In an important AFC North showdown for first place, the Pittsburgh Steelers laid an absolute egg. The coaches showed a baffling inability to adjust the game plan, and got out-schemed by the Baltimore Ravens throughout the entire game. If the Steelers wish to move on from this loss, someone must be held accountable for the inexcusable performance in Baltimore.
Pittsburgh Steelers Week Nine Takeaways
Where do you even start? The fact that the Steelers did not convert on a third down until the fourth quarter? That until the fourth quarter, they had 69 total yards of offense? Or even the fact that through three quarters, the Steelers had given away more yards via penalties than they had gained on offense. No, let us instead start at the base of all these problems: the coaching.
Struggles After the Bye Week
Coming off a bye, the Steelers looked like that guy at your office suffering through his first Monday back from a two week vacation to Hawaii. With this loss to 3-4 Baltimore, the Steelers move to 19-23 against teams below .500 since 2012. This statistic shows that Mike Tomlin has an inability to prepare his team for weaker opponents. Not only was this a weaker opponent, but they had an extra week to game plan.
And yet with all that time, Pittsburgh came out of the bye week flat and showed no sign of competence until the fourth quarter. For some reason, the plan through three quarters was to pound the ball with Le’Veon Bell. This was obviously not working, as Bell gained just 32 yards on 14 carries. It took a 21-0 deficit and three full quarters for Pittsburgh to begin throwing consistently. The fact that the coaches could not figure out a winning game plan until the fourth quarter was the biggest issue this week and needs to be addressed.
Penalties Proved Costly
Another issue for the Steelers was penalties. Pittsburgh gave away 99 total yards on 13 penalties. These penalties are inexcusable, especially coming off a buy. In a game where your offense is struggling to find rhythm, penalties can cost you.
Just before the half, Baltimore lined up to attempt a 54 yard attempt. However, Pittsburgh had 12 men on the field and moved Baltimore up five yards. Justin Tucker converted on the 49 yard attempt and gave the Ravens a 10-0 lead going into halftime. On the first drive into the fourth quarter, an illegal formation penalty caused the drive to stall. The resulting punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown. Penalties proved to be costly for Pittsburgh, especially on the road against a divisional opponent.
Not Enough Individual Brilliance
Individually, not many had sufficient games. Antonio Brown struggled against a successful Ravens double team for much of the game. Rookie Artie Burns started strong, but got burned for a 95-yard touchdown by Mike Wallace. As mentioned before, Bell finished with just 32 yards on the ground and 38 yards receiving. Also, Sammie Coates was targeted five times by Ben Roethlisberger but failed to catch a pass.
On a positive note, the defense stepped up and held Baltimore’s offense to just one touchdown and 50 yards rushing. This was a breath of fresh air after being gashed by Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount in past weeks. Also, Eli Rogers had another solid week. Once the Steelers figured out the concept of the pass, many went Rogers’ way. Rogers had six receptions on 10 targets and 103 yards receiving. Most of the little offensive production Pittsburgh achieved was supplemented by Rogers. This is good news for the young receiver moving forward in the year.
This game was very concerning, marking three losses in a row. Even more alarming is the fact that Dallas’ well oiled machine comes into Pittsburgh sitting at 7-1 next week. The Steelers will need another stout defensive effort against the league’s leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott, in addition to figuring things out on offense. If not, the Steelers will be in danger of losing their fourth straight and dropping below .500.
