So close. Sorry (not sorry) for all your indigestion.
Congratulations Steelers!
In my 44 years of being a Steelers fan, none was as much of a meat grinder as today. And I never thought I’d ever say this, but much respect to the Raiders. And Chargers for that matter. Played to win.
Yep. The Raiders could have run out those last two seconds and not risked a block and return. I’ll smile a bit if they lose to the Steelers in the playoffs.
So would I, since that would mean we’re in the Super Bowl. Not bloody likely, but this is why I watched 11 hours of football today.
I… don’t even know what to say. There are no words. Pittsburgh has no business in the playoffs, and with 2 seconds left the Raiders didn’t have to kick it. But they did. They gave their hated rivals a completely unnecessary gift.
And that’s why I’m at a loss. What can you possibly say to that? Thanks isn’t enough. Thanks to Jacksonville for the amazing early upset as well.
This should never have worked out like this. But it did, and Pittsburgh is in the playoffs. Just… wow.
I went to bed early and missed the Raiders-Chargers thinking that a tie was so unlikely as not to even worry about it. I’m glad I did. I would have had a heart attack.
I agree that the best strategy would be not to kick that FG at the end. Kneeling on the ball gets you in the playoffs. Kicking risks it being blocked and returned and no playoffs. I’m very, very glad he kicked it.
In reality, the Chargers coach’s timeout saved us, as apparently the Raiders were willing to run the clock out. But the timeout got them a bit upset, so the Raiders made them pay. Either way, hopefully this gives the Steelers a mental boost for Sunday night, and maybe they actually show signs of a 1st half offense.
As a third party observer, this was great theater. Chargers/Raiders tied with two seconds to go in OT!? Holy shit.
Congrats to the Steelers on a most improbable playoff berth! I’m not a Steelers fan, but that was some pretty incredible drama.
Well, it started out decently, but after the Watt touchdown the Chiefs broke off 21 points. 21-7 halftime. I’m not optimistic.
But all in all, it’s been a good season, given the circumstances, and they were not supposed to make the playoffs so it’s house money.
They badly need both a stop at the start of the third and a TD (or at least a FG) on their first possession. Otherwise, I think it’s about to run away from them.
Could have been a much better story if it wasn’t for the Swiss cheese defense, Watt’s sacks aside, defense has been bad all season. And they are not cut out for this Chiefs team. But Ben’s having a great 2nd half to end his legendary career.
And with that, the season is over. They kept fighting all the way to the end, but the Chiefs were simply too good and Pittsburgh was too flawed.
See you in the Hall, Ben.
And with that the wild uncertainty of replacing a legendary quarterback for the first time in a generation begins. I still think they should pursue Garoppalo, Wilson costs too much and Rodgers is a nutter on top of his price. Jameis is erratic and they need a steady hand, not a gunslinger. Or they could go with Rudolph for a year and see how it goes, but he seems like a career backup to me.
Also, they’ll almost certainly be losing JuJu, Washington, and Haden. Lots of uncertainty in the coming offseason.
But they made the playoffs and shortened my life with how they played, so while it could have been much better it was still a great year to be a fan.
I could accept this if they can manage to find that rough gem in the draft, and let him watch from the sidelines for a season. But Rudolph hasn’t shown me anything to suggest that he’s even a low order NFL starter. I’d take Rodgers or Wilson, since they both seem to have at least a couple of good years left, and will want to go to a place where they can win right away. To me, Garappolo would be decent if the O Line was Top-10 level, but otherwise I see it as a “stuck in neutral” move. No Jameis, please, as I’d probably have to budget for 2 new TV’s.