Stillers 32, Raidas 13 ...... Oct 13, 2024 …………Game # 6
Stillers-Raidas Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 3-2 Stillers mosied out west to face the 2-3 Raidas. The Raidas led after the 1Q, 7-3. The Stillers stormed back to take a 12-7 lead into halftime. The 2nd half saw a comedy of Vegas mistakes, and the Stillers were able to capitalize, cruising to an easy victory.
Grades:
QB: Fields got the start. Adequate first drive. Wasn’t pleased early in the 2Q, when he misfired on 3 consecutive passes to force a FG try. All 3 passes were available and makable. Good scramble and pass on the run, 3d & 12, good for 20 yards. Threw a hideous INT, on 3d & 4, late 2Q, well into Vegas territory….but got saved by a ridiculous roughing the passer flag. Ran for a 1-yard TD, on 4th & 1, a few plays later.
Threw a high pass/lateral to Warren, 3Q, which caused a 9 yard loss from the Vegas 6 yard line. Next play, he completed a TD pass to Fryboy, but Fields was correctly flagged for being 3 feet beyond the LoS.
Running: 11 runs, 59 yards, 2 TDs. Very effective. A Passing: 14 of 24, 142 yards. Wasn’t good. C-
RB:
Harris – good, plowing RAC, opening play. Followed that up with a 12-yard gain up the gut. Good rumbling run for 15 yards, early 2Q, busting thru multiple tackles. Big 25-yard run, mid 3Q. Finally took one to the house for a 36-yard TD, 3Q. Appaerntly was salty and testy during post-game interviews with the meek, sheeplike Pgh media. A
Warren – returned to the lineup after injury. Was largely ineffective and got bottled up continually. Had 6 carries for 7 yards in a game he’d sooner just forget.
Cord Patterson – again sat out with an ankle.
FB: Not used much.
WR:
Pickens – Clang! Out pass clanged off his chest & hands, 1Q. Later in the 1Q, got his hands on a deep lob, but was unable to bring it down. Grabbed a 31-yarder late in the game, just above the turf. Then…..Clang! The next play, he dropped a cake-easy TD pass. Had 3 grabs for 53. Unimpressive. C
Van Jeff – thankfully wasn’t involved.
Austin – grabbed a 20-yard pass, on 3d & 12, 2Q. Was open on a seamer, 2Q, but the pass was 2 inches too high for a guy who is 2 inches too short. Grabbed a 17 yard crosser on 3d & 2, early 4Q. B-
Rom Wilson – finally played. As expected, did jack squat, with zero target and zero nothing.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – weak-assed WHIFF by Big Pat Friermuth on a 2Q flea flicker, causing a 13-yard loss. Quik -- give this guy another fatty extension !! Had 2 grabs for 16 yards. Quick….give this guy a fatty extension ! C-
Darnell – flagged for a hold, 2Q, which negated a nice 8 yard run by Harris. Had 1 grab for 9.
Con Heyward – flagged for a false start, 1Q. Had 1 grab for 4.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Anderson, Frazier, Seumalo, Jones) had a solid game, especially in the running game.
Jones was flagged for a hold, 1st play of the 2Q. Seumalo was flagged for a hold, 2Q. Moore completely whiffed on his man, mid 3Q, for a 9 yard sack. Frazier got nicked up, 4:52 3Q.
A solid effort from this crew, which allowed Najee to fun for 106 yards on only 14 rushes. B
DL:
Heyward – 3-yard line plunge by Vegas, TD, opening drive. Big Cam Heyward, the pro bowler, got completely mauled and manhandled on this play. 😅 The Scammer got bullied. 😂 Helped to turn in a toss sweep, 4:30 2Q. Got a solo on a line plunge, 3Q, on a 1 yard gain. Got a sack, mid 4Q, when the OG completely WHIFFED after the initial joust upon the ball being snapped. The Big Scam finished with 3 solos and 1 assist in a very drab, highly ordinary performance. C-
Ogunjobi – no solos, 2 As in a quiet game.
Adams – chipped in a bit.
Lowdermilk – swa some PT, did little, and didn’t even make it onto the scoresheet.
Leal – on IR with a neck stinger.
