Stillers 27, Poebirds 22 ...... Dec 7, 2025 …………Game # 13
Stillers-Poebirds Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 6-6 Stillers mosied down to Bmore to take on the hated Poebirds, who were also 6-6. The Stillers stormed out to a 17-3 lead in the 2Q, but Balt scored a late TD, with a missed PAT, to make it 17-9 at the half. The 2H was a back n’ forth affair, with Balt storming back. Balt appeared to score the go-ahead TD late in the 4Q, only for a ref crew to quickly reverse their call and rule the pass INC. In the end, the Stillers survived for the W.
Grades:
QB: Rodgers got the start. (Has had 22 straight starts with less than 200 yards passing.) Good first pass, on a deep ball to DK that gained 52. Ran in a 2-yard bootleg later in the drive to score a TD. Good 28-yard lob to DK down the s-line, early 2Q. 13 of 20 for 148, 1H.
Took a DoG penalty, on a key 3d & 6, 12:00 4Q. Very foolish for a veteran QB. Caught his own batted pass for a 9-yard yard loss, albeit it negated what was initially ruled as a Balt INT.
Finished 23 of 34 for 284 yards and 1 TD. Not shabby, but hardly dominant. B-
RB:
Warren – Had only 3 rushes for 8 yards, 1H. Big catch and run for a 38-yard TD, late 3Q. Finished with 8 rushes for 13, which ain’t good enough. Would like to see him get the ball more.
Kaleb J. – gained 5 on a plunge, last play of 1Q. Had 2 carries for 4 yards. Remember at camp, when Big Caleb was being compared to Gale Sayers and Marcus Allen, except 4 times better ?
Gainwell – good RAC on short dumpoff, 3d & 5, moving the chains, early 2Q. Ran a toss sweep for a 6-yard TD, mid 2Q, to make it a 16-3 game. Had 4 carries and 6 grabs. Seems like Stoogelin is favoring Gain and he’s getting more PT than Warr. B
FB: never used.
WR:
Metcalf – Good grab of deep ball, first O play of the game. But, a few plays later, allowed the DB to poke out a sure TD pass. Good grab of a 3rd down lob, 2Q, good for 28 yards. Started the 3Q with a 42-yard gain after the QB had an hour in the pocket. Finally, 13 weeks into the season, DK earns his $31M per year salary. A
Austin – Key 3rd down, 2d series.....and PeePee Austin ALLOWS an EASY pass to CLANG off his chest, and he fails to corral the ball, forcing a punt. Grabbed a lob, 3d & 5, for 31 yards, 3Q. It was his lone grab. B-
R. Wilson – healthy scratch. Anyone recall back at camp, when PeePee Roman was being praised as a FIRST ballot Hall o’ Famer ?
Skowronek – good sliding grab for 13 yards, 2Q.
MVS – (Scantling) – dropped a short slant just before the 2MW, 4Q, although it was well short of the sticks. Had no grabs.
Thielen – grabbed a 4 yard out pass, 2Q. This was his lone grab. Gee, he’s a dominant gamebreaker already.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – despite Darnell getting injured early 2Q, Fryboy grabbed all of 2 passes for 9 yards. A waste of a $14M per year salary.
Jonnu Smith – 1 target, zero receptions. Complete waste of a roster spot.
Darnell – got nicked up after a 12-yard grab, early 2Q. Sat out rest of game with concussion.
Con Heyward – Did tush push sneak on 4th & 1, first series, to move the chains.
OL: Overall, the line (Peat, Seumalo, Frazier, McCormick, Fautanu) had a ok game, albeit the Poebirds have a putrid pass rush.
.
Peat was flagged for a false start, early 2Q. Then was flagged for a hold, mid 3Q. Then got injured the very next play. Dylan Cook came in for him. Arod was never sacked, although, as noted, the Birds have a flaccid pass rush. Overall line: B
DL:
Heyward – Typical Scam Heyward.....first run of game for Balt....EASY cruise up their LG for SEVEN YARDS & a 1st down. Scam got the slop solo...SEVEN yards off the ball while getting mauled by a SOLO block. Next play, SAME play, 6 yards.
Later in the drive, Scam got a slop assist…SIX yards off the ball –
6-yd Run
11:45 - 1st Q. (Shotgun) K.Mitchell left guard to PIT 18 for 6 yards (P.Wilson; Ca.Heyward).
Had 2 solos, 2 As, 1H.
Got mauled on the Henry big run at 5:30 4Q, good for 19 yards Finished with 2 solos and 3 slop assists in a very meager, half-assed performance. C-
Benton – Got nicked up, 1st series, but came back 2 plays later. Stopped Mitchell for a 2-yard gain, 3Q.
Harmon – again was out with a knee.
YaYa Black – good stop of Henry on 1st play 4Q, for 1 yard gain. Did ok, although hardly the HoF material he was supposedly showing in preseason when he was feasting on 4th string blockers.
LB:
Queen – got injured, 4:24 4Q, but came back. Had an adequate game, but was hardly as great as Tony Romo made it sound. When the opposing offense is gashing you for 217 yards rushing and running 69 plays from scrimmage, your starting ILB doesn’t have much to crow about. C
Pey Wilson – was too slow and out of position to stop Lamarr on his TD run, late 1H. Had 4 solos in a hundrunm effort. C
Watt – came in untouched, 1st series, and stopped the RB for a 2 yard loss. Caused some havoc here and there. B-
Highsmith – for once, held up at the POA and chipped in with Watt for a stop of Henry, 2d series.
