Chapter 1: What are the Steelers' current challenges and expectations?
confidence you guys are going to be able to write the ship next week? Because we've done it all season. We've handled diversity well, and we had to play our best ball. We did, other than today. Aaron, when you let go of an opportunity like that clinch, how good was it to bounce back? You know you got one more shot. I mean, it's not difficult. That's our job, you know, playing all 17.
Yeah, not much has to change after you go out and score six points against the Cleveland Browns defense. Sure, the number one pass defense in the NFL, but a defense that gave up 31 points to the lifeless Tennessee Titans.
and cam ward and have had other instances where they've looked very pedestrian where the steelers ultimately made them look like the 85 bears awesome back to with you it's pomp and joe hello to everyone on this cold december day rounding out 2025 logan r blaster producing behind the glass logan good to be with you good to be with you sir i'm assuming everything is well with you
Everything except Nick Herbig dropping an automatic pick six. That would have been very nice. Do you ever get sad at the very end of the year where we're turning the calendar over to a new year and there's anything that you regretted about this past year or something that was very good that happened this year that you're sad to see go when the calendar flips and you don't think about it as much?
I feel like everybody has their set of goals that they go into the new year with, and this just goes for everybody. And you make it maybe a day or two into January, and then you end up not following through with those things. So, yeah, I feel like everybody goes through those regrets. One of them is being a Steelers fan. I think for me, that might be a lifetime regret, signing myself up for that.
Did you hear that Dom said that 2026 is going to be the year of Austin? That's what the rumor is. I don't know if I should be appreciative of that or be scared. I have no clue what that means. I don't know if Dom knows what that means, but I hope it happens for you. Well, I think what Dom was insinuating there is that it would be like a 2026 of success and good things and good health, I hope.
But I found that very fascinating. I hope it's not like a pony prediction passing in the night. A lot of times when Dom says things in his predictions, I don't know how well they go, but I hope that one is different. So one thing that everybody basically predicted from this Steelers season was 9-8, 10-7.
And once again, here we are in that realm, in a very similar position that they were year after year, where I thought that this year was going to be different. I thought that this season they were still going to go 10-7. That's what I predicted at the start of the year, and that they'd be a wild card team. Not that they'd win the division.
Didn't think that that would be in play with Joe Burrow and Lamar, but injuries have obviously cost both of those teams. I thought that this season with Aaron Rodgers, and for a large portion of it it was, was going to be a different story.
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Chapter 2: How did the Steelers' game plan fail against the Cleveland Browns?
It's we were wrong again time. It's they sucked us in to believe, and then they laid another egg in Cleveland time. And maybe that's just how naive I was going into this game thinking that it was going to be not easy, but a game that the Steelers should go in and take care of business. Now, I was dumb enough. You could blame me. You could throw your bow and arrows at me.
thinking that the Ravens winning that game in Green Bay was actually beneficial for the Steelers. Look how much of an idiot I look like now. I thought that was going to be the case because it gives the Steelers another week where they were scoring 28 points per game since that Buffalo loss last three games.
to put together another good offensive performance, figure some things out on defense, you get Nick Herbig back, you still rest TJ Watt, yes, but then if you win the game in Cleveland, you don't have to worry about Watt against the Ravens. I was worried about rust over rest if they potentially would have sat starters for two consecutive weeks. Thought you would just continue to ride the momentum.
Look where that got you. And something that really caught my eye after the game, because we talk about the noise after you lose, there's two things that stood out. And one was Patrick Queen retweeting a tweet from 2022, 2020, I should say, saying the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
And to me, this automatically means Patrick Queen is throwing shade at Aaron Rodgers for throwing it three times to his homeboy MVS with goal to go. And MVS and Aaron Rodgers being on the wrong page twice and throwing a goal ball to MVS on a similar play that from the back of the end zone looked like Santonio Holmes attempting to go up for the ball.
