STEELERS: 37-36 Splashdown Into The Sea of 7-7s

... and what a crash-landing it was for the Black N' Gold ... cannonballing into the Seven Seas of seven teams with W-L records of seven-up, seven-down once Number Seven rifled that pass to the left side of the end zone -- a few yards beyond the goal-line pylon -- to the waiting arms of Number Seventeen. ////// Fascinating in the sense that the Packers' #26 (the name isn't important, really) was providing quality coverage ... yet, Mike Wallace cradled the pelota and kept his toes inbounds as the scoreboard clock read "0:00." /////// Is THAT what the NFL means by its "Play 60" campaign? /////// Anyway, in several TV markets around the nation, we didn't get much more than GB's final TD + 2-pt.er before the historic march to glory (highlighted by the 4th-down completion to Holmes across the middle and the 3rd-and-long completion to Heath on a deep-out) ... all of which snapped the Steeler's 5-gm. skid. ///// It's probably a good thing that it worked out that way, too, because if some of us had witnessed Tomlin's decision to onside-kick-it following the FG which provided a 30-28 lead ... jiminy christmas, Mike! whattheflockyoudoin'?! ... ///// But, our cosmos is a crazy wonderland ... i.e., after winning the first 11-10 game in NFL history, the Steelers end up on the smiley-face side --> :) <-- of the first 37-36 game in NFL history. //// // //// // What are the odds of that? //// Probably as great as the odds of a black receiver named Mike Wallace playin' for an NFL organization which once had a white LB named Ed Bradley at the same time that CBS had a black guy named Ed Bradley on its "60 Minutes" news program. ///// Still, 37-36 makes y'wonder how many 33-32 games we've had in NFL history (best guess: None ... maybe one ... it'd be fun if it was yer job to research it ... that is, as long as that job had a 401k and a dental plan, y'know?). ////// Either way, the historic 37-36 outcome gave us some long-lasting images ... such as No. 24 (CB Jarrett Bush) gettin' beat for some big gainers (first, by Wallace for the 60-yd. TD on the Steelers' first play from scrimmage ... then by Ward on that 54-yd. completion in which Roethlisberger scrambled, bought time and then let fly with a pass which looked as though he was either throwing a javelin or launching a halfcourt shot at the buzzer). //////// Big Ben very much shredded the Packer secondary (a Steeler record 503 yds. ... see ya 'round, Tommy Maddox!) -- and it is amusing in the sense that Bush wears #24 and the other CB, Josh Bell, wears #26 ... hmmmmm, didn't Packer Hall of Famers Willie Wood and Herb Adderly wear #24 and #26? (that's a rhetorical question ... of course they did). /////// And, for all of us who noticed that Aaron Rodgers wears Lynn Dickey's ol' No. 12, we get a gold star (although we can't remember if the #25 which Ryan Grant wears previously belonged to Harlan Huckleby or Eddie Lee Ivery). /////////// Good thing we're never going to see anyone wearing Nitzschke's #66 and, say, where the heck did KGB (Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila) disappear to? Wouldn't tonight have been a perfect time to see KGB tangle with CFM? go? ////// We miss that guy. ////// We're hearin' a lot how A.J. ree eww ee rrr In this, the game which pitted 2 of the 3 guys from the NFL's "Play 60" TV spots (Hawk n' Hines ... Antonio Gates is the other) eee ewwww eee w aerial circuseii ierieii rri www rere //// //// //// // Looks handsome next to thoseee Beaten the Vikes (11-3), Chargers (11-3), Titans (7-7), Only 4 of the AFC's 16 teams have losing records (Browns 3-11, K.C. 3-11, Raiders 5-9, Bills 5-9) -- and the Curtain has lost to three of 'em. ///// Don't forget that stupid loss in Soldier Field. ////// <<< <<<< <<<>> Balt. would be 3-3). /////

2009
W 38-28 S.D.
W 37-36 G.B.

2008
W 38-7 Texans
W 38-10 @ Cincy
W 33-10 @ N.E.
L 14-31 @ Tenn.
W 31-0 Cleve.
*** W 35-24 S.D.

2007
W 34-7 @ Cleve.
W 37-16 S.F.
L 28-31 @ Denv.
W 38-7 Balt.
W 31-28 Cleve.
L 13-34 @ N.E.
W 41-24 @ St.L
*** L 29-31 Jax.

