Thread by @JoshuaCypess

1/ Quick #Steelers thoughts about being 8-0. First, if the time travelers who made the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series caused Clinton to lose, may the Steelers great season be the reason Biden won. Good job, chrononauts!

2/ Coach Tomlin deserves coach of the year for 1.5 seasons of brilliance plus lifetime achievement. Going 8-8 with the lowest offensive DVOA in the same year that showed his ability to coax good behavior & performance from AB & Bell, is praiseworthy.
footballoutsiders.com/stats/nfl/team…

3/ Add onto that an 8-0 start, confirming yet another season without a losing record (he's never had one), should put him over the top.

Now, onto the Cardiac Steelers season.

(1) The team defense has recently looked porous, esp. vs. the run

4/ One #Steelers trait over the past decade is that injuries are often concentrated in one position group. It's one thing to have depth, but not when you lose so many. Especially up the middle.

My pappy taught me, in MLB & NFL, defense is only as good as you are up the middle.

5/ The defense is regressing over the past few weeks b/c we've lost our best players in 3 positions: Bush, Alualu & Hilton, ILB, NT & slot-corner respectively.

The middle is soft & that takes it's toll. When the latter 2 come back, we'll see if it improves (I think it will)

6/ As for the meh offense, 2020's weird schedule can explain a bit: reduced practice time during the week, but more importantly we've had 3 road games in a row & no real bye week.

Even if DAL was actually soft, 2 road wins vs. tough teams also takes its toll on team wellness

7/ I felt horrible all through yesterday's game because playing down to a bad team on the road has been a staple of the #Steelers to the point of cliché.

Even with our injuries & lack of practice, it was a sickening feeling. But there's some silver lining

8/ The DAL special teams caught us off guard in very effective ways. Even despite the fact that every single punt return TD involves 3-4 uncalled 'block in the back' penalties, that's par for the course.

DAL special teams was pretty much the difference of the day.

9/ In retrospect, if I re-watch the game without knowing that DAL is a bad team (hey, they could actually be good), and without the anxiety of ignorance, it was a good football game.

But what it says about the 2020 Steelers is very reassuring.

10/ 8-0 is very hard to do. We've been winning games that'd we'd lose in previous years (like yesterday's). Normally we sleep on bad teams, in 2020 we've avoided that, and that's confidence building

"Road Ben" throws picks in these sad road losses. He hasn't thrown one in 2 wks!

11/ Also for context, 2020 has had some weird games just like PIT@DAL

Yesterday KC (7-1) barely beat CAR (3-5) at home; last wk, TEN (5-1) lost to CIN (1-5-1) on the road. MIN (1-5) beat GB (5-1) on the road & best comparison of all, TB (6-1) almost lost to NYG (1-6) on the road

12/ Tampa & PIT are 1 seeds, but 2020 road games are harder than usual.

The 8-0 dream could come to an end at any time b/c we're really playing on the edge. BigBen got smooshed yesterday & that would end the season (note, see disclaimer below)

https://twitter.com/JoshuaCypess/status/1173970838305091586?s=20

13/ Over the next few days, I'll add this to this with more NFL/#Steelers stuff.

(I'd so much enjoy the PA team being able to visit the White House after it's been fumigated & congratulated by the PA president who won b/c of PA.)