Despite a horrendous performance on offense, with a whopping SIX turnovers and a blown 14 point, 4th quarter lead, the Steelers escaped Cleveland without losing, settling for a rare 21-21 tie against the arch rival Browns.
There is something to be said about protecting your players in the preseason and it is hard to argue, however it was apparent that Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger were not on the same page all day. Roethlisberger had three interceptions in the first half and lost two costly fumbles. He missed several receivers and he looked off all day. He didn’t get a lot of help as Jesse James let a pass go through his hands for an interception.
The offense despite the lousy performance had some bright spots, JuJu Smith-Schuster, looks to build off his solid rookie campaign, with a 67-yard catch and run and finished with 119 yards on five catches. James Conner had a tremendous day and finished with 135 tough yards on the ground, two touchdowns and 57 yards in the air. He was the key to the offense and only his fourth quarter fumble dampened what would have been a tremendous day.
The defense put together a respectable performance and kept the Browns passing game in check all day. They finished with seven sacks a huge fourth quarter game saving turnover and made key plays. The rebuilt secondary held up for the most part until they lost Joe Haden. His replacement Cam Sutton gave up the 17-yard touchdown to Josh Gordon but also made the game saving interception. The dialogue will be how they blew a fourth quarter lead, but really the offense blew the lead.
The front seven recorded seven sacks and showed good discipline in maintaining their lanes with a mobile Quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. The Browns never found much running room. Jon Bostic and Vince Williams played well together in their first outing. T.J. Watt had a huge game with 11 tackles, four sacks and the biggest play of the day, a blocked field goal to preserve the tie.
Special teams had a strange day, Jordan Berry looks like he might have righted the ship after a terrible preseason. Ryan Switzer looked terrific in his first game and could be an asset. But Chris Boswell, who was the only known entity on the unit, missed the game winning field goal, something he had four of last year.
The coaching had a terrible day and despite being opening weekend, seemed unprepared again, playing on the road against an inferior opponent. The Steelers were penalized over 100 yards and the game plan seemed completely disjointed. Not a great day for Tomlin and crew. One thing that was good to see, the use of the QB sneak.
In the end the Steelers were extremely lucky to get out with a tie and almost certainly should have lost.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: We toyed with the idea of not giving it to anyone, but T.J. Watt had a heck of a day and saved the game with a blocked field goal in OT. Others Considered: James Conner, who would have won it, if he didn’t have a crucial back breaking fumble.
Where I watched the game: At the house with the Tailgate Kids. We decorated for the game and had great snacks. For the game, KGB made Perogies a ‘Burgh staple and pull apart pigs in the blank with a cheese and mustard sauce. Dinner was Faux-Primanti Brothers. The beer of choice was IC Light for me and for KGB it was Corona Light.
My Stat of the week: Six Turnovers and 116 yards in penalties is horrendous and not worthy of a Super Bowl Contender. On a personal note, I attended the last Steelers tie game and coincidentally the last time they blew a 14 point 4th quarter lead.
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers need a huge bounce back game. If they play like they did against the Browns, the Chiefs will blow them off the field.
This week’s Jersey: Steelers 1970’s #52 Iron Mike Webster. We went to church and brought up the gifts!