Week 14, Steelers 6 Browns 13 @ Mulholland's

Week 13, Steelers 24 Raiders 27 @ Croxley Ales

Week 12, Steelers 17 Ravens 20 @ Angry Wade's

Week 11, Steelers 24 Chiefs 27 @ Rhythm & Booze

Week 10, Steelers 12 Bengals 18 @ Turtle Bay NYC

Week 9, Steelers 28 Broncos 10 @ Dram Shop

BYE WEEK

Week 6, Steelers 27 Browns 14 @ Reservoir Bar

So with the Steelers at 3-2 heading in, this division game against the Browns was looking really important. After last week's close call against the Lions, there was a definite sense of urgency in the air, as well. I figured that it was time to bring out the big guns and head out to a place where the Black and Gold  faithful really get out to represent. The thing is, even though I believe that any bar where they're showing the Steelers game can become a Steelers bar, there's nothing quite like going someplace where all of the fans are there with a common purpose. So even though I don't go to a full on Steelers bar every week, and even though the objective of these articles is more about exploring a variety of sports bars than strictly going to dedicated Steelers bars every week, I do give special attention to places that put their focus on the Black and Gold. Unfortunately, that often means heading into Manhattan, but the Steelers make that sacrifice well worth it. I figured that a must win game against a division rival was a good time to find one, so I headed out to the Reservoir Bar in Greenwich Village, very close to NYU.

Week 5 Steelers 28 Lions 20 @ O'Keefe's Bar & Grill

So this is shaping up to be one of those "Don't take anything for granted" type of years. Even though the Lions have been the worst team in the NFL for the past 50 years, owing of course to The Curse of Bobby Layne, and even though the Steelers have moved in an exponentially different direction than the Lions in the 51 years since Bobby made his way from the Motor City to the Steel City, this isn't the kind of season where the wins come easy. We all know that anything can happen on any given Sunday, and the Black and Gold seem to have set about proving it this year, but a win against the Lions should be as close to a sure thing as you can find in today's NFL. I mean, the Detroit Lions shouldn't even be in the same league as the Pittsburgh Steelers.Sure enough, though, what could have easily been a pad the stats throw away game got way too interesting, but the Black and Gold managed to hang in there and keep the season heading back in the right direction. In the mean time, I had great game watching experience, courtesy of O'Keefe's Bar and Grill on Court St., right on the border of Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn.

Week 4, Steelers 38 Chargers 28 @ Mullanes Bar & Grill

There are times when the last thing on your mind is a football game. It's true. Funny thing is, sometimes that's when it's best to have something like that to shift your mind to. Plus, I know that I need to stay current on my search  for a great spot to catch the Steelers and get some wings, and to do that I need to get out there and report what I find. Also, it was a big game for the Steelers, no doubt, in the sense that they absolutely needed a win to keep the still very young season fom getting away from them. The thing is, Sunday night is often the last time that you want to head out into the night, especially since night seems to be getting here earlier and earlier, but I decided to save a night watching the game with some takeout wings for a little later in the season, when winter has set in and Brooklyn is enjoying its yearly four months of cold wind.

Apparently, though, everyone else decided to pack it in early, because when I got to Mullanes Bar and Grill in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, most of the crowd seemed to have cleared out. That's not to say that the place was empty, but most of the people at the bar seemed to be ending their night rather than beginning it. The weird thing was that, even though there weren't a lot of people in the place, it seemed that every seat at the bar was taken. That was fine by me, though, because I walked into the back dining room, where only a couple of the tables were occupied, grabbed a table directly in front of the big screen, ordered some Buffalo wings from their (limited, but fairly bar standard) menu, and settled in to watch the Steelers do their thing against the Chargers, in prime time no less.

Week 3, Steelers 20 Bengals 23 @ My Parents' House w/ Steaks From Paul's Specialty Meat Market

I was at home in Pennsylvania visiting my family last weekend. One of the best things about being in Pittsburgh during football season is that you can just turn on your tv and watch the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers on gameday. That means you don't have to worry about the buying the DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket , which isn't cheap, and you don't have to look around to find a bar that's showing the game, which, even though it can be fun, isn't always convenient. Let's face it, sometimes there's nothing better on gameday than being able to sit on the couch and watch the Steelers do their thing. It's easy to take it for granted if you live in Western Pennsylvania and can do it whenever you want, but hanging out with the family and watching the Steelers is about as good as it gets. Since I was at home, and had just eaten at Wings, Suds, and Spuds a couple of days earlier, I decided that it would be okay to substitute some steaks from Paul's Specialty Meat Market for my usual gameday chicken wings. The steaks were awesome, but little did I know how far wrong the rest of the day could go.

Week 2, Steelers 14 Bears 17 @ Cody's Ale House

Well, no one said they had to go undefeated. But still, I could have guessed that something strange was going on. There was just a weird vibe in the streets of Brooklyn. Sure, the Steelers were playing Jay "You Hurt My Feelings" Cutler and the Bears, so it seemed like everything should be smooth sailing. Plus, I was going to watch the game at Cody's American Bar and Grill, the neighborhood staple at Court St. and Dean in Carroll Gardens, which is pretty much the local spot for Steelers fans to get together and watch some football with a friendly crowd. I know that Mike Tomlin wouldn't want me talking about last season, and I'd never want to cross The Coach, but Cody's even hosted a Brooklyn Super Bowl party last year. But still, despite all of these good things, I knew that something was wrong. It was just in the air.

Week 1, Steelers 13 Titans 10 @ The Wing Bar

The way I see it, nationally televised games give you a choice if you're out of town and looking to catch the Steelers game. They can be a great chance to hang out a full-on Steelers bar, where you know that you'll be surrounded by fellow Black and Gold faithful. You can hang out at home and enjoy the rare chance to watch a game on your own couch. Or you can go to a spot that, for whatever reason, doesn't have the NFL Sunday Package and wouldn't normally show the game, whether it's your local hangout or the place down the street that has some great wings. For opening night I went the third route. I decided to save my trip to one of the heavy hitters for a bit later in the season and check out The Wing Bar on Smith Street, right up the road from me in Brooklyn.