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.