The Steelers regression continued Sunday with another lousy performance across all facets of the game losing to the Green Bay Packers 27-17 and falling to 1-3 on the season.
Before everyone buries Ben Roethlisberger, keep in mind that it all starts up front and the offensive line is awful. What has happened to this unit? Last year they couldn’t run the ball, but the protection was solid, this year they can’t do either. The line was absolutely wrecked against a respectable but non-dominant pass rush of the Packers, including watching Trai Turner getting clobbered into Roethlisberger for a strip sack. Dan Moore has played admirably but is clearly not the answer at Left Tackle. They had created early running lanes but being down, allowed the Packers to tee off. Najee Harris had a nice game and was playing well. He racked up 60+ yards on the ground but the Steelers abandoned the running game during the third quarter.
Ben Roethlisberger had a rough game, missing two wide open touchdown passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Roethlisberger was harassed all day and could never get set. He clearly is having issues with the lack of protection and had some drive killing miscues in the pass game. The play calling is unoriginal and seems hauntingly similar to last year. Once again, the Steelers faced crucial fourth down conversions, once again they threw short of the sticks and didn’t convert. James Washington and Diontae Johnson both had solid performances in a tough loss. But the offense is simply just a mess.
The defense even with the return of T.J. Watt had a mediocre day. If it all starts up front on offense, the same can be said of the defense, it is clear the Steelers front is missing Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu. Chris Wormley, Isaiah Buggs and Isiahh Loudermilk are not cutting it. The front was thrashed for 130+ yards on the ground. The pass rush was ineffective, T.J. Watt had trouble all game and was basically relegated as a non-factor, despite getting two sacks. Melvin Ingram and Alex Highsmith were also ineffective and were never a factor in the game. Devon Bush checked in with a sack but struggled in coverage.
The secondary without a pass rush, couldn’t hold up. Aaron Rogers carved up the Steelers for a tidy 248 yards but what was most disturbing was the inability to get off the field on third down. The Packers converted 60% of their third downs. The ineffective third down defense doomed any chance of a comeback.
The Special Teams had an uneven performance at best but there is some cause for optimism here. The good, Little Bos drilled a 52-yard field goal on wet grass, using the upright for an assist. Ray-Ray McCloud did a really nice job on returns. Christian Kuntz had a tackle and looks like a nice fit as the Long snapper. The bad; Pressley Harvin had a tough day, booting three punts including one for a paltry 20-yards, nearly guaranteeing a Packers score. Jordan Berry must be clearing his calendar. The Steelers were absolutely hosed by the referee on a blocked kick. Haden was clearly not offsides on the blocked field goal by Minkah Fitzpatrick and of course that isn’t a reviewable play.
The gameplan was terrible and one of Mike Tomlin’s achilleas heels is clock management. The Steelers were trailing by three scores and punted on fourth and short early in the fourth quarter. They also decided to kick deep despite the fact that the defense couldn’t get off the field all day. It sealed their fate. Matt Canada’s offense is strangely familiar to Randy Fichtner 2.0. There is little creativity and way too many pass plays. The Steelers need to figure out how to run the football and figure it out quickly. Forget the idea of Ben getting benched, he will undoubtedly get injured with the protection he is being afforded.
It is going to be a long season.
Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Najee Harris, he had a very good game and again you can see what the Steelers see in him. He was for the most part the lone bright spot in the game. Also considered: Diontae Johnson who had nine catches for 93 yards.
Beer of the Game: Went with IC Light hoping to bring some luck…not so much. KGB went with Corona Light with a lime. D-man had A&W Root Beer!
“Steel the Snacks”: We went with traditional Beer Brats (Grilled) and homemade Cheese Curds made by KGB. Outstanding stuff, we will provide a photo gallery during the bye week of all the “Steel the Snacks”
My Stat of the week: Despite a loss and the mainstream media and fans calling for his head, Ben Roethlisberger racked up his 400th Touchdown Pass in a Hall of Fame career. He is the eighth quarterback to do it. Roethlisberger is seventh all time with 61,149 career passing yards. Roethlisberger’s 170 total victories as a starter is fifth all-time, behind Brady (266 wins), Manning (200), Favre (199) and Brees (181). Between Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger the Steelers wandered the quarterback desert, remember that when asking for his benching.
My Thoughts on next week: This team looks extremely mechanical and unoriginal. They need much better play calling and need to get some help on the offensive line. They can pull this out, but need a much better game plan.
This week’s Jersey: “Steelhead” Heyward, 97, Away Jersey, Hoping to spark some pass rush, again clearly didn’t work.