Got to Category

Tim Benz Columns category, Page 86

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Tim Benz: ‘Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers suffer humiliating playoff defeat to Cleveland
It was just the latest in a long list of games that the Steelers couldn’t possibly lose, which inevitably they lost. To Washington and the Cincinnati Bengals this year. To the New York Jets last year. To the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos back in 2018. To Ryan Mallett and...
Tim Benz: What was real (and what wasn’t) from Steelers-Browns playoff appetizer
Watching Sunday’s 24-22 Steelers loss in Cleveland felt like a preseason game to me. I spent 50% of the game yelling at the Steelers players to run more aggressively, block better and tackle harder. Then I spent the other 50% of the game yelling at them to avoid getting injured....
Tim Benz: Both sides of run game make Steelers ‘Airing of Grievances’ after Cleveland loss
Sunday’s 24-22 Steelers loss to Cleveland really didn’t matter. The two teams are just going to play again this weekend in the playoffs anyway. And the Festivus season has come and gone. But we continue with our weekly “Airing of Grievances” and “Feats of Strength” into 2021. As, of course,...
Tim Benz: Pass game, Mike Hilton lead ‘Feats of Strength’ as Steelers storm back vs. Colts
Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive woes of late, I’m struggling to best express my level of surprise with how they turned momentum in the second half of their 28-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field. Perhaps, sticking with the tone of the season, I’ll borrow...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans come down hard on Ben Roethlisberger, ‘apathetic’ Bengals loss
Over the last three seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have done more to ruin holiday cheer than the Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge, Hans Gruber and “Bad Santa” combined. The difference is all of those movies have happy endings. The same cannot be said for each of the Steelers’ last three December campaigns....
Tim Benz: ‘Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers horrific Bengals loss; Big Ben, JuJu, fading defense
So much for the idea that the Steelers’ trip to Cincinnati was a “get right game.” I suppose that’s what it looks like when “gettin’ right” goes wrong. The 11-2 Steelers went into 2-10-1 Cincinnati and lost 27-17 in one of the worst defeats of the Mike Tomlin-Ben Roethlisberger era....
Tim Benz: Steelers have plenty to get right in Monday’s ‘get right game’
The expression of the week when describing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Monday night test against the Cincinnati Bengals has been, “It’s a ‘get right’ game.” If you’ve listened to any sports radio at all this week, you’ve heard that phrase applied to the thinking of how things should go down in...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin’s messaging is clear, but some answers are not
Most Steelers fans assumed that their team would fall from its unbeaten perch eventually. However, most didn’t expect to see them tumble down the NFL mountain so quickly. Over the last three weeks, they’ve looked more like a Super Bowl fraud as opposed to a Super Bowl favorite, thanks to...
Tim Benz: The ‘new normal’ stinks, especially as a way to describe the Steelers’ rotten offense
Like everyone else, Steelers fans are enduring everyday existence with the “new normal:” face coverings, closed businesses, social distancing and Zoom holiday functions. Now the “new normal” is a way to describe their favorite NFL team. And it’s annoying in those terms, too. Because, for as much as I struggle...
Tim Benz: ‘Airing of Grievances’ starts with putrid Steelers offense, eroding defense in loss to Bills
For the third straight December in Pittsburgh, it doesn’t appear that Festivus is going to be very festive thanks to the Steelers. They lost three times in five weeks in December 2018. Last year, the team dropped three in a row between Dec. 15-29. Now Mike Tomlin’s team (11-2) lost...
First Call: Browns get loud after Steelers loss; playoff-clinching scenarios in Buffalo
The Cleveland Browns are getting awfully brave on Twitter after the Steelers’ loss Monday. Let’s see how their head coach responds. Aaron Donald is still in top form out in Los Angeles. Just ask the New England Patriots. We have gambling odds on the New York Jets going winless and...
Tim Benz: How big is the top AFC seed for the Steelers? Team history shows a mixed bag.
Washington’s victory Monday evening at Heinz Field hurt in ways beyond just ending the Steelers’ unbeaten season. The struggling offense was further exposed. The defense suffered two more injuries (Joe Haden, Robert Spillane). And the team fell into an 11-1 tie with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC. Technically,...
James Washington explains Steelers’ drops; JuJu Smith-Schuster’s thoughts on WR routes
James Washington is one of the few Steelers wide receivers worthy of praise in recent games. The third-year Oklahoma State product caught a clutch pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 2. He caught two passes for 80 yards including a touchdown in...
