Path to the Playoffs

Pitch - 2015

A year end review.

Draft - 3rd pick

1)  Le'Veon Bell - Franchised Tagged

2)  Ben Roethlisberger

3)  Emmanuel Sanders

4)  Ameer Abdullah - Too high?  Too speculative?

5)  Larry Fitzgerald - What were the rest of us doing?

6)  Doug Martin

7)  Seattle Defense - Some say too early, Pitch would disagree.

8)  Devante Adams

9)  Michael Crabtree - Steal

10)  Philip Dorsett

11)  Larry Donnell

12)  Duke Johnson

13)  Chris Polk

14)  Ryan Fitzpatrick - Craziness!

15)  Mason Crosby

Week 1 0-0 Pitch Vs Beas 0-0

A loss (94.95 - 140.58) but very little to nothing that could be done about it.  Ameer Abdullah scored 23.60 and was left on the bench but who would have started him week 1?  Ben Roethlisberger scored well along with the Seattle Def, Larry Fitzgerald, and Emmanuel Sanders, but Doug Martin, Davante Adams, and Larry Donnell were weak.  When your opponent scores 140+, you're likely to lose and that's what happened.

Week 2 0-1 Pitch Vs Adrian 0-1

A win (157.91 - 106.25) and a big scoring week.  Ben Roethlisberger went off for 40.35 throwing 3 Touchdowns against a weak San Francisco Defense.  Emmanuel Sanders went 8-82 and two Touchdowns scoring 28.70 on a whopping 14 targets.  Larry Fitzgerald showed the world he wasn't too old yet scoring 37.2 and Pitch made the switch from Seattle to Cleveland Defense and they scored a very nice 19 points.  After a big first week, Pitch put Ameer Abdullah in the starting line-up but he scored a paltry 6.6 points.  Doug Martin also under-performed for the second straight week.  The drafting of Michael Crabtree was a nice one, scored 26.10 on the bench, but Pitch made a good pick.

Week 3 1-1 Pitch Vs Jimmy 1-1

A win (121.82 - 109.10) and the week Le'Veon Bell returned from suspension and the wait paid off as he scored big with 26.20 points.  Larry Fitzgerald carried the day with an eye-popping 37.40 going 9-134 and 2 Touchdowns.  For the third straight week, Pitch started a Defense that scored in the upper teens.  The only negative for week 3 was Roethlisberger's 3.6 points, but if your quarterback is going to have an off week, have it when everyone else carries the load.

Week 4 2-1 Pitch Vs Laron 2-1

A win (104.44 - 69.69) and the 3rd straight.  Roethlisberger was out, but Pitch wisely had a competent back-up in Fitzpatrick.  Le'Veon Bell was the story for the second week as he pounded out 28 points.  Doug Martin had been poor the first three weeks and was playing the vaunted Carolina Defense so Pitch wisely moved him to the bench.  Martin answered, however, with his best game of the season so far scoring 25.30 points.

Week 5 3-1 Pitch Vs John 3-1

A win (139.45 - 121.05) and now 4 straight wins.  Roethlisberger, hurt, Fitzpatrick, bye week, so Pitch simply added McCown from Cleveland and all he did was score 40.05 points.  Everyone in the starting line-up scored well except for Abdullah.  Doug Martin, still on the bench, scored 36.80.  And for the 5th straight week, Pitch started a Defense that scored in the teens.

Week 6 4-1 Pitch Vs Cow 3-2

A win (111.01 - 66.50) and now 5 straight wins since the week 1 loss.  Fitzpatrick's 30.75, Fitzgerald's 17.30, and Sanders' 21.66, was enough to carry the week.  For the first time all season, a Pitch Defense did not reach double digits.

Week 7 5-1 Pitch Vs Dustin (6-0)

A loss (125.95 - 132.10) but a really good match-up.  Doug Martin and Michael Crabtree scored well coming off their byes.  Fitzpatrick and Bell scored as well.  Really the weak player was Fitzgerald who managed just 6.9, but who'd bench Fitzgerald?

