Weekly game balls were tough to choose in Steelers loss to the Raiders
Steelers Nation, let’s take a deep breath. A loss at home to open Heinz Field for the 2021 regular season wasn’t the outcome we wanted. However, it’s only Week 2. A lot can change throughout the NFL season.
This week’s game balls were a bit more difficult to choose, but there were a few deserving performances to take away from this game.
Melvin Ingram
The signing of Melvin Ingram has to be one of the most underrated signings that Kevin Colbert has made as a General Manager. Ingram showed us that he still “has it” during the preseason, but he turned it on during the Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills. With it looking like T.J. Watt will be missing some time with a groin injury, Ingram’s role is going to increase, which is great news.
If the Steelers want to continue to have a good rotation of its edge rushers (Ingram and Alex Highsmith), they’ll need to bring somebody in, especially if Watt is going to miss significant time. I’m not sure they have another edge-rusher that is fully capable of stepping into the regular rotation, at least not yet. Ingram finished today’s game with 4 total tackles (one solo, three combined), a tackle for loss, 3 QB hits, and 1 sack.
Joe Schobert
Another move by Colbert that we should all be thankful for is the addition of Joe Schobert. When I found out that Devin Bush was ruled out today, I thought to myself, “Thank God we have Schobert.” Even if #93 didn’t have an interception or a pick-six or a sack, he still had a great day. Schobert finished the game with 10 total tackles (7 solo, 3 combined) and two passes defensed. Yep, let’s all be thankful this trade happened and Schobert is in Black & Gold.
Najee Harris
Even though the offense struggled a lot today, Najee Harris was one of the bright spots. On paper, it doesn’t look like Najee did much, but he did. Najee displayed quickly that he can also do other things than rush the ball and block. Najee found the end zone for the first time today by catching a pass and turning it into a 25-yard touchdown. Although we want Najee to rush for a ton of yards, we might have to wait a bit for that. As we all know, our offensive line is brand new.
Unfortunately, it might take a few games for the O-line to find its footing and get going. But once they do, it’s going to be something to behold. I’m so glad the Steelers picked Najee, his skill set is not something every RB has. Najee Harris finished the day with 43 receiving yards and 38 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
I thought they should’ve run the ball more, but I’m no offensive genius or any sort of coach or anything remotely knowing a ton about offense and game planning. Let’s just hope that this offensive line gets it together and gets Najee running all over NFL defenses.
Chris Boswell
I have to show some love to the kicker, The Wizard of Boz.
In the 4th quarter, Chris Boswell kicked a 56-yard field goal. That breaks the record for the longest FG ever kicked at Heinz Field. Boswell was also 2/2 on XP.
I almost forgot about the amazing stiff-arm Najee had on Raiders defender Jonathan Abram. I think Abram is still stuck in some alternate universe after that one.
Final Thoughts
In closing, I have all the confidence in the world in Mike Tomlin and this coaching staff to get this offense going, finding some rhythm and scoring more points.
Hopefully the injuries to Bush, Joe Haden, and Watt don’t last too long. It was very evident today that the pass defense struggled without Haden out there.
