T. J. Watt Jersey

Steelers vs. Browns: 5 Winners and 5 Losers after the tie in Cleveland The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns kicked off the regular season alongside Lake Erie Benny Snell Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , and in horrible playing conditions the teams finished Week 1 with a big, fat, ugly tie. The 21-21 stink-fest was nothing to write home about, yet there were some good aspects to glean from this performance.During the game, some perform well while others fall short of the standard. This is where the Winners and Losers column comes in. After the game, when the dust (or mud) settles, we decipher who falls into which category. As always, feel free to comment on the list in the comment section below. Be part of the conversation!WinnersJames ConnerStat Line: Rushing: 31 carries, 135 yards, 4.4 ypc, 2 TDs, 1 FumbleReceiving: 5 receptions, 57 yardsIf you take away the fumble, Conner didn’t merely play a tremendous game — he likely would have considered it one of his best considering the circumstances. Conner showed he’s more than capable of shouldering the load and doing many of the things Le’Veon Bell does for the Steelers when he’s on the field. A tremendous effort and a huge confidence booster for the young back moving forward.T.J. WattStat Line:11 Tackles, 8 solo, 4 sacks, 5.5 Tackles for Loss, 4 QB Hits, Blocked FGIf Watt’s performance in Week 1 was any indication of what he’s going to be doing rushing from the left side this year — watch out. Watt was nearly unblockable and took up permanent residence in the Browns’ backfield next to Tyrod Taylor. It wasn’t only promising to see Watt collecting what would be a season’s worth of sacks for some players in a single game, but it was also a plus to see him do this without suffering any setback from the hamstring injury which kept him off the field for the entire preseason. Watt also played well last year in Week 1, but I think we can all agree this performance was night-and-day better than the 2017 version.Ryan SwitzerStat Line:Kick Returns: 3 for 69 yards, long of 28, 23-yard averagePunt Returns: 5 for 56 yards, long of 22, 11-yard averageNo, Switzer didn’t take a kick back to the house, but man is it nice having an experienced and exciting return-man running back kicks. Switzer did a nice job managing space and making something out of nothing each time he touched the football. Although small in stature, Switzer will improve the Steelers’ field position if he continues what he was doing on Sunday throughout the regular season.Pass RushStat Line:7 sacks, 11 QB Hits Benny Snell Jersey 2019 , 1 Forced FumbleSome will suggest it was against Cleveland, as if that doesn’t count, but the Steelers’ pass rush was all over the Browns’ offensive front. It made it seem as if the 56 sacks from a year ago was no fluke, but a sign of things to come for this defense. Cameron Heyward, Bud Dupree and Jon Bostic all registered sacks alongside Watt, but the defensive front, including Stephon Tuitt, was dominant for the majority of the game.QB SneakI still can’t believe we witnessed the Steelers running a quarterback sneak — and it was successful.LosersBen RoethlisbergerStat Line:Passing: 23/41, 335 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, QBR: 22.8, RATING: 60.5, 2 Fumbles LostRushing: 3 for 16 yardsShould fans just start expecting an early-season dud from Roethlisberger every year? Last year in Week 1 he wasn’t as bad as he was this year, but we all remember the start he had to the 2017 season. While the three interceptions he threw in the first half (a new record for Roethlisberger) weren’t all his fault, the rust and lack of rhythm with the passing attack was glaring. At a time when the Steelers were running the ball at ridiculous clips, the passing attack seemed disjointed the entire game. The offensive line didn’t play its best in pass protection, but even when Roethlisberger was awarded sufficient time, it very rarely ended in anything positive. If the Steelers are going to win this year, they’ll need better play from their most important offensive player.Chris BoswellStat Line:3/3 XP, 0/1 FGs, Missed 42-yard game-winnerMaybe it’s a bit harsh putting Boswell in this category, but that game-winning field goal just has to be made. Yes, it was a 42-yard attempt — not a gimme my any stretch — but Boswell has made his money, figuratively and literally, by cashing in on those opportunities. It was disappointing to see the kick sail wide left, and now a tiny bit of doubt creeps into my mind whenever Boswell lines up for another big field goal.OfficiatingStat Line:These guys suckThis isn’t me crying over spilled milk. This is me venting about how poor the officiating was on both sides. There were a combined 23 accepted penalties, but there were far more than 30 flags thrown in the game. At a time when the NFL wants to improve its officiating, it seems across the league they’re moving in the wrong direction. The one play which bothers me the most was the missed call on the punt which clearly hit Nick Chubb’s facemask and was recovered by Sean Davis. There’s no way of knowing for sure Cheap Benny Snell Jersey , but if that call is reversed, the outcome of this game likely is far different. Buckle up fans, this is going to be a long season with the zebras.Joe HadenStat Line:3 tackles, 2 soloHaden didn’t play poorly, but after leaving with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter it looks as if he might be on the shelf for some time. Hamstring injuries don’t just recover in one week, and it’s sad considering how the secondary was looking with him on the field compared to with him on the sidelines. It just seems as though Haden continues to struggle to stay on the football field.Antonio Brown’s targetsStat Line:9 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD, 16 targetsI love Antonio Brown. He’s a tremendous player, but Roethlisberger’s infatuation with forcing him the football can be a bit much at times. The connection between the two is typically uncanny, but it was far from that on Sunday in Cleveland. The two could never find their