Madden Monday: Steelers are ‘masters of winning games you would never watch again’
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The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 7-4 by virtue of their 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive is still trying to figure out how that is possible given their frequent inability to score points.
Despite the fact that the offense got to 400 total yards for the first time since September 2020.
“I don’t know what to say about them being 7-4. I won’t know what to say when they’re 9-4 after they beat Arizona and New England. I won’t know what to say when they finish 12-5 or 11-6, except to say now — without saying then too — which is, ‘I still don’t think they’re any good,’” Madden said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.
Part of the reason Madden is dubious of the Steelers’ success is that he feels it’s reminiscent of that 2020 season, which saw the Steelers get out to an 11-0 start before fading badly. That iteration of the team went 1-4 down the stretch, then lost a home playoff game to the Cleveland Browns 48-37.
“I think this record lies, just like their record lied when they were 11-0 in 2020,” Madden continued. “I think their ceiling is only as high as that of the team’s quarterback, which is a worry. They only scored 16 points despite 400-plus yards, and that’s a worry. George Pickens still isn’t as involved as he should be. And that’s the worry.”
Yet the record is what it is. And it’s good enough to currently have the Steelers in the AFC’s top wild-card spot.
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“They are 7-4,” Madden said. “They are the masters of winning games that you would never want to watch again and that you’re sorry you watched the first time.”
All that being said, Madden did point to some tangible things that were evident with the Steelers offense in Game 1 after Matt Canada’s dismissal as offensive coordinator. Specifically, Madden liked pumping the ball to tight end Pat Freiermuth, who had nine catches for 120 yards.
“I like using Freiermuth as much as they did,” Madden said. “I think if you don’t use him like that, there’s no point in having him on the roster, let alone on the field. Because he can’t block. I laughed when they were trying to run a lot, which they did again today, but not involve Freiermuth in the passing game — using him as a blocker, which he can’t do. At least that’s one thing that disappeared along with Matt Canada when he was fired as their offensive coordinator.”
However, Madden identified a different Steeler as the star of the game offensively.
“I think Najee Harris is a lot better than people have given him credit for,” Madden said. “I thought he was the man of the match today (99 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown). Freiermuth’s contributions duly noted. And I think the running game exploded when Broderick Jones got put in, which leads me to think he should have been put in as the starter long before he was. There are a lot of decisions now that got made that are working out where you realize now they should have been made long ago. Not least Matt Canada and having been let go.”
Also, in the podcast, Madden and I discuss Diontae Johnson’s volatile day, the state of the AFC playoff bracket, and the results from the Penguins’ busy holiday weekend.