Another slow start and key injuries doomed the Steelers from the beginning as they fell to the Las Vegas Raiders 26-17 at the Heinz Field opener.
The day started off with key injuries and they only got worse as it progressed. Prior to the beginning of the game, the Steelers lost Devin Bush and Joe Haden, by half time they were down T.J. Watt and Tyson Alualu too and by the end of the game, it looks like they may be down Diontae Johnson. In the NFL it is next man up and everyone who filled in played admirably but losing four major impact players was too much to overcome.
The offense, particularly the offensive line is a mess right now. Ben Roethlisberger was under duress all day with 10 QB hurries and two sacks. There was no room to run the football and the Steelers only managed to grind out 39 yards. This played a huge factor in the fourth quarter when trailing by two scores, Mike Tomlin opted to punt rather than chance going for less than one yard on the Steelers side of the field. Adding insult to injury when the game was almost out of reach Trai Turner was ejected for spitting and fighting? Not sure how that could have been much worse. It was a lousy performance, capped off by a player being thrown out of the game, not a great week or look for the rebuilt line.
The play calling seems to be inconsistent and despite all this, Roethlisberger played fairly well. He finished with 295 yards with a touchdown and he was able to finally connect on a deep threat to Chase Claypool. Diontae Johnson led the receivers with nine catches and 105 yards. Najee Harris chipped in on the passing game with a big touchdown, the first of his career. There was not much else to highlight on the offense.
The defensive secondary got torched by Derek Carr who made every play he needed. He finished with 373 yards and two touchdowns, including completing a 61-yarder to Henry Scruggs III. With Minkah Fitzpatrick preoccupied with Darren Waller, Scruggs was able to score the back breaker. (The broadcast team was borderline obsessed with Waller, mentioning him on nearly every play) James Pierre had a tough day and was a frequent victim of Carr.
With Watt going out early and without Alualu, the pass rush slowed down significantly. Robert Spillane and Melvin Ingram both performed well and were all over the field as the majority replacements. Cameron Heyward had a big day, but the rest of the pass rush was just a step too slow or nonexistent in key crucial moments.
The special teams had another nice week. Chris Boswell hammered a 56-yard field goal and Pressley Harvin had a very good day flipping the field on the Raiders. Ray-Ray McCloud had some nice returns, with the only negative being he took a big penalty. Overall though this unit looks to be the most improved on the team.
The coaching staff had a tough day with clock management issues and a poor game plan. The play calling was inconsistent and awful for the most part, the fact the Steelers are trailing by two scores and don’t have any confidence in getting less than one yard is just plain terrible. It was a mistake by Tomlin not to go for it, but you could understand the thought process. The Steelers need to make some adjustments and figure out how to get the offense going. The defense wasn’t as bad as the stats indicated, they just seemed to wear down at the end of the game.
It was a tough loss, but there was bright spots and it would be a mistake to have any kind of freak out this early.
Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Chris Boswell, who drilled the longest kick in the history of Heinz Field. Except for one season, he has been an absolute underappreciated star. Also Considered: Najee Harris who is starting to show signs of why he was a first round pick! Diontae Johnson pulling in 105 yards.
Beer of the Game: Was a little under the weather, so the Beer was Root Beer. Had A&W in a frosty mug! I know, this is a blog about sports and drinking beer, but wanted to be honest with the readers! BTW it was delicious.
“Steel the Snacks”: Awful Awful burger sliders from the now closed Nugget Diner in Nevada. My wife KGB recreated this classic in mini form. It was hard finding a definitive snack for the Raiders, especially now that they are in Nevada. We picked a Nevada classic the world famous Awful-Awful Burger.
My Stat of the week: Going with 1-1 a 56-yard field goal by Little Bos. He made history with the big boot and kept the Steelers in the game. (Najee Harris scoring what we hope will be the first of many touchdowns was also considered.)
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers need a win at home and the usual suspect Bengals will be there. The Bengals are dangerous and desperate. Look for a much tougher game than expected with the Steelers edging them out.
This week’s Jersey: Heath Miller, 83, Blackout jersey, one of my favorite players of all time and a very cool looking Jersey.