Week 8 Thoughts and Synopsis

Final Score: Steelers 15, Browns 10

Yessss! This game had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the second half. Happy to say we pulled it off, even without Chris Boswell (more on that later). This was my first game using my boyfriend's Sunday Ticket account and let me tell you, I loved it! I didn't use any of the features as I just watched the Steelers but it was super reliable and easy to use.

Quick rundown of how the game went down: The Browns quickly went up 3-0 after a seven minute drive to start the game. The Steelers came back with 9 minutes left in the first half to tie it at 3. Then came potentially the most controversial, weird play of the game. With the chance to kick a field goal and go up 6-3 right before the half, the Steelers faked a field goal and Chris Boswell tried to throw for a touchdown. It didn't go well. At all. Not only did we not score, but Chris Boswell got absolutely clobbered after holding on to the ball a little too long. He entered concussion protocol and missed the entire second half. He seems to be recovering well, however, as he posted this to his Instagram yesterday:

The last time these two teams played each other without a touchdown in the first half was week 17 in 2011, so yes, the first half was a bit uneventful. The first possession of the Browns in the second half made it 10-3. My favorite new Steeler, Najee Harris quickly made it 10-9 however on a beautiful running touchdown. We tried for two points as no one seemed to have much faith in our punter to make a field goal. Ben Roethlisberger ran it in for two but the refs reversed the call because of holding. The refs had a bunch of questionable calls during the game, but I don't think this was one of them.

My favorite play of the game was the touchdown that put us up 15-10. Pat Freiermuth with an absolutely incredible catch you can watch over and over again here. Literally chills. In their last real push of the game the Browns were marching down the field before they fumbled it on the Steelers 25 yard line. Tough luck.

A Few thoughts on the Game. I'm the first one to say Miles Garrett is a piece of trash but I will also admit that his Halloween game is top notch. He showed up to the game yesterday as the Grim Reaper and he had the names of every quarterback he has ever sacked sewn onto the back of his flowing black cape. He also apparently has a graveyard in his front yard with the names of each quarterback he has sacked on a headstone. Ben got the last laugh yesterday, though, saying after the game, "He can keep the tombstone in his yard, I'll take the win."

I know people don't like Baker Mayfield for a variety of reasons, but I don't know, for some weird reason I find myself rooting for him personally. Not yesterday, obviously, and not as the Browns quarterback, but as a single person I kind of like him. A lot of that is probably because of this video which still lives rent free in my head. And this one:

Just when I start to forget how nasty the Browns are, Ronnie Harrison Jr. with a late hit on Najee Harris. Which just brings it all back. The Browns thus far this season have racked up 488 penalty yards. The most of any NFL team. If even half of these yards came from stupid plays like Harrison's late hit I feel bad for Browns fans. It wasn't as bad as Miles Garrett's infamous murder attempt on Mason Rudolph, but it was still bad. And stupid.

I really do love trick plays! Is it just me, or are we trying more of those these days? And no, I'm not talking about the faked field goal attempt. I'm talking about Chase Claypool's reverse. Not as great as the best Steelers trick play of all time, but I still love to see it.

Other news from around the league: The New York Jets beat the Cincinnati Bengals! Yes, those Jets. And they did it with a quarterback starting his first NFL game. Mike White replaced injured Zach Wilson and threw for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns. Talk about a fairytale for White.

The Denver Broncos are supposedly finalizing a trade that would send their star linebacker, Von Miller to the Rams for two second day 2022 draft picks. I love Von Miller and really hope to see more of him in the future, but having to watch the Rams is a tough pill to swallow.

More Pittsburgh Updates: Sidney Crosby returned to the ice for the first time this season on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils. Sadly, we lost 4-2.