Fantasy sports podcast: How the Steelers’ offensive woes are impacting fantasy leagues
It’s time for our weekly fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. We surf through lots of fantasy football topics as we approach the playoffs in most leagues. Are Buffalo Bills running backs smart plays after what Washington did to Pittsburgh last week? On the surface, no, because those...
Tim Benz: Steelers ‘popcorn’ problem exists with passing game too
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin dusted off one of his favorite “Tomlinisms” to describe his offense’s anemic run game. “The bottom line is popcorn,” Tomlin said Tuesday, just a few hours removed from his team’s first loss of the season. Tomlin often busts out the “popcorn” phrase when he wants...
Tim Benz: ‘Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers suffer first loss of 2020. Offensive imbalance, defensive fade
Most realists thought the Steelers would lose eventually. But I don’t think most expected their undefeated season to end against Washington at home. But it did Monday evening in a 23-17 loss. And for all the reasons we felt things starting to wobble. Mounting injuries. An imbalanced offense. A defense...
Tim Benz: Despite beating Ravens, ‘Airing of Grievances’ outweigh ‘Feats of Strength.’ Just ask Mike Tomlin.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t look like an undefeated team. They just looked like a team that somehow has managed to avoid losing. Barely. So far. They outlasted a Baltimore Ravens team that could barely field a roster thanks to covid-19. Yet somehow, during a 19-14 win, the...
Tim Benz: NFL isn’t trying to pinch Steelers. It’s just too dumb to realize that’s what’s happening.
The litany of complaints from Steelers fans over the years is extensive. Ben Roethlisberger’s 2010 suspension without being charged with a crime. James Harrison’s suspension and constant fines. The Jesse James play. And what exactly happened to those Spygate tapes anyway? I know. I know. “The NFL is out to...
Tim Benz: Steelers-Ravens slog shows NFL must streamline its covid-19 contingency plans
Steelers fans all over the country are wondering the same thing right now. How long are Thanksgiving leftovers safe to eat? Can they keep until Tuesday night? Or, uh, Week 18? That’d be a week after New Year’s Day. So you might want to freeze them now if that’s the...
Ravens looking to replicate ‘2005 Steelers-esque’ turnaround
As the Steelers get ready to host the Baltimore Ravens Thanksgiving night at Heinz Field, a question persists. Are they more like the Steelers than we ever want to admit? No, not the unbeaten 2020 Steelers. I meant the 2005 Super Bowl champion Steelers. This year’s Steelers are 10-0, including...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ turnover-happy defense, opportunistic offense key ‘Feats of Strength’ vs. Jaguars
Welp, the Steelers did it. They had three straight “trap games.” But they managed to avoid all the traps. In Dallas. At home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, on Sunday, they plowed through Jacksonville with a 27-3 victory over the Jaguars. The teams have a combined 6-23-1 record. So it...
Tim Benz: Steelers, Chiefs need to avoid AFC ‘middle class’ uprising
Having a strong middle class is usually a good thing. Not if you are the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers or Kansas City Chiefs, though. Elsewhere in life, that’s true. Economics. Politics. Education. You know, less important stuff than the AFC playoff picture. However, there seems to be a rising middle class...
Tim Benz: Big Ben, 3rd down ‘D’, special teams among Steelers ‘Feats of Strength’ during Bengals beatdown
Now that was a 60-minute game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, maybe 50-55 minutes. But close enough as they smoked the Cincinnati Bengals, 36-10, Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field. For perhaps just the second time this season — despite nine wins in nine tries — the undefeated Steelers were better...
Tim Benz: Steelers should’ve played in Dallas without Vance McDonald
Going for a late fourth down during Sunday’s win in Dallas wasn’t the only questionable decision Mike Tomlin made on Sunday. Deciding to take tight end Vance McDonald on the trip is also worthy of second-guessing. Well, IF that’s who we are talking about when it comes to the mysterious...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ issues in Dallas a reality check. Not a wake-up call. Not a fluke.
Some Steelers fans may be struggling to make sense of what they just watched against the 2-7 Dallas Cowboys. A 24-19 escape in a game that should’ve been a breeze. Hey, these are covid times. Nothing really makes sense. Even the Steelers’ 8-0 start. Think about all of those great...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >