It was late October when last we took a look at the state of the Steelers, as well as the then-unbeaten football teams at Penn State and Pitt.
Much has happened in the interim, including Donald Trump being picked as president No. 47 and the political left losing its collective mind as a result. In a curious melding of politics and pop culture, Trump dances have come into fashion in the football world to celebrate successes.
The progress of the three football teams cited earlier has been a mixed bag, sometimes meriting Trump dances and sometimes not so much.
The Steelers are on the rise, but with an asterisk. They came out of their bye week to beat good Washington and Baltimore teams back-to-back, albeit by a combined victory margin of just three points.
The Sunday win over the Ravens, an 18-16 affair, was aided and abetted by ridiculously poor play by the losers, beginning with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who now is 1-4 in his career vs. the Steelers. Jackson’s reputation for coming up small in big games is deserved judging by that Steelers record, along with Jackson’s career 2-4 playoff tally.
The Steelers won vs. the Ravens on the strength of six field goals and now sit atop the AFC North at 8-2 facing two games vs. the pathetic Cleveland Browns sandwiched around a game with the stumbling Cincinnati Bengals.
The record likely will be 11-2 three weeks hence and the thoughts of Steelers fans will turn to the Super Bowl. I’m thinking 9-1 Kansas City, which lost Sunday for the first time this season, might have something to say about that despite an offense short on weapons. Buffalo (9-2), the conqueror of Kansas City, also is looking strong.
Others meriting consideration to make the big game from the American Conference are the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) and Ravens (7-4).
In the mid-1970s, the Steelers won a couple of Super Bowls based on a dominant defense and a so-so offense. This defense is not as good as that 70s version. The 1974 unit allowed an average of 13.5 points in each of 14 regular-season games and had another gear for the playoffs, dropping that average to 11 points allowed in each of three games.
This season’s Steelers defense yields 16.2 points a game.
The 2024 Steelers offense is arguably a bit better than its 1974 counterpart. But the league is different and I can’t see the Steelers as a Super Bowl team with their current level of play on offense.
Penn State was 7-0 and ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 when we checked in on them. The Nittany Lions now are 9-1 and ranked No. 4.
Penn State is about what we expected, having lost yet again to Ohio State, then rebounding to hammer so-so Washington and pathetic 1-9 Purdue. The Nittany Lions almost assuredly will coast into the 12-team national championship playoff field.
The Nittany Lions then would host a playoff game, in the days just before Christmas. Some bracket projections have Penn State hosting SEC, warm-weather teams such as Ole Miss or Georgia.
Considering Tennessee wide receivers were whining about their heated bench not working Saturday, with the temperature 55 degrees at Georgia, I’m thinking a brutally cold day up north would be an edge for Penn State vs. a southern team.
Whether it would be enough to overcome the James Franklin, can’t-win-a-big-game factor is open to debate. Even if it is, the Penn State ride likely would end in the next round.
Last, we have Pitt, 7-0 and ranked No. 18 when previously discussed here.
Since then, the Panthers have reeled off three straight defeats and disappeared from the rankings. This is not particularly surprising since that 7-0 record had more than the expected number of great escapes when the Panthers trailed, yet somehow found a way to win.
These days, Pitt finds ways to lose. Saturday’s home setback vs. Clemson, played before the customary scene of garishly yellow empty seats, was a stellar example.
In the first half, the Pitt defense managed to jump offside not one, not two, but three consecutive snaps.
Hard to believe, but things got worse in the second half. During an offensive series from the Clemson two-yard line, Pitt got hit with an illegal formation call, following a Pitt timeout! Then there was a delay of game call, followed by an illegal procedure call against the Panthers, who went from threatening to score a touchdown to having to salvage a field goal.
It was horrendous and that’s not just my assessment. Greg McElroy, the analyst on the broadcast, was horrified by it all. “It cannot get any worse than what I’ve just seen the last few plays, “ he said. “Unbelievable. Inexcusable. Can’t happen.”
But it did.
Amazingly, Pitt was up 20-17 late, but surrendered a game-winning 50-yard touchdown run by the Clemson quarterback to lose yet again.
This Pitt slide was entirely predictable.
Let’s see how our Steelers and Penn State assessments play out down the line.
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