Week 8 5-2 Pitch Vs Matt 3-4

A loss (68.50 - 104.88) and kind of a surprising one because of the collapse.  Fitzgerald and Crabtree were the only players to score basically anything and Crabtree was on the bench.  There really wasn't much Pitch could do about this loss.  It really is just one of things that happens from time to time.  Matt was the first team Pitch had played who had a losing record and he lost.

Week 9 5-3 Pitch Vs AD (4-4)

A loss (146.70 - 165.57) and the third in a row.  Waiver wire priority was big for Pitch this week.  He picked up DeAngelo Williams, who I and many others I suspect tried, and while it didn't get Pitch the win this week, it was huge for the rest of the season.  Playing Doug Martin wasn't the reason Pitch lost, but Martin still confounds Pitch so far this season, scoring only 3.3 points.

Week 10 5-4 Pitch Vs Rich 1-8

A loss (104.15 - 105.25) and a bad loss.  Ben Roethlisberger scored 34.75 points and was on the bench, but, if I remember correctly, Ben didn't start that game, so Pitch wouldn't have known to start him.  Williams and Crabtree let Pitch down and Pitch had Devante Adams on the bench, but who'd have started him? Tough loss.

Week 11 5-5 Pitch Vs Chad 5-5

A win (92.75 - 79.24) and a fortunate one.  Pitch snapped a losing streak that had reached 4 losses in a row.  Two losses were buzz-saws, one loss was a collapse, and one loss was a tough one.  But playing Chad can often be a sweet remedy for those who need a win.  Pitch's quarterback woes continued as Roethlisberger was on a bye so Pitch picked up Mariota and he did ok.  Doug Martin and Larry Fitzgerald scored enough to win.

Week 12 6-5 Pitch Vs Beas 9-2

A win (114.60 - 112.52) and a big one and a very close one.  Huge division win!  Huge Playoff race win!  Quarterback controversy heats up, Fitzpatrick or Roethlisberger?  Sanders or Crabtree?  Lot's of options and choices to make, especially if they are all healthy.  Williams and Fitzgerald carried the day.

Week 13 7-5 Pitch Vs Adrian 5-7

A loss (127.3 - 129.55) and a crushing loss, and a demoralizing division loss, and a big playoff race impacting loss.  Doug Martin on the bench!  Pitch just can't trust Martin because whenever he does Martin fails him.  Roethlisberger was huge with 45.5.  Williams, Crabtree and Fitzgerald were good again.  Defense position for Pitch has been strong all year and remained so.  Tight End has been hit or miss and mostly miss.  Doug Martin!  This loss sets up a historic match against Jimmy week 14.  Jimmy looks great and needs to win to secure the division and the #2 seed and bye.  Pitch needs the win to make the playoffs as a Wildcard.  Goliath meet David.

Week 14 7-6 Pitch Vs Jimmy 10-3

A win (98.68 - 89.45) A win! A win! A win!  With the Playoffs on the line, Pitch gets the win!  Williams, Martin, Ertz, and the Seattle Defense carry the day.  The Seattle Defense may very well be Pitch's team MVP.  That's how consistent they were this year.  Wrong QB?  Didn't matter.  Fitzgerald and Sanders slump?  Didn't matter.  Different kicker almost every week?  Didn't matter.

Playoffs!  #6 Seed.  8-6

4th Career Playoff appearance, once every three years...like clockwork

2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018?

2015 - Pitch

A really good draft.

An opening day loss

5 game winning streak

4 game losing streak

3-1 finish that came down to the wire.

10 games of 100+

6 games of 120+

Multiple Waiver Wire additions that made an impact.

Larry Fitzgerald 278.50

DeAngelo Williams, Michael Crabtree, Doug Martin, and Emmanuel Sanders

Ben Roethlisberger and Fitzpatrick

Seattle Defense 203 points.