Except, yeah, this one was not caught and it did not win you a title of any kind. And the other thing was this. What is the atmosphere at Sunday night football going to look like at Akershire Stadium? What do you want to happen at 412-928-9370? What do you think is going to happen? What do you want to happen? Because that's a big question for me.
We're going to break down this game a little bit more in depth as well, like we did yesterday with Pomp. Nick Faribault will join top of the hour. The Mike Tomlin press conference is at noon here, right here on the fan. And also at one o'clock, Brian Bacca will join to break it all down. But my question to you is this, what do you want to happen? this Sunday.
Do you want the Steelers to win this game, go into the playoffs? The Chargers are sitting Justin Herbert, so you're not going to face the Chargers. You're likely going to face either Houston, Jacksonville, depending on what happens in their game, or Buffalo. Do you want the Steelers to win, go into the playoffs, and potentially be embarrassed at home in the playoffs?
Do you want them to lose this week and another big message be sent by the fan base? Because I tell you what, if it is out of hand at any point, but especially in the second half and into the fourth quarter, by a touchdown, maybe two scores, the atmosphere inside the stadium is going to be intense. There is going to be...
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of the Steelers' loss for their playoff chances?
It made me think that this year's team was different. When in reality, it really wasn't. But it just keeps coming back to one thing for me as well. What would have happened if DK Metcalf did not lose his mind... And go after that fan who was acting like an idiot. With the blue hair and the painted chest. And he was able to play in this game. There was no DK. There was no Calvin Austin.
Darnell Washington breaks his arm. No Sayamalo. The chips are falling off the board here. And you won't have DK Metcalf for Baltimore. If DK Metcalf plays, they probably win. The philosophy of how Arthur Smith calls the game is likely different.
They don't play a scared offensive approach until the last series where they finally discovered Pat Friermuth like it was gold buried treasure that Indiana Jones finally found at the end of the movie. That's basically what Pat Friermuth is anytime you use him. He's dependable, he's reliable, and he doesn't even have 40 catches this year.
Because they basically phased him out of the offense to do what? Give the ball more to Kenneth Gainwell? It's worked. Except this game where they didn't give it to him at all. Nine total targets. Nine total touches, I should say, for Kenneth Gainwell. Was targeted four times, made two catches. Just seven rushes on the game. They got away from their offensive identity.
They completely got away from it. 4-1-2, 9-2-8, 93-70. Fan Twitter, it's brought to you by South Hills Kia and Peters Township. Visit them at southhillskia.net. And off the top is presented by J.P. Roofing and Siding. A rundown of today's show. Top of the hour, Nick Faribault will join us to talk some Steelers and the reaction to what people are saying about Miles Garrett as well.
Like, were they paying too much attention to Miles Garrett? I don't agree that they lost the game because of Myles Garrett. One important factor in this to make sure that you don't lose a game is to make sure that Myles Garrett does not have a huge impact on the game. One tackle, no sacks. Two games you've played against Myles Garrett, no sacks. His presence was definitely felt.
That's undeniable. But they've run a quick passing offense all season long where they've gotten the ball out of Aaron Rodgers' hand. I don't think it was much different this time around. Miles Garrett did impact the game, but not to the extent that a lot of people are trying to say that's the case.
Miles Garrett, though, said that the Steelers paid too much attention to him, saying, to an extent, I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron than getting the win. Miles Garrett. I don't want to talk about self-centered. But to an extent, he might have a point. He might have a point. And I think a lot of you out there probably believe that he does.
But a ton of the reasons why they lost this game against Cleveland and makes me not really believe that confidently that they're going to win this game against the Ravens. It's truly a coin flip if they actually do. No DK Metcalf. No Darnell.
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Chapter 4: How does Mike Tomlin's coaching impact the Steelers' performance?
