Chargers / Raiders Tie

[Northern_Blitz]

Last time it was this crazy at the end of the season, we ended up winning XL.

I remember then everyone thought we collapsed and gave up. Only to change everything up and play without any fears the second the playoffs started.

Just like when we were a 6 seed with nothing to lose, now we’re the 7 seed and no one expects anything from us.

Gotta love that position. If we can take advantage.

I think I'll watch the SI XL DVD this week to try to pump up my optimism for this weekend.

[JTP53609]

When it was 26-14 I was watching and thinking, this is great, getting a tie with a 12 point lead is very improbable. So, of course, what does Herbert do, throws a pick, the Raiders move the ball 30 yards and kick a 50 yard FG to take a 15 point lead and that's when I knew that a tie was probable. The rest is history but the final 8 minutes of regulation and 15 minutes of OT were grueling. particularly since it appeared that multiple times the Raiders had the Chargers stopped only for them to convert 6 - 4th downs and a scramble play 2 pt conversion to tie the game.

Pappy

i said this during the game, rather him not of thrown a pic or lv just punting it instead of making it 15 point game

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

i said this during the game, rather him not of thrown a pic or lv just punting it instead of making it 15 point game

Just checked my phone to see that at 10:56PM I texted my son to say "no FG". Soon after that they kicked it and everything went downhill from that point on until the final play of the game.

[Northern_Blitz]

[T.Ferguson]

I'm not buying that about the timeout, before the timeout it sure didn't look like the Raiders were kneeling. The issue is the Chargers D gave up 10 yards on a simple run play. My take is Raiders didn't want to chance a turnover with a pass obviously, would settle for a tie but didn't want to kneel and look like they didn't care about winning, plus seeding, etc.

[snarky]

The Raiders were in a spread formation an Carr was in the shotgun when the Chargers called time out. All these media people talking about the Chargers screwing themselves are just drama-baiting. Pat McAfee can't do a fifteen minute segment on "Coaches use timeouts to reset their defense every damn week." The world is a lot more boring than everyone wants it to be, apparently.

[NJ-STEELER]

what were the playoff seeding s if they tied.

was vegas 7 and going to KC ? KC whipped them good twice this year.

if that's the case I doubt they were okay with just running out the clock

[LPMAN]

Really good listen!

[crushedspirit]

After watching the last 3 runs a few times,

1st down, Carr under C in a 2TE set with Waller left, and Moreau right. Run call left G/T side with no pulling TE leading the way, and the play is stuffed easily for a loss.

2nd down, Carr in shotgun with Jacobs to his right, it's a 1TE, 3WR set, with Waller on the right. Renfro goes in motion from right to left. Run call left G/T side with no pulling TE leading the way, and Jacobs bounces it outside after a nice block by Miller over Bosa for 7 yards.

3rd down, Carr in shotgun with Jacobs to his right, it's a 1TE, 3 WR set, with Waller on the right. Renfro goes in motion from right to left, (hmmm, didn't we see this last down)?

TO is called by Staley, and he changes his personnel plus formation

3rd down, Carr under C in a 1TE, 3WR bunched up set with Jacobs lined up about 5 yards back. Carr motions Zay Jones right to left, and once the ball is snapped, Moreau starts to pull from right to left as a lead blocker. Moreau takes out Bosa, while the Charger's LB White takes himself out of the play for no reason, and their safety, Adderley, is off doing his own thing in no man's land. Jacobs hits the hole behind the excellent block by Moreau on Bosa. Both Charger linemen Jones and Joseph have a shot to stop him at the 35, but Jacobs has the power and momentum to slip by them, and blast by Samuel to add another 6 yards to the run, downed at the 29.

Here's the obvious. Raiders were lined up with the exact same formation, with the same personnel and pre snap motion, on that 3rd down as they were on that previous 2nd down run play, but before the TO was called. Everything changed after the TO was taken, and they came back lined up with different personnel, formation, pre snap motion, and a lead blocking TE pulling from right to left, which appeared to be a much more aggressive run call. I think the Raiders would always have loved to win if SD couldn't stop them, but they were content to run the same play twice in a row before the TO with minimal risks, with a wait and see approach. The TO allowed them the opportunity to change the entire play and personnel, and the rest is history.

I don't mind people not agreeing at all, but the demeanor seemed to change from nonchalant to a different gear after the TO. Sure, we'll never know if SD would have stopped the same run they saw before, but I think the odds were higher of success considering the same look was on display for the defenders to see pre snap. Either way, the SD defense failed, but Staley never should have called that TO in my honest opinion. Yes, coaches do it to set their defense up the way they want, but very rarely when the clock is already running down.

[LPMAN]

The Raiders coach himself said their mindset changed with the TO. Gave them a breather, time to re-evaluate etc... So yeah you're right. It had an impact.

[NorthCoast]

That was nutz. I was shaking my head all day long yesterday!

If we somehow made it to the show, it would be the most crazy season in history. The chances seem so infinately slim but who would have thought we'd make the playoffs in such a last-minute OT scenario yesterday?

One game at a time. Is there any fathomable way that we could eliminate KC?!!?? Watt would have to have the most monster game of his life.

