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A predictable outcome, in what somehow has become an unpleasant habit: the Steelers have lost another football game to a team with a losing record. If you’re counting them, that’s 7 times it has happened since 2013.
Not everything is lost, and there’s some good news: The Ravens and Browns lost, which keeps the division within reach, KC lost too, meaning the Steelers can still win a tiebreaker over them for a Wild Card spot if they manage to beat them on week 16, and after all, the Steelers still hold the driver’s seat for the Division crown: just win out.
Looking for even better news? Of the remaining opponents, only one of them falls into the Steelers fearsome, risky game category: Atlanta is the only one who has a losing record. I’ll break down the Playoff picture later this week, after the Monday night game (which involves one contender –the Miami Dolphins).
Back to the Steelers game, don’t get fooled by the final score: it wasn’t as close as it seems.
Turning points:
This game had several opportunities for the Steelers, either to go up or close the gap. Unfortunately, all of them bounced the wrong way. Here are some of the most notable turning points:
First 20 minutes of the game: The Steelers defense stopped the first three NOs drives, forcing punts, while the Offense was able to move the football. After 20 minutes, the Steelers offense was able to get inside NOs territory 3 times, but settling for two FGs. When you face a high scoring offense, your team has to take advantage of defensive stops. Getting just a 6-0 lead, after stopping them 3 times while being able to move the football into their territory is not what you should be looking for.
2nd quarter, Down 7-6: Wheaton returns the kickoff to the Steelers’ 41 yardline (the longest Steelers return of the season). Two plays after that, the Steelers reached NO’s 42 yardline. On 1st and 10, Ben throws a deep pass to where Heyward-Bey was supposed to be, only to be intercepted in the end zone. The Saints will go on to move the football 80 yards to put the score 14-6.
2 minute drill, end of the first half: Last series of the first half, the Steelers got the football with 36 seconds, at their 20 yardline, with all 3 timouts left. A couple of completions (to Miller and Brown) got the Steelers to the NOs 36 yardline, with 18 seconds and 2 timeouts left. You have 2 options here: try to score 7, or get closer to make an easier FG try. Instead, 3 incompletions later, the Steelers attempted a 54 yarder by Suisham, who missed (fell short). It was a yard longer than his carreer-long. Blame the Stadium, the wind or whatever reason you want, but if you know you don’t have a power kicker and are trying to close the gap, you need to get the ball closer to the endzone. Gaining 5 more yards would have helped, instead of trying to complete passes for more than 10 yards, which the Steelers offense tried to do. The score remained 14-6, and NO would receive the 2nd half kickoff.
Start of the 2nd half, down 14-6: The Steelers defense held NO to an early 3 & out and got the football back. 3 plays later, Cameron Jordan, who abused Adams frequently, batted and intercepted a Roethlisberger pass, which led to a NO quick TD to put the game 21-6.
While it was still a game, 3rd Quarter, 21-13 (a one score game), Ike Taylor showed what many thought before the game: he would get targeted by double moves or deep throws. This one was huge, while Taylor tried to be physicial on Stills and push him out of bounds while looking at the QB instead of his receiver, he missed, tripped and was torched for a 69 yard TD.
4th Qtr with 11 minutes to play, down 28-16: NO has the ball at the Steelers 43, 3rd and 3, Vince Williams sacks Drew Brees for a 10 yard loss. That stop would give the Steelers a chance, on a 2 score game, to get back into it, but that huge play by Williams was negated by a holding penalty by Blake, who 4 plays later allowed Colston to score a TD that put the game away at 35-16, with 10:25 on the clock.
Coach Tomlin blamed lack of cohesion on Offense and Defense during his post-game conference (and was visibly annoyed at some questions, particularly when he was asked about his record against losing teams the past couple seasons).
Methinks otherwise:
The Saints understood the game earlier than the Steelers did: The first three NO drives were stopped, and after that they changed their strategy to a run-first offense, bringing the Steelers safeties close to the box. Even with that, the Steelers Defense wasn’t able to stop the run, and opened up their passing game too. The Steelers, on the other hand, were moving the football by both running and passing during their first 3 series, but were out of sync (overthrows, drops).
After they fell behind 14-6, the Steelers still took a pass-first approach on most of their remaining drives. Even while playing from behind, there was still a lot of time left when the Steelers decided to abandon the run. That allowed New Orleans to keep their safeties deep (and that’s why you didn’t see more of M Bryant), taking away the big play, while opening the middle, which was frequently targeted, and frequently missed by Roethlisberger.
Offense: Are these the same guys who were torching defenses 3 weeks ago?
Ben Roethlisberger had a day off. He’s to blame for most of the incompletions, even when the football passed close to his receivers (I mean, unless he’s expecting Odell Beckham style catches on every throw) he either overthrew or underthrew them frequently. And please, don’t blame that on the hit he received to his throwing hand: he was throwing out of spot before the injury happened, too.
