Steelers Central

Mushy Middle with a Different Mike

What was supposed to be an episode looking at the Steelers HC options that were seemingly lining up in their favor, turned into a head-scratching rant on the Mike McCarthy hire. Instead of going young and innovative, the Steelers went old and predictable. Art Rooney is keeping the status of mediocrity and being in the mushy middle alive as he refuses to sacrifice one year for a high draft cycle. This is the worst outcome for this organizations, and the worst hire of this HC cycle.

Turning the Page After Tomlin

In a wild week of Steelers news, the Steelers will do something they haven't done in 19 years: find a new head coach. This comes after the team's 30-6 defeat on Monday night against the Texans, becoming the nail in the coffin for Tomlin to step down. This episode we'll break down the legacy of Mike Tomlin, his 19-year tenure, what went wrong down the stretch run if his career, and why I thought they were five years too late in letting Tomlin keep his job. Next, it's time to look back at what went wrong in the Divisional Round game, and what went wrong to give Tomlin his seventh straight playoff loss to tie Marvin Lewis for longest all time. Despite getting three TOs and multiple short field opportunities, the Steelers scored just six points and had under 200 total yards. This game was close for a majority of the game until things broke down late in the 4th quarter. There weren't many bright spots aside from Joey Porter Jr. and Corliss Waitman pinning the Texans inside the 20 four times, but plenty of pitfalls including 3rd downs, run defense, OT play, Brandon Echols, and Arthur Smith. At Art Rooney's press conference, we saw that not even Rooney saw Tomlin stepping down as an option. He was prepared to even give Tomlin another shot. Instead, the Steelers will look for another captivating personality to lead the team like their three previous HCs. The HC will also have full control over roster-building and coaching staff, which is really telling and shows you how much control Tomlin had as well. Lastly, we'll look at some of the names that Pittsburgh has mentioned so far with seven candidates on the board. 0:00-16:24 Tomlin Stepping Down 16:25-30:50 Steelers vs Texans Game Recap 30:51-44:54 Art Rooney's Presser 44:55-53:05 Steelers HC Candidates

The Drought Ends Here

On this episode of Steelers Central, it's time to preview the Steelers' Wild matchup vs. the Texans to cap off the first weekend of playoff football. This game will be a defensive, low-scoring slugfest where points will be a premium. The keys to deciding this game will be turnovers and the play of both teams in the trenches to control the clock. Speaking of the trenches, the Steelers OTs vs the Texans EDGEs will be the biggest matchup of the game. If the Steelers want to avoid this, they will need to win on the interior against the Texans' DTs. For the Texans, despite not allowing sacks, they rank 30th in pass block win rate, and face the 6th-ranked defense in sacks, and have seven players with over three sacks. They must give Stroud time to throw, as they are not a running football team. Nico Collins and JPJ will be a matchup to watch all game long, as the last time these two faced off, Collins had 168 yards and two TDs, although Porter Jr. was not a starter. The results of this game hinge on all of those matchups above, as well as some unfortunate streaks and results for both teams. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016, but have won 23 straight home MNF games. The Texans have never won a road playoff game, and dome teams are 1-14 in games where the kickoff temperature is below 40 degrees, but they have won nine straight games. I'll tell you which team's streaks will end and why. If the Steelers do lose, just how much danger is Mike Tomlin's job in? Spoiler, he'll be the HC for at least next season, but I will tell you my reasoning on why next year could be his last. 0:00-11:52 Steelers vs Texans: Keys to the Game 11:53-26:53 Steelers vs Texans: Matchups to Watch 26:54-33:25 Steelers Game Prediction 33:26-44:49 Mike Tomlin's Job Safety

Wide Right

We're back with another episode of Steelers Central, talking about the rollercoaster of a win for the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch the AFC North and give the Steelers their first division title since 2020. We'll break down how the game went from 23 combined points in the first three quarters to 27 points in the last 10 minutes of a game that included a missed XP and a missed go-ahead FG. For Pittsburgh, key contributors to their victories included Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward turning back the clock, Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren running hard, and Calvin Austin and Pat Friermuth making explosive plays in the passing game. On the other side, a Chris Boswell missed kick, a couple of sloppy plays from Jalen Ramsey, and an Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton missed sack from going home. 0:00-19:57 Steelers vs Ravens Breakdown/Reaction 19:58-36:41 Steelers vs Ravens Winners and Losers

Motor City Fireworks

From punching fans to a lateral TD and finally an OPI call that negated the TD, it was a wild outing in Detroit, resulting in the Steelers' 29-24 victory over the Lions. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin showed the world that they can beat a good team in December, and shut down the fifth-best run game in the NFL, holding them to under 30 rushing yards while rushing for over 200 themselves. I'll explain why this is such a momentous victory, and whether this is a serious team moving forward into the playoffs. The RBs and the offensive and defensive lines were why the Steelers were able to control this game handily, while Aaron Rodgers and JPJ's contributions allowed them to close it out. DK Metcalf punching a fan, Darnell Washington's untimely gaffe, and Asante Samuel Jr. getting burnt also kept this game closer than it needed to be. Check out this episode to see who else were winners and losers in the Steelers' victory against the Lions. 0:00-23:20 Steelers vs Lions Reaction 23:21-41:07 Steelers vs Lions: Winners and Losers