Let's bring in the crew again, and I'm delighted to welcome in.

Dominique is here in Lewis's here.

D.

Wood and Schefty.

I will come to you in a moment on the terrible injury news for the Steelers, but let's just start big picture here.

The Steelers, 11 0.

Why Dominique, Do you think Mike Tomlin was so upset?

I think like Tom was upset because they didn't play well again against another opponent that they should have dominated.

And he knows they can't afford to drop a game.

I know often we talk about teams who go undefeated late in the season we talk about Should they rest their players late in the year, should they be more focused on the playoffs?

I think Mike Tomlin knows that they're gonna need to go 16 0 to guarantee themselves that single first round bye and to give them the best chance to get to the Super Bowl, because I don't think this team is gonna be capable of willing winning three playoff games in a row to get to the Super Bowl.

They're gonna need that by and they're gonna need tohave Kansas City have to come to Pittsburgh, so he knows how important these games are.

They can't afford to drop any of I get that.

But Lewis, here's the way I viewed it.

This.

The circumstances of this game was so crazy with all the delays and all that, the Wednesday afternoon and everything else to me, it felt like just getting the win felt like enough.

Did you think it was as alarming from a Pittsburgh standpoint as Tomlin seems to have?

Yeah, I see what his point is, especially when you're talking about things that really do determine outcomes of games that they didn't play very well at that.

They didn't execute very well, that being in the red area.

And then it's far as you know, dropping passes and not executing just basic fundamental principles of football.

Those are the things that he's disappointed that yeah, you know, it has extenuating circumstances with how this week has been has been managed, as far as you know, from a scheduling standpoint, but the drop passes look, these guys are professionals.

They have one of the best wide receiver chords in the NFL.

And you still chase Claypool, Deontay Johnson?

Uh, Eric Ebron.

They all dropped passes and they all dropped passes that could have put this game out of reach.

There you have James Washington, so they need to do better at that.

The defense as well as it played, could have played even better, making Fitzpatrick dropped the interception as well.

So I think that those kind of things that coaches always Fred over, and I think they need this by because there by weekends have been messed up all year long.

They need the rest.

I don't I'm not really worried about home field advantage because of the lack of fans this year, And I think no matter where you play, the environments gonna be so sterile, it's not gonna matter anyway.

But they just need the rest.

They need a full week where they can just sit back and get their guys healed, stay away from the facility because they haven't really had that yet.

Brain.

Yeah, can I jump in just for a second?

Because I was hit with a Mike Tomlin is, um, in my brain when you started laying out all those excuses, because excuses are the tools of the incompetent.

That's why Mike Tomlin is the champion and you're out here advocating for shooting for ties, so I'll let somebody else say something.

But when I heard that, that's all I could think of was how Mike Tomlin must have just visited in his sleep.

Feeling you make excuses for a team that doesn't want him, that's fair enough on this show.

The standard is the standard NEEK, and we will never forget Schefty.

However, the really bad news in Pittsburgh, they fear, is about the injury.

What do we know about the status of Bud Dupree?

Well, they believe that they're going to learn today that Bud Dupri, their franchise linebacker who did not sign a long term extension tour his A c l.

And you saw him go down and you knew right away as soon as he did, it essentially was non contact.

He grabbed for the knee.

We've seen it happen over and over and over, especially this year, and he limped off the field and again, the moment he did, you knew that it was going to be a significant knee injury.

Now we'll get confirmation today whether it is indeed a tourney.

Cl.

But that is the expectation that he's gonna have a tourney.

Cl He'll be out for the year and keep in mind what I mean.

You just watch him go down in that play.

If you keep in mind at this particular time, they already lost Devin Busch toe a season ending injury.

So now they've lost Devin Busch.

Now they've lost.

But Dupri.

And now that defense that was the strength of this team is not quite as good as it once was.

Absolutely.

And so that's why I want to bring it to my offensive lineman here.

D would if they are indeed now without Dupri the rest of the way.

From an old line standpoint.

Just from an offensive standpoint, How much less scary does that make this Steeler defense?

Oh, it makes him a lot less scary, you know, because when you look at it now, you have two guys that were terrorists coming off the edge edge and TJ widened but debris.

Now, if I'm if I'm on offensive player.

Hey, we can focus our attention on T.

J.

White trying to take him out the game plan.

And if you don't have that rush that the Steelers are known for because they lead the league in sacks, if you don't have that rush, that pressure that they generally generally been able to get.

This is a different Pittsburgh Steelers team, and I know they got guys on the back end.

But when you can't pressure the quarterback, that leaves you highly susceptible toe to the passing game and having a lot of success.

So those two injuries manage, particularly.

But Dupri is going.

I think it's gonna be a difference maker as far as the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, you know, and Nick, at the risk of drawing the ire of Tomlin again by projecting forward, that does feel particularly important.

If we are already thinking about them against Kansas City, right, the ability to get pressure without bringing additional people, that could be a devastating loss, but they do bring additional people and I honestly losing.

But DePriest sad and unfortunate, but I don't think it's gonna hurt their defense nearly as much as the Devin Busch loss But Dupri, I think, benefits quite a bit from their blitz packages.

He's not, Ah, one on one game record in a way that T.

J.

Watt is dominates the pass right show losing.

But to pre.

Obviously, he's a starter.

He's a high draft, highly drafted player.

It matters, but I'm not sure that it changes this defense nearly as much as when they lost.

Ah, flexible linebacker like Devin Busch.

So a very quick final thought here, Luis Riddick as we look, they have tough games left on their schedule.

They have Buffalo.

They have the Colts.

Do you believe the Steelers will go 16 0?

I don't I don't think they'll go 16.

And no, I think they'll be a slip up at some point in time here simply because it's just human nature.

And it's so hard in the NFL.

And they they've got some tough opponents there that will be geared up because every team is going to shoot for him now.

Obviously, you know how that goes.

But as Mike Tomlin says, another Mike Tomlin is, um no excuses, no explanations.

They'll figure it out.

No battle.

Kansas City in the NFC championship game that were already projecting ahead to that.

By the way, if you look carefully at the Ravens side of the screen, their remaining schedule is much friendlier.

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