Game 7: Packers @ Steelers - Sunday, Oct 26 7:20 PM

[Fear The Chorizo]

Great play by Hopper on that 2 pt conversion

[homer]

Fire LaFleur?

[Fear The Chorizo]

I wonder if "replay assist" is just what the booth official color guy says the call should be.

 

Collinsworth has a point about replay assist being really randomly applied...especially on potential scoring plays.  Ask Calvin Johnson if that was a TD or not

[HarveysWBs]

2 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

Great play by Hopper on that 2 pt conversion

Easily his best play as a pro

[Fear The Chorizo]

Just now, homer said:

Fire LaFleur?

This team could easily be 7-0 if not for some well-discussed nonsense against the Browns and Cowboys

[BrewerFan]

8 minutes ago, Underachiever said:

Too soon

...why? Next week is Carolina and that sets up the matchup with Philly. 

 

[HarveysWBs]

Heck of a second half. Let that be the turning point. They need to round into form now, as the big boys still loom.

[HarryDoyle]

3 minutes ago, homer said:

Fire LaFleur?

Let's bring in a Ashby like starter and go to the bullpen with LeFleur in the second half.

[adambr2]

4 minutes ago, homer said:

Fire LaFleur?

Yeah, that’s totally fair. I’ve accused him of riding Rodgers’ coattails for his pretty record and been frustrated with his slow starts but whatever his adjustments were in the second half, he nailed it. 

[BrewerFan]

14 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

Yeah, no timeouts for the steelers, so replay assist can still change that call with more than 2 minutes left?

I'm fine with that. They only step in when something is so obvious, you can see it immediately on replay. 

They had a couple others this game, but... they're virtually always the right call. 

they did it with the ball Rodgers threw into the ground. They used to just tell the refs and the refs would just change the call. At least this way, you know there's a system in place. 

I don't want a game to be changed because Jerry Rice fumbles and we just don't have access to a challenge(for example). 

[homer]

When is Reed back? like 1st week of Dec?

[wallus]

I feel like we rarely lose when Watson plays

[young guns]

2 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

I'm fine with that. They only step in when something is so obvious, you can see it immediately on replay. 

They had a couple others this game, but... they're virtually always the right call. 

they did it with the ball Rodgers threw into the ground. They used to just tell the refs and the refs would just change the call. At least this way, you know there's a system in place. 

I don't want a game to be changed because Jerry Rice fumbles and we just don't have access to a challenge(for example). 

Agreed.  I am fine with them just fixing the obvious ones without wasting time even if they other team couldn't challenge it.  It's the very heart of the replay idea.

[yourout]

4 minutes ago, young guns said:

Agreed.  I am fine with them just fixing the obvious ones without wasting time even if they other team couldn't challenge it.  It's the very heart of the replay idea.

If only they could fix the strike zone in baseball that easy. 

Then again with CB Buckner he'd probably be adding a half an hour to the game

[jay87shot]

The Steelers could use a WR and we could use a CB. 

 

Darious Slay for Romeo Doubs, maybe we throw in a like a 7th rounder?

It would seem to make sense to me. I don't know about the financial end of it.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Watson is a huge boost to them offensively. They just don't have another go up and get it type WR.

[adambr2]

The offense in general operates much better when Doubs isn’t being force-fed the ball.

[homer]

11 hours ago, homer said:

When is Reed back? like 1st week of Dec?

To answer my own question, it was a 6 - 8 week timeline and he was hurt on Sept 12th.  The long end of that would be Nov 12th so outside chance he is back for Philly in two weeks. All conjecture on my part, but given he hasn't stepped foot on the practice field (and that he had foot surgery in addition to the collarbone surgery) I'm guessing he won't appear in a game until end of Nov. Maybe the Minnesota game, but they may hold him out until the Thanksgiving game against Detroit.

[OldHeidelberg]

I was never really worried the Steelers would come back once we went up 2 scores, first time I have had that confidence in the D since Wash game. Totally agree Watson's return is huge for this offense, never dreamed he would be back this early and look that good. Please stay healthy.