Benton – recovered the fumble forced by Watt. His sophomore plummet still has me perplexed. C-
LB:
Queen – Got a weak, flimsy solo on the 1st play of the game, on a weak tackle after a short grab, which gained 8 yards. Got an assist, next play, on a plunge. Got a solo a few plays later, on 2d & 3 in which VEG ran a plunge for 3 yards and a 1st down. p the presses ! A good, adroit, aggressive, hustle tackle by Pat Queen on a screen pass! First time ALL season !! Got a cake-easy solo on a RAC, 3Q, on 2d & 13, when the Raider WR had to elude two defenders and Queen got the easy solo. Had 6 solos & 7 A’s in a half-adequate effort. B
Landon Rob – good stuff on 1st & goal, 1Q. Chpped in a bit. Got away with a highly possible personal foul after a deep completion to a WR.
Watt – punched the ball out of the RB’s hands, for a FF late in the 2Q. Forced a fumble on a 3d & goal plunge from the 1 yard line, causing another FF. Dude’s a baller. A
Highsmith – again sat out.
Moon – started his first NFL game. And looked like it. Had 1 solo and did little.
Herbig – sat out due to injury.
Pey Wilson – chipped in with 5 solos. At times, he fades into obscurity.
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - got beaten by Bowers on a square in, 1st series, and then was entirely unable to bring the man down. Got abused by DJ Turner for a 30-yard grab, late 3Q. Not a tape he’ll enjoy watching. C+
Donte Jackson – Got a Dong INT off a hideous mis-throw that was 6 feet over the receiver’s head, 4Q. Busted up a pass, 3:21 4Q, and nearly picked it.
Kazee – sat out due to injury.
DeShon Elliot – superb stick and wrap on a 2Q 3d & 3, in which he nailed the TE and kept him short of the 1st down. Recovered the fumble at the 1 yard line, 4Q. Dude is everything that Terrell Edmunds is not. A
Minkah - got nicked up, 3:43 2Q; but came back and played. Decent game. Am still concerned about the complete lack of ballhawking.
Bishop – sniffed out a WR screen, 3Q, and dropped the man for a loss. Didn’t get incessantly picked on like last week.
Edmunds – made a routine stop of a draw play on 3d & 11 that gained 8 yards.
Spec teams:
Waitman – punted adequately. To think, he’s 9 times better than Presley Barfvin. B+
Boswell – booted 4 of 4 FGs. Dude is money in the bank. A
Moon blocked a punt, early 3Q, deep in Vegas territory.
OC: Art Smith had a few rays of sunshine, along with lots of warts.
Decent 9 play, 38 yard drive for a FG, opening possession. Not great, but given what this offense usually does in the 1Q, not shabby. The offense then bogged down the rest of the half. Were it not for an enormously questionable roughing the passer flag, the INT by Fields stands and the Steelers go into the locker room at halftime with 6 points.
What irks me to no end with the Arthur offense, is that play action, and gimmick plays (such as today’s flea flicker) fool exactly NOBODY.
The offense picked up some steam in the 2H. Of course, they weren’t facing the ’85 Beras defense here. Were it not for the legs of Fields, this offense would have bogged down quite a bit in the 2H. B-
DC: Austin had the outrageous luxury of not only facing a greenhorn QB in Aidan O’Connell, but also Vegas mas missing its top two receivers in Adams and Jakobi Meyers.
Nonetheless, Vegas took their 1st possession 70 yards down the field, easy as pie, for a TD. On paper, the D stiffed quite a bit. On paper. But Vegas lost 1 TD on a tickytack illegal man downfield, and just before Watt’s 2nd FF, the Raider RB appeared to have crossed the GL for a TD. Stupidly, Vegas RUSHED up to the line to run their next play, rather than allowing their video staff to study the replay and perhaps throw the red challenge flag.
I won’t crow about a defense “shutting down” Aidan O’Connell and a band of nobody WRs. C
HC: Mike Asslin managed to avoid the embarrassment of a 3rd consecutive loss. He was helped by a raucous away crowd that seemed to be 70% Pittsburgh fans, and a bevy og generous flags and breaks. He gets another cakewalk next week, vs the NY Jest. B
Synopsis: A close game that got blown open in the 4Q. I wouldn’t rush out and make plans for the Sup Bowl just yet, as this is a fairly rotten Raidas team that will be lucky to win 6 games this season. Next up, an easy game against the hapless NY Jest.
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