Was Sunday’s win over the Colts lucky?
From the notebook of a sportswriter who shouldn鈥檛 have waited until after the Ravens game last night to begin writing:
n Hope the Ravens鈥� upset of the Patriots doesn鈥檛 ruin the vibe of a column which should be filled with spirit following another white-knuckler that got the Steelers out of their early-season hole.
n 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 good to be sitting at 4-4,鈥� said Mike Tomlin. 鈥淚 never thought I would hear myself say that.鈥�
n But that蘑菇视频 how bad they were in September, or, as Tomlin put it, 鈥淲e will work forever trying to get that September stench off us.鈥�
n Perfect name for my next rock band, That September Stench.
n Was Sunday蘑菇视频 win over the Colts lucky? Not in my eyes. Sure, Adam Vinatieri has enjoyed a Hall of Fame career. But when you鈥檙e 47 years old, and earlier in the game missed your fifth extra point of the season, you鈥檙e not automatic from 40-plus yards into the open end of Heinz Field in November.
n The Steelers made their own luck by giving Chris Boswell another chance this season. The breakdown Sunday of the Steelers鈥� 26-24 win is: Boswell 14, Defense 6, Offense 6.
n We might even subtract two from the offense for that late safety. Of course, the special teams picked them up moments later when Jordan Berry bombed the punt 67 yards, and Trey Edmunds got down there to stand up the return man so that Ola Adeniyi could force a fumble which Johnny Holton recovered at the Indianapolis 17. Boswell蘑菇视频 field goal gave the Steelers a team net of one point.
n Smart thinking by Mason Rudolph with that safety.
n Someone else mentioned the Steelers鈥� luck of having Colts Jacoby Brissett, T.Y. Hilton and center Ryan Kelly out with injuries. Instead of countering that losing Ben Roethlisberger, Stephon Tuitt and James Conner was a bit unlucky, too, I just nodded at the skeptic.
n n Skeptics were all over Twitter last night like Russian bots on Election Day. They were probably the same folks booing a novice QB throughout a three-game losing streak, except I鈥檓 not sure bots can boo.
n Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner grabbed my arm as I walked into the locker room. 鈥淣ow you know why my hair蘑菇视频 all gray,鈥� he said. He did not smile. He did not pass along information. In fact, he said it again and left, presumably to enjoy the win for a few hours.
n Hopefully he stayed off Twitter.
n Remember in 2017 when the Colts lost their franchise QB and traded for a novice QB who had been a third-round draft pick the previous year? Yeah, they went 4-12 and fired their coach.
n The franchise QB returned the following season and led the Colts to the playoffs. That novice QB was 鈥� is 鈥� much better as a fourth-year vet.
n Although, Cam Heyward kind of ruined Brissett蘑菇视频 Sunday by shoving his best lineman, Quenton Nelson, into his leg early in the second quarter.
n Nelson will be a rock of the Colts鈥� line 鈥� and locker room 鈥� for another decade. He and another first-team rookie All-Pro, ILB Darius Leonard, were just a part of their draft bounty for finishing 4-12.
n The Steelers were wise to realize they weren鈥檛 going to fall apart when their franchise QB went down. Thus, the savvy trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who paid another dividend Sunday with his 96-yard interception return for the defensive score.
n That蘑菇视频 four interceptions for Fitzpatrick in half a season. They haven鈥檛 had that many from someone in a full season since 2010, and that many from a free safety since 2003.
n But where did the timeouts go?
n One of the biggest complaints about Tomlin蘑菇视频 time management over the years is that he doesn鈥檛 take the 2-minute warning into consideration. One of the Sunday challenges occurred with 2:03 left and served as a de facto timeout, so what蘑菇视频 the problem?
n I wouldn鈥檛 have challenged the calls that resulted in two lost timeouts, but I could鈥檝e easily been swayed. The first challenge was of an uncatchable pass with incidental contact, and the second challenge gave officials a chance to make up for their awful call on the previous play.
n And the Steelers got the ball back with 1:11 still on the clock, so, again, why the ruckus?
n At least the players like this coach. Vince Williams called the defense the most cohesive unit with which he蘑菇视频 ever been associated. Drafting the right players and putting together a winning environment is much more important than the time-management quibbles that every city has.
n The offense needs more seasoning at QB and a running back. Jaylen Samuels and Edmunds both fulfilled their roles, but a spark was missing.
n The receivers are fine. We know that for certain about JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson. And James Washington showed he can make the combat catch, even though his ol鈥� buddy Mason seemed to forget him too often.
n I doubt Rudolph will be checking down so quickly by the end of the season 鈥� unless he has guys like Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt coming after him every down.
n Watt蘑菇视频 on pace for 15 sacks and Dupree for 12. That蘑菇视频 James Harrison-LaMarr Woodley at their peak. Harrison had 16 sacks and Woodley 11.5 in 2008.
n In the media scrum surrounding Dupree after the game, the question on my smart-alecky mind was this: What蘑菇视频 the franchise tag worth?
n Dupree, of course, is breaking out in the last season of his rookie contract. A tag will no doubt be considered for him next spring.
n I bumped into him outside the locker room and asked then. 鈥淎 little less than $18 million,鈥� Dupree said without hesitation. 鈥淵ou KNEW I would know that, didn鈥檛 you?鈥�
n Yeah, kind of figured. Also kind of figure the Steelers need to start saving their pennies.