Pats 21, Stillers 18 ...... Dec 7, 2023 ………Game # 13
Stillers-Pats Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 7-5 Stillers hosted the 2-10 NE Pats on Thur nite football. IT was 7-3 NE after the 1st Qtr. NE led at halftime, 21-10. The Stillers stormed back, but as often happens, it was too little too late, and the result was yet another grily loss to a 2-win bottomfeeder.
Grades:
QB: Trib got the start.
Horribly overthrew Robinson on a deep flag, late 1Q. Threw a hideous INT, 1st play of 2Q. Good TD strike to Dionte, late 2Q. Awful screen pass into a beehive of players, mid 4Q, which was almost INT’d. Couldn’t complete either pass on the late 3d & 2 and 4th & 2, which sealed the loss. D
RB:
Harris – 12 rushed for 29, plus 3 grabs.
Warren – Misread the block by D-Wash and ran into the blocker rather than running to daylight, 1Q. Nifty RAC between 2 tacklers to get a 1st down, late 1Q. Had 7 carries for 11, and 4 grabs for 29.
FB: never used.
WR:
Dionte – stellar TD grab on a touch catch, late 2Q. Was far too quiet, tho.
Pickens – shown on replay completely loafing on a running play, 1H. Had 5 grabs, but for a ridiculously paltry 19 yards. He obviously was completely mis-used.
Austin – Ran an end around. Had zero grabs and I don’t think he was even targeted. WHY is this pud-puller on the roster, then ?
Robinson – Had 1 grab for 21.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – dropped a pass, late 4Q. Had only 3 grabs for 18, which ain’t nearly enuf.
Darnell – took a completely asinine, WIDE angle on a run, early 2Q, which the defender easily sliced to the inside and dropped Harris for a 5-yard loss. Grabbed a dumpoff and make a nice RAC, 4Q.
Con Heyward – snared a low pass, 6:00 2Q. Superb effort on a 3d & 1, hurdling a tackler and getting enough for the 1st down. Nearly threw an INT on a goofy, poorly rehearsed option pass on 1st & goal at the 1.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Seumalo, Cole, Daniels, Jones) had an okay game. The running game wasn’t getting consistent traction. The passing pro was mostly decent. At least there wasn’t the weekly rash of penalties from this crew. Cole had at least 4 sub-par snaps. B-
DL:
Heyward – got a few slop stops here and there. Got a sack, 5:20 3Q. Didn’t come close to earning his $23M salary. C-
Ogunjobi – chipped in a bit.
Adams – returned for injury.
Lowdermilk - did little.
Leal – healthy scratch.
Benton – got injured, mid 3Q.
LB:
Landon Rob – came in untouched for a Dong sack, late 2Q. Made a play on the ball on a pass play, which allowed him to deflect it, and Walker got the Dong INT. Played solidly. B+
Watt – got nicked up, 1st play o’ game. Dropped a RB for a 1 yard loss, 4Q. Was far, far too quiet for a man making some $25M per season. C
Highsmith – got a slop solo, 4th play of game, when the RB was completely bottled and jammed. 2 plays later, his Wide Loop Rush allowed the QB to easily scramble left for 11 yards on 3d & 9. It was a 3d & 9, and Big Alex Highsmith, only worried about sacks, gets SUCKED waaaay upfield, which allows the QB an ACRE of room for an easy run of 9 yards. A $17M Fraud. (Note, a short while later in the game, #3 Mack Wilson of NE -- on 3d & 9, he actually READS the QB, anticipates the gut scramble, and MAKES the play to force the punt.
Got injured, 2nd play of 2Q, while making an assist on a line plunge. Did not return. C-
Herbig – flailed and whiffed on RAC, 2d play of game. Made several solid plays in run stuffing in subbing for the injured Lowsmith. Also drew a holding flag on a pass rush. Dude’s a baller. B+
Mykal Walker – slipped and allowed the 2nd TD, making it a 14-3 game. Got picked on incessantly. Got a Dong INT off a deflected pass, late 3Q. Dong plays don’t improve one’s grade. C-
Golden - Markus Golden was scratched to make room for special teamer Kyron Johnson. Ergo, when Big Alex got injured, Herbig was pressed into OLB chores and couldn’t help out at ILB. How in the fuq??
DB
Wallace – Wasn’t picked on often, which surprised me.
Peterson - good tackle of Zeke on a 3d & long flare pass, 2Q.
Joey Porter Jr. – was quiet, which is ok for a CB.
Kazee – had the coverage, but failed to bust up the deepish pass to JuJu, 3rd play of game. Took a poor angle and failed to bust up the 3rd TD pass, mid 2Q. C-
Keanu Neal – did little. Too little. C-
Minkah - flashed in, 1st play of game and tripped up the RB on the backfield. Good tackle to stop a 3rd down screen pass, 5:15 1Q. Had a solid game. A-
Spec teams:
Harvin – vomity punt, mid 2Q, which went all of 34 yards. Bommed a punt into the EZ, when all that was needed was a 34-yard variety. D
Boswell – nailed a 56 yard FG, 1Q.
Herbig applied a big lick on KO coverage, late 2Q, Killebrew had a partially blocked punt, 4Q.
OC: Faulkner/Sullivan went back to the Canada grab-bag in full glory. A double reverse, engulfed for a 7-yard loss. 1st and goal at the ONE, and they order this goofy wingback option pass BY Connor Heyward, which was nearly INTd. At the ONE, on 1st down ! Then there was the late, fateful 3d & 2 and 4th & 2 near midfield, at like 2:05 left in the game. Due to the 2MW, you CAN INDEED run the ball here, or a bootleg, or ANYTHING. You simply have to move the chains, survive, and get a new set of downs. Instead, they order a long crosser to Pickens, and on 4th down, order a deep bomb to Dionte. Where’s Darryl Lamonica ?? TWO yards is all they needed, not 17. Just a complete cluster all game long. F
DC: Austin allowed the inept, feeble NE offense, at HOME, to march 75 yards, easy as pie, on the opening march for a cake-walk TD. But he wasn’t done, as he Allowed the greenhorn Zappe to go 14 of 21 for 196 yards & 3 TD passes in the 1st half. In other words, Bailey Crappe suddenly became a combination of Danny Marino & Johnny Unitas.
Remember, this was an inept NE offense – the WORST in the NFL -- that had been shut out last week, and was suddenly turned into the 1982 San Diego Chargers, thanks to Teryl The Imbecile Austin.
If Elandon Roberts was healthy enough to make a PLAY on the ball and deflect it into an INT, WHY wasn't he on the field in the 1st half as the ILBs were getting TORCHED?? Classic mis-use of resources. F
HC: Mike Asslin tossed around the usual excuses and bromides after this hideous loss. Fact is, he failed to have his team ready to hunt bear, as evidenced by NE marching EASY AS PIE after the opening KO for a 75 yard TD march. His team bumbled and sleptwalked thru the 1st half….HOW does that happen 4 days after a pitiful loss to AZ? Then there’s the decision to scratch a healthy Markus Golden, leaving the team with NO DEPTH after Highsmith went out on the 2d play of the 2Q. Golden was scratched in favor of a practice squad SPEC TEAMER. Why? How? How fuqing stupid !!
It’s high time Stoogelin be shown the door. F-
Synopsis: Just another home loss to a 2-win bottomfeeder. Are they any other dreg foes the NFL can send to Pgh to mop up on Asslin? The playoffs look rather hopeless at this point. Up next, a Sat tilt vs Indy in 8 days.
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