And some people laughed when Tomlin said "we expect to compete for the postseason every year". Compete for the postseason?... are you kidding?

And yet here they are once again looking for an extra few wins in a season in which they were pretty much written off before it started.

And the Steelers have the least amount of pressure as the 7th seed. The finality of the postseason is what is great. You play great, you move on. You don't play great, you go home. Not like basketball or baseball where, 'well we were good in X out of Y games'.

[hawaiiansteel]

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he fell asleep before team clinched playoff spot

Brooke Pryor
ESPN Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH -- While the rest of Pittsburgh was on the edge of their seats watching the Chargers and Raiders late Sunday night, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asleep.

Tomlin admitted he didn't see the game-winning, overtime field goal by Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson that ultimately sent his team to the playoffs.

"I dozed off," Tomlin said Tuesday. "I knew I had a workday waiting on me, or I assumed that I had a workday waiting on me. I think at one point, [the Raiders] were up by 15, and that number made you somewhat comfortable.

"I'm probably better off not having watched it."

He's not the only Steeler who missed the end of the game in real time. Wide receiver Ray Ray McCloud gathered with some teammates to watch the game, but because they kept rewinding it, the group was behind when Carlson's field goal prevented a tie that would've kept the Steelers (9-7-1) out of the playoffs.

"My little brother called me," McCloud said Monday. "He was like, 'It's rigged, bro. It's rigged.' Then he called me back and was like, 'You're good, you're good.'

"I was like, 'They made it?' So when I watched it personally, I already knew they made it. It was definitely a relief. It was a fun game."

Now that the Steelers -- who had just a 9% chance to make the playoffs entering the last day of the regular season according to ESPN's FPI -- are in the postseason, the challenge ahead is a tough one. They'll face the Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at Arrowhead Stadium. Just three weeks ago, the visiting Steelers were blown out by the Chiefs 36-10.

"They handled us and handled us definitively," Tomlin said. "And so we understand that. But at the same time, we're not paralyzed by that. We accept that we didn't play well enough last time. We accept that we didn't plan well enough last time. But that's the last time."

Tomlin also acknowledged it wasn't quite a performance his team could take much from.

"I don't know how much you learn from it, to be quite honest with you," he said. They smashed us so definitively. More than anything, it's like a reboot."

In that game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 23 of 30 attempts for 258 yards and three touchdowns, while Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger exited early and threw for 159 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Since then, the Steelers have gutted out two straight wins against Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens to reach the playoffs.

"I can't say enough about the group," Tomlin said. "Their buy-in, their fight, their selflessness. You're not in this tournament unless you're all of those things and then some.

"We don't think we're unique compared to the other 13 teams, but we are appreciative of what it is that we've had to do to be a part of this field."

The last two wins were partially fueled by the urgency of Roethlisberger's lasts -- his last home game and last regular-season game. And Tomlin said it's "our intention" to keep riding that wave.

He also said the experience of those tight games coupled with the rollercoaster of the season should help his club in the playoffs.

"We're collectively getting comfortable in many circumstances where most are uncomfortable," Tomlin said. "I think we've been hardened by this process. It hasn't been an easy journey for us, and I think we're getting comfortable with being in these scenarios.

"... I think we're able to execute individually and collectively because of that experience. Hopefully, that helps us as we proceed into the playoffs. We understand that the playoffs are a different level."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33043398/pittsburgh-steelers-coach-mike-tomlin-says-fell-asleep-team-clinched-playoff-spot

[Northern_Blitz]

And some people laughed when Tomlin said "we expect to compete for the postseason every year". Compete for the postseason?... are you kidding?

And yet here they are once again looking for an extra few wins in a season in which they were pretty much written off before it started.

And the Steelers have the least amount of pressure as the 7th seed. The finality of the postseason is what is great. You play great, you move on. You don't play great, you go home. Not like basketball or baseball where, 'well we were good in X out of Y games'.

I was in the camp of "we aren't good enough to be in the playoffs this year". Except for the 6.5 days after the win against the Bills when I was a true believer.

I figured we'd be in the "Bills zone" as one of the best teams to miss so that we wouldn't get a playoff game or a good draft pick.

Happy to be wrong.

[T.Ferguson]

McCloud's little brother calling him saying the game is rigged lol. I might have to agree!

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I don't mind people not agreeing at all, but the demeanor seemed to change from nonchalant to a different gear after the TO. Sure, we'll never know if SD would have stopped the same run they saw before, but I think the odds were higher of success considering the same look was on display for the defenders to see pre snap. Either way, the SD defense failed, but Staley never should have called that TO in my honest opinion. Yes, coaches do it to set their defense up the way they want, but very rarely when the clock is already running down.

The Raiders were in a 3WR set, not your typical turtle ball personnel. After the TO they still ran the ball, so they did not suddenly get aggressive after the time out. The failing by the Chargers was not the time out, it was giving up ten yards on the next play - a run. That is what gave the Raiders an easier FG, not the time out. The Raiders wanted to win that game because a win sends them to Cincy, a tie sends them to KC. I don't know the range of the kicker, but once they got into range I'm sure they were willing to risk the very unlikely block runback TD in order to have a chance to avoid KC.