He was picked twice, and could have been picked at least 4 more times (because of bad throws that were his fault, which NOs DB dropped consistently). While the 1st interception was on Ben (even though, Heyward-Bey was unaware of where the football was, which made an easy pick for Vaccaro), the second one was on Adams: he was abused all day by Cameron Jordan, and instead of pushing him outside the pocket, he was expecting the DE to run into him, closing the pocket and letting the DE use his hands.
Le’Veon Bell was underused, even when he had more than 250 yards from scrimmage (I know, 100 of them came on garbage time). While he ran for more than 70 yards in the first 20 minutes of the game (which were good for a mere 6 points), after that he ran 7 times for 25 yards. Not his fault, and he can’t be blamed. He’s a true pro bowler (and probably an All Pro this season). This kid makes things happen, and that’s why you need to get him involved early, often and continuously during the game. And that would have allowed opening up a deeper passing game, earlier. For the ones looking to an opportunity for Dri Archer to show up, he ran once (no gain), and don’t expect him to have a larger role while playing either from behind or in close games: Coach Haley will not give Bell a rest while the game is on the line.
Antonio Brown managed to put up decent numbers, even while he was shadowed during some portions of the game. Meanwhile, Wheaton and Miller were frequently overthrown or underthrown, while still being able to manage some catches. Wheaton’s route running has improved; while Miller’s ability to get open on playaction passes helped him manage 8 catches. Bryant seemed to be a factor on this game after the first series, but after that he was mostly well covered.
Overall, receivers were held without a deep threat opportunity. Heyward-Bey is a fast athlete, who lacks awareness (on that interception in the endzone, he didn’t even knew where the football was) or football hunger. He should have been able to at least fight for the ball and play defender, not allowing Vaccaro to play Center Fielder and grab an easy pick. Wheaton should be taking his spot on deep routes, and Justin Brown called up to play the 5th receiver role.
Offensive Line: While on paper the Offensive Line had a decent game, opening lanes when the Steelers tried to run the football, and keeping Ben relatively clean, they let the Saints block some passes at the line of scrimmage and put some pressure on Roethlisberger. Coach Munchack has been able to develop this unit, which is clearly on its upside (If you doubt it, please go look some tape from the last couple of years). For sure, he’ll correct these issues as the remainder of the season unfolds. Mike Adams started for Gilbert. Adams is a solid run blocker, who sometimes gets abused by pass rushers, and this game was no exception, while Jordan was able to approach our QB on several occasions. Still too early to judge, but after the season is over, the Steelers need to handle their OL depth situation.
Defense: Where are our blitzes, part V?
Our Front 7 wasn’t able to hurry Brees, and gave him enough time to throw. Heyward, Kiesel, Tuitt and Cam Thomas combined for 8 tackles and no sacks. Without being pressured for most of the game, Drew Brees was able to pick apart each and every Steelers DB during the game. He also wasn’t forced into bad throws. Even worse, the Saints gained 143 yards rushing (5.5 yards / attempt) and kept all of their options open: running effectively attracted the Steelers Safeties, opening their passing game. McLendon was missed, Tuitt had a couple of pressures and Heyward wasn’t able to approach Brees. Spence allowed a flat-route TD to their fullback (who was quicker to the outside on that play than Spence). On which was probably the greatest play by this unit, Vince Williams sacked Brees on 3rd down, but was called back by a holding penalty by our DBs. James Harrison and Jason Worilds struggled to pressure Brees, but that was mostly on scheme: both dropped into coverage often, while it’s not their strength. On the injury front, Kiesel was hurt on what has been rumored a season-ending (career ending?) torn triceps. A shot to the Steelers chances, since Kiesel has been a leader on the defense and has made several plays for this team during the ongoing season.
Lacking pressure against a future hall of famer makes him look like… well, a hall of famer. Dropping your best pass rushers into coverage sometimes will help your chances by keeping the QB guessing. Dropping them into coverage frequently will just hurt your chances to get to the opposing QB. Fine line, crossed due to conservative playcalling.
The Saints were able to score on 5 of 6 drives, following their first three. If something isn’t working, and isn’t working again, please change it. What happened to exotic blitzes and exotic looks? Brees is an experienced QB who knows how to handle pressure, when it’s manageable. But he’s also a future Hall of Famer, who knows what to do when given time.
And all of the above helped our DBs get exposed, once again. Gay (1 TD on a misread, 1 long pass completion), Taylor (2 TDs, on a long throw and a missed tackle) and Blake (1 TD, 1 holding penalty on a 3rd down stop) made costly mistakes that kept giving chances to their offense, while having little supports from their safeties. This team hasn’t had a pro bowl caliber cornerback since Rod Woodson, and while everyone in the league seems to take notice, our scheme keeps putting them in position to cover faster receivers one on one, without getting help on deep routes.
