Nothing beats a home Steelers game
It had been about 10 years since I ventured to a Steelers game.
Thanks to my amazing wife, Megan, I was rewarded with tickets to Monday鈥檚 game against Miami.
I used to be one of those die-hard Steelers fans who took it personally when they lost, and while I still support the team and watch every game, I have come to realize that what happens to Pittsburgh is no reflection on me. I still have to go to work the next day and try to live my life.
However, it appears that Steelers Nation hasn鈥檛 changed in the last decade, as the fans started to boo when the Dolphins took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and Mason Rudolph took most of the criticism.
There is no denying that Rudolph didn鈥檛 have the best start, but the chants of 鈥淲e want Duck鈥� are a little silly in my opinion. Devlin Hodges is a nice story, and he did have a solid preseason and led the Steelers to a win at San Diego, but there is a reason why the Duck is not the starting quarterback.
I trust that Mike Tomlin and his staff know a little bit more about football than me, and with all due to respect to the adoring fans, he knows more than Steelers Nation. I may trust Tomlin, but most of the fan base doesn鈥檛, and I even heard someone complain about Tomlin when Rudolph threw an ill-advised pass.
The fans definitely bring their 鈥淎鈥� game every time at Heinz Field, and even though she doesn鈥檛 watch too much football, Megan agreed that the enthusiasm at Steelers games far outweigh the other teams in town. The Steelers are still the No. 1 team in the hearts of the city, and that will not change no matter how many championships the Penguins and Pirates bring in. It鈥檚 definitely a winning town, like most cities, but even though Pittsburgh came into Monday鈥檚 game at 2-4, the crowd was ready to go.
The introduction of the starting lineup is one of my favorite parts of going to a Steelers game at Heinz Field. They no longer play the song that the Chicago Bulls used during the Michael Jordan days, which I thought was the coolest, but it was still awesome to hear the defense introduced, with TJ Watt getting the biggest pop from the crowd. It was also neat to have the team come to our side of the end zone in Section 131 and applauding the fans that came out.
Rudolph didn鈥檛 let the poor start or the boos affect him, as he was 20 of 36 for 251 with two touchdowns and one interception. Rudolph beat the Miami blitz with a short pass over the middle that Diontae Johnson took 45 yards into the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime to cut the deficit to 14-10.
Juju Smith-Schuster had his first breakout game this season with 103 yards on five receptions and a 26-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that was the game-winning score, and more importantly, helped me to the most points in my Fantasy Football League this week. James Conner had 145 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown, and Minkah Fitzpatrick tortured his old team with two interceptions on defense.
I doubt I will be attend many Steeler games in the upcoming years, but it was an unbelievable experience and something that I highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go.
缅北禁地 sports writer Jonathan Guth can be reached at jguth@heraldstandard.com.