Going into today's game, Mike Tomlin was 11-0 when the Steelers had scored at least 30 points (but, 0-4 when allowing 30+ pts.).
That's thehhe hhwhwhw In his two-plus seasons, Mike Tomlin's teams have scored
53 times Cowher teams scored at least 30 pts. in a game. The W-L record in those games was 47-5-1.
36 times in his 15 yrs., an opponent scored 30+ pts. >>>> Steelers record was 7-28-1 in those ... 22 of those were by double-digits

More surprisingly, in those 53 games in which Cowhersdddssd only 9 times was the game decided by 7 pts. or fewer (and four of those occurred during the '02 season, most-notably, the 34-31 win over the Ravens to end the regular season, the 36-33 comeback win over the Browns amid the snow flurries and then the 34-31, OT loss to the Titans on the FG by Joe Nedney).
Tomlin's "now" 12-0 record when the Steelers score 30 includes 10 W's by 10 pts. or more (including the 38-28 win over the Chargers the first Sunday in Oct.).
Until we crunched the numbers for ourselves, we had no idea that the disparity was so great.
35-31 or 31-24 are serious anamolies.
The norm is more like 31-14.
Or 34-20.
Or 35-17.
Or 33-10.
Or 31-7.
Or 38-21.
Or (my personal fave): 32-0.


2006
W 45-7 KC
L 38-41 (OT) @ Atl.
L 20-31 Denv.
W 38-31 N.O.
W 37-3 @ Caro.
L 7-31 Balt.

2005
W 34-7 Tenn.
W 34-21 Cleve.
L 31-38 Cincy
W 35-21 Det.
***W 31-17 @ Cincy
***W 34-17 @ Denv.

2004
L 13-30 @ Balt.
W 34-23 Cleve.
W 34-20 N.E.
W 33-30 @ NYG
*** L 27-41 @ N.E.

2003
W 34-15 Balt.
L 20-41 @ K.C.
L 13-30 @ Tenn.
L 13-33 Cleve.
L 21-33 St.L
L 14-30 @ S.F.
W 40-24 S.D.

2002
L 14-30 @ N.E.
L 17-30 Oak.
L 29-32 @ N.O.
W 34-7 @ Cincy
W 31-18 @ Balt.
T 34-34 (OT) Atl.
L 23-31 @ Tenn.
W 30-14 Caro.
W 34-31 Balt.
***W 36-33 Cleve.
L 31-34 (OT) @ Tenn.

2001
W 34-7 Tenn.
W 34-24 @ Tenn.
W 47-14 Det.

2000
L 24-34 Jax
W 48-28 @ Cincy
L 10-30 @ NYG
W 34-21 @ S.D.

1999 //// W 43-0 @ Cleve. ... L 24-31 Balt. ... L 19-35 @ K.C. ... W 30-20 Caro. ... L 27-36 Tenn. ///// 1998 ///// L 31-41 Tenn. ... W 30-15 Jax. ... /////// 1997 ///// L 7-37 Dall. ... L 21-30 @ Jax. ... W 37-24 Tenn. ... W 42-34 @ Balt. ... W 37-0 Balt. ... W 35-24 Denv. ////// 1996 ///// W 31-17 Balt. ... W 30-16 Hou. ... W 42-6 St.L ... L 24-34 @ Cincy ... L 17-31 @ Balt. [ W 42-14 Indy] ///// 1995 ///// W 34-17 @ Hou. ... L 24-44 Minn. ... W 31-16 S.D. ... W 37-34 (OT) @ Chi. ... W 49-31 @ Cincy ... W 41-27 N.E. ... [ W 40-21 Buff. ] ///// 1994 ///// W 31-21 Indy ... L 13-30 @ Sea. ... W 30-14 Hou. ... W 38-15 @ Cincy ... L 34-37 @ S.D. //// 1993 ////// W 34-7 Cincy ... W 45-17 @ Atl. ... W 37-14 N.O. ... L 13-37 @ Denv. ///// 1992 ///// W 30-14 Indy ... L 6-30 @ Chi. /////

Noll 29-3 when scoring 30 //// 48-2-1 >>>> 77-5-1 //// when he was missing the playoffs in 6 of his final 7 seasons,

In those final seasons, Noll was 1-22 in games in which the Steelers surrendered 30+ pts. ... 17 of those losses were by double-digits ... 11 were by 20 pts. or more ...