rhythm and, throughout the process, other wide receivers’ targets diminished.Here’s the breakdown of the receivers, based on targets:Antonio Brown — 16JuJu Smith-Schuster — 8James Conner — 6Justin Hunter — 5Jesse James — 5Ryan Switzer — 1Steelers News: Is Ben Roethlisberger’s banged up elbow the cause of some inconsistencies? The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in winner’s row after a solid performance vs. the Atlanta Falcons at Heinz Field in Week 5. With the Cincinnati Bengals looming ahead in Week 6, the Steelers will hope to “stack wins” for the first time this year and improve on their 2-2-1 record. Something I did last season and I’m going to start again is the Black-and-gold Links article. This is an article where I take stories from quality news sources across the Internet and add them here for your viewing pleasure. I won’t be posting the entire articles, but I’ll link each story and author so that you can read the full article. Today we talk about how it was brought up, by Ben Roethlisberger, that his elbow injury from Week 1 has continued to plague his throwing mechanics. This makes people wonder if maybe this is the cause of his inaccuracies as of late. Not buying it? Me neither, but Roethlisberger downplayed the injury in his media session on Wednesday.Let’s get to the news:Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger says elbow issue not a concernBy: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewA day after unsolicitedly mentioning that an elbow injury had been adversely affecting his throwing motion, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger downplayed the elbow would be an issue going forward.“Ah, it’s fine,” Roethlisberger said from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Wednesday morning. “I don’t even need to talk about it. It’s good.”During his weekly radio show on 93.7 FM on Tuesday, Roethlisberger said he was “dealing with a little bit of an elbow issue,” referring to when he was strip-sacked by the Browns’ Genard Avery late in overtime during the season opener Sept. 9 at Cleveland.Roethlisberger missed two days of practice the ensuing week but has not missed any of the four games since.Just before halftime of this past Sunday’s game against Atlanta, Roethlisberger threw an interception in the end zone to drop his passer rating to 64.6 to that point. He had a perfect rating of 158.3 in the second half (10 for 12, 155 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) as the Steelers scored touchdowns on their first three drives.Roethlisberger said Tuesday that he made an adjustment at halftime to keep his elbow up JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , resisting the temptation to drop it to avoid pain.“It’s something I need to mentally get over in terms of my throwing motion,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday. “I’ve got to keep the arm high to keep the ball driving instead of sailing, that’s all.”Will chippy nature of Steelers-Bengals rivalry be hurt by new rules?By: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe NFL might be gradually outlawing big hits and rough play. But when it comes to the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, Ben Roethlisberger said the new rules might not apply.“Some of the stuff that happens in that game, the rules were made for before that,” Roethlisberger said.“It’s not about just the physicality of the football game to me,” the Steelers quarterback said about playing the Bengals. “It’s when it gets the extracurricular stuff that you wish would be cut out of it – and hope is cut out this time.”The Steelers and Bengals have been division opponents for almost a half-century, but perhaps never before has the rivalry simmered as much as it has in recent years.The most recent meeting between the teams featured 20 accepted penalties for 239 yards. Nine unsportsmanlike conduct/unnecessary roughness penalties were called, three players were fined and one was suspended. Also, three players left the 23-20 Steelers victory on Dec. 4 because of concussions, two were carted off the field and four others left the game injured and did not return.“It’s one of those games that can get chippy times – you hope it doesn’t,” Roethlisberger said. “You hope it’s just a good, hard-fought football game. But sometimes (it isn’t). So we will do our best to all that in the past behind us and go play it like it’s a normal football game.”Ron Cook: Steelers linemen deliver perfect gift by keeping Ben Roethlisberger off the turfBy: Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteWhen he wasn’t ripping NFL officials or dodging annoying questions about constant newsmaker Antonio Brown, coach Mike Tomlin got right to the point when asked to summarize the Steelers’ 41-17 win Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.“That’s an easy assessment. We ran the ball, they didn’t. We protected our quarterback, they didn’t.”That meant a couple of things.For the Steelers, it meant a season-saving — at least to this point — win. They will take a 2-2-1 record into AFC North Division road action Sunday in Cincinnati.For Ben Roethlisberger, it meant the loss of significant money. Get this: He is thrilled to lose it.No, Roethlisberger wasn’t robbed of $80,000 — or a gun — as Brown was, according to TMZ, which earlier Tuesday also reported Brown was the subject of two lawsuits involving his alleged trashing of his pricey Florida luxury condo and throwing objects off his 14th floor balcony, nearly hitting a young child. It’s no wonder Tomlin had a terse “No comment” when asked about the latest headlines involving Brown. Tomlin stepped out of character Sunday when he called the officiating “a joke” and said he was “[ticked] off” about it but didn’t want any part of a Brown discussion. He must be sick and tired of Brown’s antics.Roethlisberger, on the other hand, was eager to talk about his financial loss. For years, he has had a policy of buying gifts for his offensive linemen when he isn’t sacked in a game. That happened Sunday when the linemen also helped James Conner run for 110 of the team’s 131 rushing yards.