Steelers vs. Chiefs, Preseason Week 2: Knee-Jerk Reactions to the Steelers 17-7 win vs. Kansas City

Here we go! Our latest look at the new-attitude Pittsburgh Steelers. No they did not rebuild, but they are starting life without two-thirds of the Killer Bs. There’s a different brand of swagger and a desire to prove from a lot of these guys and I can not wait.

Nonetheless, a simple reminder, a knee jerk reaction is an immediate and unthinking, emotional reaction. It’s basically shooting first and apologizing later. I can safely say that’s a true definition of your’s truly and a good lot of Steeler Nation. Here’s my real-time reactions during the Steelers’ first battle of the new season.

Quarter 1

• Not a fine first series. Youch!
• Good defense by Burns on the burner Hill.
• Not loving Nelson on that coverage.
• Kind of got lucky there.
• That’s why you go and get a guy like Mark Barron.
• Stopping them on the first series...Nice.
• Awesome.
• Finally getting to see Diontae Johnson.
• Not much there.
• Vanimal has got to keep the ball off of the ground there.
• Connor needs better concentration on that screen, but great basketball move keeping that ball from falling incomplete.
• Mason is showing ability to get out of trouble.
• When it comes to Chuks Okorafor, to quote Ben Affleck from Good Will Hunting...”Ya suspect!”.
• He could get Mason killed out there.
• This is a much better defense this week against a juggernaut offense.
• Artie Burns with a couple of great plays.
• Huge forced fumble and good awareness by Sean Davis.
• That’s not a stellar debut for Donte Moncrief.
• You can’t fumble right after your defense gives you a gift.I’m liking the D this week.
• Diontae Johnson with a bad fumble.
• Got lucky getting that one back.
• Two good gains by Conner.
• Not hoping to see much more from him.
• How awesome is it that the entire Pitt Football Team is at the game?
• I’m grumbling over that Grimble drop.
• Not a fan of the TE depth.
• Not a bad pass by Rudolph. JuJu needs to pull that ball in.
• Great ST tag team by Bennie Snell and Justin Layne.
• Sweet!Love me some J-Wobble.
• Matakevich in coverage = heartburn.
• That guy is a special teamer only.
• Linebackers in coverage again. They got lucky there with the drop.
• Matekevich. Good stop.
• Ugly First Quarter.

Quarter 2

• Nice job getting the ball away, but negated.
• Another flag?
• Love that play by the OSU Cowboy connection. JWash is for real.
• An Eli Rogers sighting.
• Good hops by No. 13.
• Poise by Rudy. He looks like he’s earning the QB2 job.
• Snell isn’t getting loose.
• Mason good pass to the X-Man. Good catch too.
• Samuels reeling off 8. He’s solid.
• What a long play. Elusiveness by No. 2.
• This is a nice drive. Really needs to end in the Touchdown Zone.
• Diontae with a first down. Smooth.
• Wow. Jaylen Samuels with a great seal-off by Feiler and a host of Stillers. Great drive. 7-0...Good Guys.
• Defense still looking good.
• They are starting to surrender yards.
• Dupree with another sack. That’s a guy that wants paid.
• Three defenders. Soft coverage. C’mon guys.
• 14 play drive by KC for 81 yards is disconcerting.
• Dobbs with a big completion. Some points before the half would be nice.
• Had to go for it there. No luck.
• Mike Hilton and my guy, Tuzar Skipper, big play.
• Skipper has a shot at the 53MR.
• Nice pass from Dobbs to Eli. Hope it’s not coming back.
• Defenseless receiver penalty. Gotta make them pay.
• And they don’t. Bad pick. Dammit! At least Dobbs can tackle.
• Too many gaffes by both teams.
• 7-7 at the half.

Quarter 3

• I missed watching the first drive of the second-half because NFL network’s changeover. But I’m back on after Spencer’s great punt return.
• Snell picks it up on the fourth down carry, but a hold brings it back. On comes the punt team.
• Nice breakup on third down. Hilton seems like a different player after halftime.
• Spencer making a name for himself as a punt returner.
• Washington almost gets it. Going for it on fourth again!
• Benny Snell football.
• Dobbs with a nice scramble to make sure he gets the first down.
• Thanks to NFL network screwing over Steeler fans, that quarter went really quick.

Quarter 4

• Great catch and throw by Dobbs and Johnson, but for some reason they threw the flag.
• Can Tomlin finally win a challenge? It was such a horrible call.
• How can they not overturn that? Even the Chiefs commentators knew it was a bad call!
• Wright bangs it through from 47 yards, but it should’ve been a PAT.
• Nice tackle for loss by Cam Sutton.
• Good three and out late in the game.
• Devlin Hodges time! Grind this out and head in with a W.
• Diontae Johnson with a nice third-down catch. Had to make sure he wasn’t close to anyone so they don’t throw flag on him.
• Diontae Spencer with a nice run on the reverse. Making the most of his chances.
• There Johnson gets his TD! It should be his second, but I don’t want to take away from this one.
• Or maybe he didn’t.
• I hate to even say it, but make up call? Who cares because it’s a Steelers touchdown!
• Skipper with the sack!
• Catch and a fumble. But did he ever really have it? It looks like it!
• Askew-Henry gets in on the action with a pass breakup.
• Justin Layne defends the pass in the end zone as time expires.
• I don’t care if it was a lot of backups, holding Kansas City to seven points is an accomplishment.

Once again, I just shot first and I’ll apologize later. All reactions were in real time. Basically, it is the equivalent of watching the game with me, you just don’t have to listen to me chew my food and listen to me ramble. Now time to watch it again and see what really happened. Make sure you get your voice heard in the comments below.