Nation, Victory Monday is always sweet.

However, it is a little sweeter when it is a playoff Victory Monday!

The Steelers handled the Dolphins Sunday afternoon in a manner that left no doubt that they are a team to be taken seriously. In fact, the first quarter and ½ of that game could be viewed as a figurative “mic drop”. It was almost too easy.

Records were both tied and set; both team and individual.

• This was the Steelers 35th postseason victory, breaking a tie with Dallas for most in league history.
• The 5 sacks recorded by the Steelers tied a franchise record for most in a post season game.
• Ben Roethlisberger set a personal best by completing his first 11 passes.

And that’s just the beginning.

So without further ado, let’s get to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Steelers 30-12 Wild Card win.

The Good

Rush Defense

I don’t often pat myself on the back – but if you remember what I said in the preview piece for this game, I said Ajayi wouldn’t get 80 yards. He didn’t even come close (he got 33).

Hell, the whole Dolphins team only managed 52 yards on the ground.

Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave and L.T. Walton had standout games. Add in the efforts of James Harrison, Ryan Shazier, Bud Dupree and Lawrence Timmons and our front seven did a great job shutting the Dolphins running game down.

Add in 4 sacks by this group and it was a damn good day for the front seven.

Antonio Brown

To be fair, AB had his ups and downs in this game. He, very uncharacteristically, dropped a few balls; at least 2, maybe 3. That’s not normal for him.

Of course, he also turned two short passes into 50 and 62 yard TD plays.

That is normal for him.

It’s encouraging, and he’ll need to maintain his momentum because the Kansas City secondary is head and shoulders better than the group Miami threw out there Sunday.

Ryan Shazier

Here is an interesting stat. Ryan Shazier has had an interception in the each of the last 3 games.

How many other linebackers, let’s say since 1970, have done that.

Jack Lambert? No. Jack Ham? Again, no. Russell? Farrior? Foote? No, no and umm..no.

The answer is nobody. It’s possible that someone did it back in the bad old days, but I’m not looking back that far. Instead I’m just going to focus on the simple fact that Ryan Shazier is playing fantastic ball.

He’s disruptive, he’s covering guys, he’s making tackles. All of that, and he’s making sure that the defense as a whole is in the right place at the right time. As a signal caller, he reminds me a lot of James Farrior. And he is also quickly becoming the kind of leader that Farrior was as well.

I’m sure everyone under the sun noticed the fact that when Dupree laid out Matt Moore, and the Dolphins players took exception, it was Ryan Shazier pushing Dupree back, making sure that things didn’t escalate, and instead of potential off-setting penalties, only the Dolphins got tagged with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct.

Shazam is a player, and a leader.

James Harrison

What can I say about Uncle James? 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one of which was a strip sack. He was out there showing the young guys how to stop a runner from getting the edge. Harrison has been playing at a fantastically high level, and not just for a guy of his age. Hell, he’s outplayed Jarvis Jones to the point where JJ can’t even sniff the field until the game is already decided.

Don’t think that these young linebackers aren’t taking notice of what Deebo is doing. He’s a quiet leader, but he does lead, and his example will reap great rewards for these young players, and the Steelers.

Lawrence Timmons

Law Dog has been enforcing the “law” all year. He led the Steeler Sunday with 14 tackles. FOURTEEN TACKLES!

Two of those were back to back sacks to essentially shut the Dolphins down at the end of the game.

Give Keith Butler a lot of credit for finding ways to free up Timmons, and even more credit to Timmons with making the most of those opportunities. He’s not as fast as he used to be, but you couldn’t get Matt Moore to believe that. Timmons shot into the backfield like a cannon on those two sacks, and he flung Moore around like a rag doll.

There was a lot of talk about Timmons being overpaid this season, and folks wanted to release him, trade him, do something because you know, he was old and slow and stuff.

All I can say is “honey – hush!”

Le’Veon Bell

I saved the best for last: 29 carries, 167 yards. A new Steelers postseason single game record.

That’s an average of 5.8 yards per carry.

But those numbers just don’t tell the whole story. You really had to see it.

Le’Veon has been described as a “patient” runner. That doesn’t seem adequate for some of the runs he made yesterday.

I swear, I saw him sit down, open a can of tuna, make a tuna salad sandwich, eat it and then run through a hole that had finally developed for 20 yards.

No really, watch the highlights, I bet it happens.

Le’Veon showed patience. He showed power, and he showed burst. He, all by himself, was more than the Dolphins could handle for a good portion of Sunday’s game.

Again, any of you “let’s trade him for a high draft pick” guys still thinking that is a good idea?

Hello???

The Bad

Because I have to pick something… the two INT’s Ben threw.

The first one is somewhat jointly shared by Antonio Brown, who had the ball hit him in the hands, so in my mind, that’s a ball he should catch. Yes, Ben fired it in there, and maybe it had a little too much mustard on it. Still, if it hits you in the hands, you should catch it. Lots of people up here near NYC are saying much the same thing today.

The thing is, I think he could have run for the first down on that play, and avoided the throw all together. I know it’s what makes Ben, well, Ben. I’m not going to get to upset over this one.

The second one – well, as Ben said in his press conference, I think that’s a “My Bad”. And it was bad. Bad decision, bad throw, bad result.

Just throw the ball away. The game was over, and there was no real need to make a play. Be conservative when it makes sense, and through that ball away.

Instead, Ben throws a pick and ends up in a walking boot.

The Ugly

You know what’s coming – the refs.

As you may, or may not have noticed, I have a somewhat contentious relationship with the men in stripes.

They stink.

That being said, when you get to the postseason, you’re supposed to get the least stinky refs that are out there, you know, the cream of the crop.

Yet they still stink.

Just ask Roosevelt Nix, who was steamrolled from behind on the Dolphins longest kick-off return, and yet no illegal block in the back call was granted. Even though it happened directly in front of the referee running up the sideline. It was just about the most blatant block-in-the-back foul I’ve seen, and yet the yellow hankies remained tucked away.

Then we have the flag that was thrown on Bud Dupree for his very impactful blow to Matt Moore’s chest area.

Okay, okay, it was a tad high, but the refs let blows like that go every week when they happen to Ben. Consistency please: either call it all the time, or don’t call it any of the time.

I slowed that play down and watched the replays repeatedly: Dupree doesn’t make actual contact with Moore’s chin. It’s close, but he doesn’t. The power of the tackle makes Moore’s head snap back like it’s on a bouncy spring, but not actual contact with the head.

What makes it worse is hearing Phil Simms say stupid comments like “Oh, that’s gonna be called every time!”

NO IT ISN’T! Just ask Ben!

So, to make my point – if even the best of the best are crap – then that pretty much proves my point.

The refs stink.

Conclusion

I picked on Ben a little for the INT’s, and really Ben didn’t have a bad game at all. Hell, for a while there it looked like he was going to throw for 600 yards! 11 for 11 to start the game was pretty damn good, and while the INT’s prevented me from putting Ben in the Good category, I feel compelled to point out that he actually had a damn good game (rating of 105.3).

Now it’s on to Kansas City, where we will find ourselves in the exact same position the Dolphins were in. Going on the road to play a team that we beat the snot out of earlier in the year.

Let’s keep focused, and remember that the Chiefs are not the same team they were earlier this year.

Of course, we are better too, and if Ladarius Green can get out of the “protocol”, well, despite the explosiveness of the 1st quarter of Sunday’s game, we still haven’t seen the full potential of what these Steelers can do.

Until next time Nation!