Got a cheap-assed solo, 2Q, when, on a WR 0-step hitch, the WR juked by Lolwsmith but then slipped, thereby allowing The Fraud to get a cheezy solo off a fingertip nip of the WR’s ankle. Got a slop assist on a 3 yard plunge, 5:58 2Q.
Flagged for offsides on a key 3d & 1, late 2Q. What jackmule. Had an assist with Queen on a stop of Henry on a toss sweep, late 2Q. Then limped off the field with some sorry-azzed injury. Had 3 solos, 0 A, 1H.
Got a slop solo, 10:42 3Q, at the end of a SIX yard run by Henry. Got bullied on the 3d & 1 play, a few plays later, which gained 55 yards while Big Alex got mauled at the POA.
Was totally unblocked, and solo tackled Henry at 4:00 4Q, for a 1 yard gain. Again was unblocked, on 3d & 2, late 4Q, for a 3 yard loss. Ended the game with a Dong sack when he was barely blocked by a rabidly-retreating LT and Lamarr being literally13 yards deep in the pocket. Yeah, Fraudsmith had 7 solos…..mostly because the PoeBirds CHOSE to leave him unblocked on numerous ground plays. He also had the costly offsides, and got his jock rocked at the POA on the 55-yard scamper. C+
Herbig – got very, very little PT. What tripe.
Holcomb – got a good amount of PT after Harrison got hurt.
Malik Harrison – got trucked by Henry near the end of an 8 yard run, and got injured. Sat out rest of game with concussion.
Sawyer – played on D sparingly.
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - flagged for PI, late 1Q, on a short slant. Flagged for illegal hands on a 3d & 8 inc pass elsewhere on the field, late 2Q. Was beaten for a clear TD, late 4Q, and then poked the ball out after the TE, Likely, had gotten 2 feet down, and the refs graciously ruled the play INC rather than a TD. In all, a D grade.
Jalen Ramsey - got tooled twice by Flowers late in the 4Q, first on a 4th down and then on a 3d & 9. C
Echols – solid coverage on an EZ lob, 1st series of the game. Got a Dong sack/coverage sack, 2d series. Has a heady mentality and seems to be around the ball quite often. B+
Samuel Jr. – rarely played.
Peppers – got some PT with Dugger being out due to injury.
Dugger – did not dress
Pierre – got a Dong INT, 2Q, off a lil’ babyfied, lollipop lob by Lamarr that was woefully too low and short o the open receiver.
Clark – got abused on a deep completion down the sideline, 1st series, for 31 yards.
Spec teams:
Waitman – pretty solid punting after the past 3-4 weeks of JV booting. A
Boswell – nailed 2 chipshot FGs.
Gainwell had a good 28 yard KO return, mid 4Q, to the PIT 41.
OC: Art Smith had a nice 1H, combined with yet another dreadful 2H, in particular the 4Q.
3d & 5 at the Balt 8, and Arthur calls a wimpy, scared little WR-type screen to Gainwell that gained 2 yards. With a guy like Rodgers at QB, you TAKE A SHOT here, either on a pass at the 2 yard line (good for a 1st down) or in the EZ. I despised this playcall.
I’m also not fond that this offense couldn’t run the ball for crap (hold your snickering: 17 carries for 34 yards), and had to rely on low-probability deep lobs that, while they worked today, have rarely worked all season long. And 3 4Q drives gained all of, what, 3 yards. D+
DC: Austin had the luxury of some comfy leads in both the 1st and 2nd half, but then eagerly urinated most of the lead away. He also lucked out in the 1H as the Poe’s out-foxed themselves – a week after the Steeler D got gashed on the ground by Buff – by giving Derrick Henry on 11 carries in the 1H. Balt was wise to feed Henry in the 2H, and they easily gashed Austin’s D to crawl back into the game.
Austin was hugely lucky -- Bateman dropped an easy pass, 3d & 5 at the PIT 9, early 4Q, which would have easily gained a 1st down, and instead Balt had to boot a FG. And, of course, ya saw the late TD that Austin’s vaunted D allowed to Likely, only for a blind ref crew to suddenly reverse the call and rule it INC. D
HC: Mike Asslin will be all proud, and pound his chest, after the ref crew literally handed him the win.
Asslin was the recipient of THREE gratuitous referee calls during the game, each of which had a massive effect on the outcome. Three --
- A touchdown was absolutely stolen from the Poebirds late in the game. Isaiah Likely caught what could have been the game winning touchdown. Two feet down, hands extended with possession of the ball for multiple seconds before a late punch out. Instead, the call on the field (a TD) was reversed and ruled not a touchdown.
- Add on an interception that was reversed before that drive, in which Rodgers never survived the ground” and had his fingertips on the ball for about 1 second before a Raven took possession of the ball for an INT,
- And the phantom pers foul penalty that was called on Travis Jones on a PIT FG that gave the Stillers a first down, replacing a field goal with a touchdown. Neither interior “DL” for the Ratbirds hit the center, as they were both pushing into the C-guard GAP.
Only Mike Asslin could luck into a win so outrageously. C
Synopsis: We’ll take the win, as flimsy as it was. Now 7-6, the Stillers gear up for a MNF tilt against the Miami Smalphins.
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