Q.
Pouncey - solid game.
DeCastro – stood around on the Dunlap sack.
DL:
Hargrave - got mauledand shoved around far too much. C-
Heyward – quietevening with just 1 solo. C
Tuitt – a complete stiff all evening. C-
Alu - did little.
Walton - ditto
LB:
Vinnie– solid game, although he was a culprit in the 1H as the D got shredded on the ground. Solid 2H. B-
Shaz – led with the crown of his helmet (like a fool) and was immediately injured, first series of the game. Got carted off in a sad scene.
Moats - Got completely sucked in on Dalton’s 11 yard run around end, late 1Q. A sorry play. Saw sometime and did nothing. D
Harrison – did not play
Chickillo - saw some PT and chipped in some.
Watt - A bit too quiet, with no solos and 1A, although he dropped in coverage a lot.
Dupree – Did nothing the entire evening. 3d & 16, 4:48 2Q, and DuPree gets SUCKED INSIDE as Smalton runs a boot right and hits Green for 17 yards. Had Smalton in his grips for an EASY sack, and then stupidly just LET UP, STOPPED, and allowed Dalton to scoot away. (Luckily, the rest of the D forced a throw away.) Late in the 4Q, got a Dong Sack when he looped like 18 yards upfield, and then, after Smalton held the ball for like 7 seconds, Crud got a cheezy Slop Sack. This was his LONE solo of the nite, which spells out what a shitty game he had. D-
DB
Mitchell – did not dress due to injury.
Golden - started in place of Big Mike. Had some issues in coverage. B-
Gay - saw perhaps his most PT of the season. B
Haden - again sat with the broken fibula.
Burns - got tooled a couple times, but poor passes saved his bacon. B
Davis - Very solid game with 4 solos, 3 A. A-
Hilton - nabbed Mixon for no gain, late 1Q. Stellar play to bust up a slant pass, early 4Q. Just makes plays. B+
Sensabaugh - got completely tooled and abused by GayJ Green for a TD, late 1Q. Then got completely humiliated, late 2Q, for another Green TD. Mercifully was benched to start the 2H. D
Sutton - inserted to start the 2H in place of Senseless-baugh. Acquitted himself decently.
Spec teams:
Jordan Berry – punted 5times. Shoddy 27 yard punt to the Cinci 15, 1Q. This is poor, and I could give a rat’s ass about the worthless “inside the 20” stat. That close, I expect an EASY pooch punt to land at the 7, or the 5. B-
Boswell – booted 3 of 3 FGs, including the GW as time expired. A+
Rogers - finally permitted to field punts, the first time since his fumble vs. Chicago.
Bryant - returned a KO, late 1H, by tip-toeing as slow and careful as a 3rd grader playing his first ever football game. Took the next KO to the house, but a flag on Wilcox negated the TD.
AB – due to the toe injury, he was held out of PR chores.
Wilcox held, like a dumbass, on Bryant’s 96 yard KO return in the 3Q. Bryan Allen was flagged for a roughness call on a Stiller punt return, early 4Q. Not satisfied, this complete ass-hump committed an even more blatant hold on a punt return in the 4Q, spoiling fairly decent field position.
OC: I felt Haley got too pass-happy in the 1H, which took Bell out of the mix and allowed Cinci to pin back their ears. Solid work in the 2H. B
DC:
Keith Assler had the luxury of facing a moribund Cinci offense that was LAST in the NFL in rushing, Sure enough, Assler gets gashed like a bitch the entire 1H on the ground.
Allowed a 12-play, 85 yard TD march to give Cinci a 10-0 lead. Brilliant !! Then allowed a 15-play, 78 yard TD march, late 2Q.
Bell scored in the 3Q to make it a 7-point game, with the Stillers having ALL the momentum. Sure as shit, Keith Assler promplty allows a 10-play, 52-yard FG march, with a cake-easy conversion of 27 yards on 3d & 16, to bulge the lead to 10. This actually shoulda been a TD drive, but a long TD pass to Green was called back due to an ultra ticky tack holding flag on Bernard.
In all, Assler continues to look incompetent. C-
HC: Mike Dumblin managed to keep the team focused after the Shaz injury, although they arrived to the game looking sluggish and lethargic, which is his fault. Good team moxie to come back on the road and win a tough, tight game late in the 4Q. B+
Synopsis: Just a brutal AFC North game that couldn’t end soon enough, lest2 or 3 more players suffer injury. Now on to host the hated Poebirds, in which should be a similarly hard hitting affair.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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