[CheezWizHed]

There were three things I noticed as major shift from previous games and a fourth that continues on... 

1. This is the first time in a long time that the Packers made half-time improvements.  Seems like most of the time, whatever they did going in, is what they did going out.  They made some legit shifts
2. One of those shifts was Love's response to the blitz.  As good as Love is, he won't take the next step until he can appropriately handle the blitz.  First half - seven-step drop, hope someone is open down the field 30 yards, throw short as you get hit (or a lame duck that Kraft turns into a miracle).  Second half - short slants, crossers, or checkdowns.  This was a MAJOR reason the offense turned it up.  First half  - 1 out of 6 on third down - blitzed every play.  Love (and/or MLF as play caller) needs to bottle the second half response to blitzes. 
3. There was a LOT of Valentine out there.  He wasn't perfect... in fact maybe only marginally better than Hobbs.  And I don't recall seeing Hobbs in the slot either, so he was either injured or getting a wake up call. 
4. Special teams penalties.  Seriously, just kneel already. 

A couple of other observations:

• Tucker Kraft! 
• Jacobs needs to have more outside runs. I know it isn't his strength, but just about every game this season, people have clogged the middle to bottle him up.  Certainly, the Steelers backed off the run when Wilson was in there, but he made a lot of hay outside too. Just mix it up! The TD bounce wasn't quite designed, but certainly worked because players were crashing to the middle. 
• Welcome back Watson!  Both on receiving and blocking!
• Nice to have a quiet day from TJ Watt. 
• Rodgers (both before and after) was pretty mellow and careful with his words. 
• Nice to have Wyatt back. 

[Underachiever]

12 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

...why? Next week is Carolina and that sets up the matchup with Philly. 

 

Fine, but that post was made just before PGH scored to make it 35-25, and there was still time left. So, too soon.

[Fear The Chorizo]

those 50-50 heaves Love threw to Kraft and Watson that resulted in huge Packer plays would've looked alot different had Steelers caught them though - the game swinged huge in the Packers' favor on both throws.  

I don't like how Love tends to backpedal to buy time on blitzes and then makes those kind of tosses downfield....but it was effective last night.  What I did see more frequently last night was using play action to get Love to designed deep drops and hit some of those deep in-breaking routes on time that both Doubs and Watson excel at running.  That's how their 2023 playoff demolition of Dallas looked.  Oline blocked it up pretty well and when those guys can get into routes 15-20 yards downfield it opens everything up for RB swing passes and TE intermediate routes, too.

[homer]

a few people mentioned a lack of touches for Golden. He was added to the injury report mid week. Hurt his hip in practice. He may not have been 100%

[Fear The Chorizo]

9 minutes ago, homer said:

a few people mentioned a lack of touches for Golden. He was added to the injury report mid week. Hurt his hip in practice. He may not have been 100%

Yeah, and it didn't hurt that Love didn't get to the read in the red zone that would've been a walk in TD for Golden in the 4th quarter.  He was dinged up...and he still is getting open.  Key will be to keep him getting experience/comfortable as this season wears on - 

[CheezWizHed]

3 hours ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

those 50-50 heaves Love threw to Kraft and Watson that resulted in huge Packer plays would've looked alot different had Steelers caught them though - the game swinged huge in the Packers' favor on both throws.  

I don't like how Love tends to backpedal to buy time on blitzes and then makes those kind of tosses downfield....but it was effective last night.  What I did see more frequently last night was using play action to get Love to designed deep drops and hit some of those deep in-breaking routes on time that both Doubs and Watson excel at running.  That's how their 2023 playoff demolition of Dallas looked.  Oline blocked it up pretty well and when those guys can get into routes 15-20 yards downfield it opens everything up for RB swing passes and TE intermediate routes, too.

The one to Kraft, the pass rush hit him, but it was certainly a dangerous throw.  I blame him taking too long one the blitz more than the throw. 

To Watson, I wouldn't call 50/50.  Watson was the only one that could even touch that ball, let alone catch it.  Now, you are right that Love falling back and to his right... then throwing back left is generally dangerous.  And if he had a bit more on the throw, Watson walks in for a TD.