It has benefited the Steelers. The fact that Mike Tomlin has actually given up some control to Aaron Rodgers, which a lot of people were skeptical of before Rodgers signed. Would they do that? They didn't to the previous quarterbacks ever since Ben retired. Would they actually do that to Rodgers? It went to an extreme. It went too far. And it's put them in this position.
where the GM did not do a good enough job of acquiring a wide receiver. Yeah, look how good Jacoby Myers is right now for the Jaguars. You couldn't have offered a little bit better than, I don't know, fifth-round pick? 412-928-9370, let's hear from you. Here's Tim in the North Hills. What's up, Tim? Oh, hello. Yes, I want to make a point that I do feel it was different.
I know the numbers don't appear different at the end, but we're playing for a divisional championship championship We also have a four-time MVP as a quarterback. If we do win, I think we have a more than fighting chance to get beyond the first round. Then you're down to the final eight.
And I think anybody from the beginning of the summer when training camp would start would take getting to the final eight with a fighting chance with a Super Bowl winner quarterback. no matter what his age is. So you think that just getting to this point here, Tim, getting to a winner-take-all game where you had the division in your grasp, despite the quarterback being 42, is rounds for success.
So you are applauding what the Steelers are doing right now. Without question. Okay, so what were your expectations coming into this season then? Again, mine were... They were what? What I heard going into the first time I heard Aaron Rodgers' name was naysay that we're going to be lucky to be a wild card, which means we're on the road. And who's going to be our quarterback? Mason Rudolph?
Okay, I will take this.
huge okay that there's been some mistakes and there's ups and downs and everything but let's talk about the Los Angeles Rams last night what about the Rams they're they're well in they're well in position with a quarterback that's younger a star wide receiver and a pretty good young defense but they laid an egg last night did they not they did yes yeah so there you go so there there's yes they have a younger quarterback Matt Stafford okay uh one Super Bowl win
Versus four? Okay, so you're saying, Tim, that you would rather be the Steelers right now than the Rams, that the Steelers have a better chance to win in the playoffs than the Rams? No, I'm not saying that.
I'm saying we have a better chance than what we had at the beginning of the summer by light years because I know that as a fact because I have a 46-1 bet on the Steelers that will pay off if we win the Super Bowl. Okay, 46-1. Would you take that bet? Right now, no.
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Chapter 5: What role does Aaron Rodgers play in the Steelers' offensive strategy?
It's the yearly annual tradition. The yearly annual Mike Tomlin game against, well, it seems like it's just a reoccurring theme against Cleveland. You might as well just chalk it down every year. Could write it in red pen. When is the yearly Tomlin special going to happen? It's been happening a lot more late in the season.
Texter, so it's acceptable for McVay's team to play down and lose to a bad team on the road, but not Tomlin's, right? No, it's not acceptable for McVay's team and the Rams to do that. What I'm saying is, I think that the Rams, to go into the playoffs, and yes, they're on a little bit of a losing streak right now, they're getting players back healthy.
They are a team that has a MVP favorite at quarterback. That has one of the three best receivers in the game, Puka Nakua, if not the best. It's him, Smith and Jigba, and Jamar Chase mixed in with Justin Jefferson. That has a young defense with Verse and many others that are explosive.
So I'm not giving McVay's team any bit of a pass here and saying that the Steelers should get any bit of a pass here. against the Browns.
But if I'm waking up this morning in Los Angeles and I'm waking up in Pittsburgh, I feel a lot better about the chances, even as a wildcard team, that the Rams could go into the playoffs against a Seattle, against the Bears, against whoever wins the South, that they can go into that game and they can win it compared to whoever might come here for a home game against the Steelers. 412-928-9370.
We'll continue to hear from you. We'll get Logan's thoughts as well. Nick Farabaugh will join the show at the top of the hour. The Fan Text Line is brought to you by Edgar Snyder & Associates, a personal injury law firm where they always say, there's never a fee unless we get money for you. We'll continue to hear from you and also a lot of texts rolling in. We'll get to some texts.
We'll do a mini text in the city as we hear from you. Austin Bechtel with you in for the guys on Pump and Joe. Logan has a headline. We're back in a moment on The Fan.
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