FanPost

The Good, the Bad, and Bert... against the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Good: We've had more good in this game than some of the earlier games... and on the surface that's progress.

1. Special Teams: This team dominated the game. We had several long field goals, a pair of big returns that nearly went for touchdowns, and one blocked extra point attempt. That was awesome.

2. A Good Ground Game: Sure, Zeke didn't have huge numbers... but the team rushed for over 100 yards and did manage to move the ball well on the ground against a good Steelers defense... and this actually helped Gilbert out through much of the game.

3. Defense through the 3rd Quarter: This unit has been exposed repeatedly... but for much of the game, it actually dominated the game. They forced punts and even got to Roethlisberger to rush his throws. And even in the 4th... and trailing... the managed to stop the Steelers on 4th Down and giving the offense a shot at winning the game.

The Bad: There wasn't as much that was bad in this game, all things considered... but what was bad was so bad that it cost the team an upset...

1. Penalties: This was the biggest problem for the team in the game. There were seven penalties and most of them were in the fourth quarter and this doomed the team. On the Steelers' drive that put them up 24-19 the drive started with three straight incomplete passes and the Dallas defense was set up to force a punt and give the offense the chance to run out the clock... or at least put more pressure on the Steelers... and then they hit Roethlisberger on the 3rd down play and got a 15 yard penalty assessed, and extending the drive. This then helped set up the score.

2. Turnovers: This was a huge part of the game... as Lamb's fumble at the end of the first half allowed the Steelers to end it on a 9-0 run and then Gilbert's INT took points away from at least getting an additional three points that the team could have used by the time we got to the final drive.

3. Defense in the 4th Quarter: Despite playing well for much of the game... they collapsed in the 4th quarter, giving up plays and at times committing penalties even when they did make plays. They got a turnover on downs on the last Steeler's drive, but by that point Dallas was down 24-19 and they were just trying to run out the clock and avoid another big special teams play going against them.

The Bert: He wasn't great... but he was something that neither Dalton nor DiNucci have been. He was reasonably effective. Did he have a lot of big plays? No... but his throws were largely on target and managed to move the ball. He also had a few good runs that helped with the ground game, and to an extent... that's about the best one can expect from a guy that's never started in the NFL before going against the Steeler defense that has managed to win battles against far better QBs than Gilbert. The INT hurt and that was part of what enable the loss... but at the same time, the Steelers only got a field goal on the following drive and I'd argue the penalties did more to lose this game than Gilbert's pick.

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