Steelers MMQB: NFL Week 12 Wrap Up
By Kim Myers
One of the 8 Steelers turnovers. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE
What We Learned in Week 12 in the NFL:
- Jets embarrass themselves on Thanksgiving
- Lions screwed on controversial call
- Chargers let Ravens comeback to win in OT
- Steelers turnover victory to Browns
What’s worse than a Monday morning after a Steelers loss to the Ravens? A Monday morning after a Steelers loss to the Browns. There aren’t many things uglier than that game was yesterday. If it had been an actual football team the Steelers were playing yesterday rather than the Brownies, it would have been a massacre. We’ll get more in depth into that a little later; let’s get some aggression out first by taking some cheap shots.
I don’t know about you but I can’t see replays of Mark Sanchez running into the ass of his own offensive lineman face first enough. That play is a perfect example of how bad the Jets are. They can’t tell their own assess from a first down. The Patriots straight up embarrassed the Jets on Thanksgiving evening, and the Jets served up the opportunities to them like they were big pieces of pumpkin pie. Sanchez played every down for the Jets as Timmy Tebow sit on the sidelines activated but apparently suffering from injured ribs. For those still thinking that it’s time to put Tebow in to see what he’s capable of, it’s not. There will be no recreation of last year’s Broncos magic Tebow pulled off and the main reason being as the Broncos were filled with talented players whereas the Jets, not so much. No doubt there will still be endless amounts of debate on the subject featured on several media outlets. They sure have their finger on the pulse of what us NFL fans really want don’t they?
The early game on Thanksgiving featured the Lions trying to shake their 8 year Thanksgiving Day losing streak against the Texans. Here’s a shocker, Ndamukong Suh did something violent after the whistle. On a play where he was falling down towards Houston QB Matt Shaub, Suh took an extra step to extend his leg out during the fall to kick Shaub squarely in his cranberries on Thanksgiving. The NFL is reviewing the kick this week to determine possible punishment. Suh received mandatory anger management classes last year after he stomped on the arm of a Packers player during the Thanksgiving game. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say he’s still got some issues needing worked out. Also needing some issues worked out following the Lions ninth straight Thanksgiving Day loss will be coach Jim Schwartz, who on a Texans touchdown where the runner clearly appeared to be down for a good 2 seconds before getting back up and running towards the endzone threw his challenge flag rather than wait for the now mandatory official review of the score. The illegal challenge resulted in a 15 yard penalty and negated the reviewing of the touchdown. Stupid rule that throwing a challenge flag could cancel the officials reviewing a score but if anything the coach should have known that one.
I seriously don’t have anymore RB’s that haven’t fumbled yet today? Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE
The only thing that could have given Steeler fans comfort after a pathetic showing in Cleveland is the Ravens taking one on the chin out in San Diego. With less than two minutes left in the game the Chargers had a three point lead and the Ravens found themselves in a 4th and 29 to try and keep their hopes alive. Naturally the Chargers allowed a dump pass from Flacco to Ray Rice to turn into a 30 yard gain and a first down. The Ratbirds won in OT 16-13 and now have a commanding 3 game lead in the AFC North with the Steelers coming to town this Sunday. The Chargers blew a ten point lead and most likely their season and Norv Turner’s job, but hey he’s been employed this long so stranger things have happened. I’m just a little disappointed that it wasn’t Phillip Rivers’ fault because nothing brings me joy like taking a cheap shot at his ugly mug. I’m sure Rivers will give me some material next week though.
Allow me to paint the picture for you. At the tail end of my Thanksgiving trip home to Pittsburgh I found myself with several hours to kill before having to head to the airport and decided to head down to the Strip District for a taste of Pittsburgh’s finest sandwich and to watch the Steelers build a comfortable lead on the Brownies before I had to leave and listen to the remainder of the game on the radio on the way to the airport. On the Browns first possession Brett Keisel tips a Brandon Weeden pass and it ends up in the hands of Lawrence Timmons who runs it back 53 yards for a touchdown and the entire restaurant of Primanti Bros. goes wild. I could not have felt more at home than that particular moment. Then on the following Steelers possession Mendenhall makes what would be the first of five lost fumbles for the Steelers running back crew. Warm fuzzing feelings gone. Profanity laced tirades ensued.
The Steelers coughed up the ball a total of 8 times to the Browns to give them their second victory over us in twelve years. Coach Tomlin was yanking each running back after a rumble and eventually found himself an empty RB cupboard seeing as how every last one of them must have had some Thanksgiving gravy all over their hands because the balls were popping out like your stuffed gut after that third piece of pie. I don’t have any issues with Tomlin pulling the RB’s the way he was, you have to put the ball in the hands of the guy you can trust and he should have been able to trust each and every one of those guys. Charlie Batch added to the turnover party by throwing 3 picks of his own. We all had so much confidence in Batch and it’s beyond disappointing to see him make just awful throws and poor decisions. The Steelers have now found themselves in a hole for even hoping for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs now that the Bengals have pulled even with them.
I’m not even sure where to begin on the Steelers heading into the second Ravens week of the year. The awful performance yesterday can be blamed on everyone; no one made the necessary plays to win the game. I’ll be interested to see what Tomlin has to say in his weekly press conference and if now this will cause them to rush Roethlisberger back from his injury. One thing is for sure, this loss is going to sting for a while. I got Browns funk all over me and I don’t like it one bit. Bring it on Week 13!
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