Noll in '72 thru '80 went 44-0-1 when they scored 30 pts. (28 of those wins were by 20+ pts.) -- until a 45-34 loss to the Raiders on MNF on Oct. 20...
Steelers were 2-8-1 when allowing 30 in '72 thru '79 -- and those two wins were both vs. the Browns during the Super Bowl XIV season ... 51-35 in Cleveland (when Rocky blasted off for that DDDDyd. TD ... on a sloppy day in Municipal Stadium when Sipe was neutralized and Dino Hall was contained ...) and that 33-30 OT eeiwnnee game in 3 Rivers ...
1991
L 34-52 @ Buff.
W 33-27 @ Cincy
L 14-41 Wash.
L 6-31 @ Hou.
1990
W 36-14 S.D.
W 34-17 @ Denv.
W 41-10 L.A. Rams
W 35-0 Cleve.
L 14-34 @ Hou.
1989
L 0-51 Cleve.
L 10-41 @ Cincy
L 7-34 @ Denv.
W 34-14 Mia.
W 31-22 @ Tampa
1988
L 29-30 @ Wash.
L 28-36 @ Buff.
L 14-31 @ Phoe.
L 14-34 Hou.
W 39-21 Denv.
L 7-42 @ Cincy
W 37-34 @ Hou.
W 40-24 Mia.
1987
W 30-17 S.F.
L 21-31 @ L.A. Rams (rplcmnt tm.)
L 24-35 @ Mia.
W 30-16 @ Cincy
1986
L 0-30 @ Sea.
L 7-31 @ Minn.
L 0-34 N.E.
W 30-9 Cincy
L 31-37 (OT) @ Cleve.
W 45-24 @ NYJ
1985
W 45-3 Indy
L 24-37 Cincy
W 36-28 @ K.C.
W 30-7 @ Hou.
L 23-30 Wash.
L 23-31 Denv.
L 44-54 @ S.D.
W 30-24 Buff.
1984 ////// L 27-37 K.C. ... W 38-17 Cincy ... L 7-31 Mia. ... W 35-10 Atl. ... W 35-7 Hou. ... W 52-24 S.D. ... [ L 28-45 @ Mia. ] /////// 1983 ///// W 40-28 @ Hou. ... W 44-17 Cleve. ... L 3-45 @ Det. ... W 34-7 @ NYJ ... L 17-30 @ Cleve. ... [ L 10-38 @ L.A. Raiders ] //////// 1982 ///// W 36-28 @ Dall. ... W 35-14 K.C. ... W 37-14 N.E. ... W 37-21 Cleve. ... [ L 28-31 S.D. ] >>>> (4-0 when scoring 30; 0-1 when allow 30) ///// 1981 ////// L 33-37 K.C. ... L 10-30 @ Mia. ... W 38-10 NYJ ... L 7-34 @ Cincy ... W 34-20 @ Atl. ... W 32-10 @ Cleve. ... L 27-30 @ Oak. >>>> (3-1 when scoring 30; 0-4 when allow. 30) //////// 1980 ///// W 31-17 Hou. ... L 28-30 @ Cincy ... W 38-3 Chi. ... L 34-45 Oak. >>>> (3-1 when scoring 30; 0-2 when allow. 30) /////// 1979 ///// W 38-7 Hou. ... W 51-35 @ Cleve. ... W 42-7 Denv. ... W 38-7 Wash. ... W 30-3 @ K.C. ... L 7-35 @ S.D. ... W 33-30 (OT) Cleve. ... W 37-17 @ Cincy ... [ W 34-14 Mia. ... W 31-19 vs. L.A. Rams ] >>>> (9-0 when scoring 30; 2-1 when opp. scored 30) ////// 1978 ///// W 31-7 Atl. ... W 34-14 @ Cleve. ... W 35-13 Balt. ... [ W 33-10 Denv. ... W 34-5 Hou. ... W 35-31 vs. Dall. ] >>>> (6-0 when scoring 30; opp. never hit 30) ////// ... 1977 ////// L 21-31 @ Balt. ... W 35-21 Cleve. ... W 30-20 Sea. ... [ L 21-34 Denv. ] >>>> (2-0 when scoring 30; 0-2 when allowing 30) ///// 1976 ///// L 28-31 @ Oak. ... W 31-14 Cleve. ... L 27-30 N.E. ... W 45-0 @ K.C. ... W 32-16 Hou. ... W 42-0 T.B. ... [ W 40-14 @ Balt.] >>>> (5-0 when scoring 30; 0-2 when allowing 30) ///// 1975 ///// W 37-0 @ S.D. ... L 21-30 Buff. ... W 42-6 @ Cleve. ... W 34-3 Chi. ... W 30-24 @ Cincy ... W 32-9 @ Hou. ... W 31-17 Cleve. ... W 35-14 Cincy >>>> (7-0 when scoring 30; 0-1 when allowing 30) ////// 1974 ////// W 30-0 Balt. ... T 35-35 (OT) @ Denv. ... W 34-24 @ K.C. ... [ W 32-14 Buff. ] >>>> (3-0-1 when they scored 30; 0-0-1 when allowing 30) ///////// 1973 ///// W 33-6 Cleve. ... W 35-7 @ Hou. ... W 38-21 S.D. ... L 26-30 @ Mia. ... W 33-7 Hou. ... W 37-14 @ S.F. ... [ L 14-33 @ Oak] >>>> (5-0 when they scored 30; 0-2 when they allowed 30) /////// 1972 ////// W 34-28 Oak. ... W 33-3 N.E. ... W 38-21 @ Buff. ... W 40-17 Cincy ... W 30-0 Cleve. >>>> (5-0 when they scored 30; opp. didn't score 30) ////////