Several times this season, the Steelers seem to play without Safeties: they are off-spot, late or torched on a misread (examples can be found on tape against the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Bucs and Colts). McCain was out since the first quarter, and with Cortez Allen out, Blake and Taylor split time at CB. Starting Taylor just after a brief stint getting reps with the team on practice was a risky bet, which resulted in a constant targeting on him, while he was either out of spot or missing tackles. This guy has spirit, but that doesn’t make a guy a pro bowler, and this was the case on this game.
Special teams
The Steelers finally got a big kickoff return (41 yards, by Wheaton), but weren’t able to capitalize on field position (got intercepted 3 plays later). Suisham has never been a strong kicker, and hasn’t been challenged frequently to kick from more than 50 yards. The coaching staff knows it too, and they weren’t able to move closer in an effort to make that attempt easier. While he had 3 field goals (with a long of 49) and is mostly reliable, he’s never to be accounted when attempting a 50+ yarder. Keeping your playmakers in position to make things happen is smart, but Antonio Brown hasn’t been able to contribute as expected as a punt returner since Week 2: his longest return in the game was good for 13 yards (and had another one for 1 yard).
Just Wondering:
Can Fantasy Football help someone’s chances to go to the Pro Bowl or Being named All Pro? Fantasy football owners would be happy to have Bell and Brown, since both accounted for a bunch of fantasy points this game. Will this help their chances of going to the Pro Bowl and / or be named All-Pro? Getting notice around the league is helpful in both categories, and this puts them on the radar again.
Why start Ike Taylor, being out since week 3? This guy is smart, has character and loves the game. But he is not a shutdown CB anymore –if he ever was-, and wasn’t a clear upgrade over what McCain and Blake, particularly playing handicapped. Coach LeBeau loves this guy, but starting him right after he came back was a mistake.
Worst offseason move nominees? For many, free agent signings of Heyward Bay, Cam Thomas, Mike Mitchell, Legarrette Blount are lock nominees. Also, contract extensions of Cortez Allen and Marcus Gilbert. Giving a franchise tender to Worilds would be on someone’s minds too. Is drafting “injury-prone” Shazier with the 1st round pick in the mix now?
Guess this opens the door for Cortez Allen. If he has learned something about being benched, he will most likely have a shot next week, and make the most out of it. If McCain isn’t able to play, this guy will be called up, and will be playing under the microscope.
Rod Woodson. Aaron Smith. Brett Kiesel? Will Coach Tomlin carry Brett Kiesel on the roster, to use him as a motivation for the remainder of the schedule? Injuries and lack of depth will have a say in this, too.
Is Polamalu on a career – low? No interceptions, non-factor in most games, out of spot frequently, is this his last season with the Steelers (or in football)? This guy loves the game, but as methodical as he is, must be wondering about his future.
Free advice to the younger fans: get a chance to see a hall of famer play live, before he retires. Read again the line right above this one.
With that in mind: Is this the time where the next man up should be getting real game reps? Is Shamarko Thomas an upgrade to our DB situation?
And with all of the above in mind, is it the time to go CB on the 1st round of next year’s 1st draft? Look at the roster, and think about it.
Has anyone counted the TD passes at Heinz Field this season? Yes, me and that’s 35, and counting. Almost 6 TD passes per game between the Steelers and their visitors.
What comes next?
A visit to the Bengals on Sunday. Someone has to cover AJ Green and M Sanu. And the easier way to handle this will be to put pressure, early and often, on Andy Dalton, who is mistake prone when hit or pressured. The Steelers still hold the driver’s seat for the Division Title if they win out. Even if they win this next game, and lose another one, they can still have a chance at it. Going further, even if they lose at Cincinnati, they will still be in contention for a Wild Card berth.
Well, I’ll discuss it extensively on a Playoff Picture analysis later this week. For now, keep an eye on the Dolphins – Jets game. While I’m not a fan of rooting for other teams, it’ll be smart to wish everyone in contention loses each week.
By the numbers
6 times the Steelers have scored 30+ points this Season, this one being the first game they score as many points and lose.
7 times the Steelers have lost to teams with a losing record since 2013.
28 Consecutive games where Antonio Brown has 5 receptions and 50 yards, an NFL record.
35 points allowed by the Steelers, a season high.
35 TD passes combined on games played at Heinz Field this season (almost 6 per game).
58 Passing attempts by Roethlisberger, a Steelers record.
254 yards from scrimmage for Le’veon Bell (2nd highest total in Steelers history)
4940 yards passing for the season- Roethlisberger’s projection (308 yards per game).
