The Steelers made a second half comeback but came up short losing to the Miami Dolphins 16-10 and falling to 2-5 on the year.
It was a tale of two halves for the defense, who looked completely overmatched in the first three drives, but eventually settled in and were able to shutout the returning Tua Tagovailoa in the second half. The defensive line were able to make adjustments led by Larry Ogunjobi and were able to stop the run. Cam Heyward chipped in with five tackles.
The secondary after consistently getting torched over the middle this season made the necessary adjustments and held the Dolphins passing game down. It was a great effort by Terrell Edmunds who played well in both coverage and stopping the run, he chipped in with five tackles and played nearly every snap on defense. Arthur Maulet struggled in coverage once again, but he was backed up nicely by Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Cam Sutton played well but dropped a key interception as did Levi Wallace. The Steelers dropped three potential interceptions. (Fitzpatrick was the other) Two of the drops would loom very large as the Dolphins were able to convert two field goals.
The pass rush was horrible and for the first time since week three last year were held without a sack. Malik Reed has been a thorough disappointment and Alex Highsmith was a step behind all game. Tagovailoa’s mobility played a role, but lack of pass rush was a factor all night. Devin Bush played well in coverage and helped clog the passes over the middle, Myles Jack led the team in tackles. Robert Spillane contributed on third downs.
The offense is a mess right now and inconsistent. As predicted Kenny Pickett is going through major growing pains and while he shows flashes of brilliance, he often makes critical mistakes, like two interceptions in the last five minutes of the game. Pickett had 257 Yards and a touchdown, was picked off three times. He also contributed 20 yards on the ground, and he looked like he could have picked up a big chunk on the last play of the game, if he tucked it and ran.
The offensive line did better in protection and is starting to gel, but it continues to be a work in progress. The penalties are killing drives and they still have not opened any big running lanes. Dan Moore’s killer holding penalty late in the game led to Pickett’s second interception. They also seem to struggle with any of the RPO plays with men down field. The running game made the most of the opportunities, Najee Harris had 65 yards on the ground. The Steelers still can’t run the ball consistently.
The receivers are very talented but struggle getting down field. Pat Freiermuth led the team with eight catches. George Pickens chipped in with six and his first career touchdown, a nifty tight coverage catch. Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson each had five catches. Johnson’s touchdown drought continues.
The special teams are literally the same story every week. Chris Boswell is great and an awesome weapon, the return game is mediocre, the coverage units have one or two lapses a game, Pressley Harvin is ridiculously inconsistent. Harvin booted a 57-Yarder Sunday but shanked two others, including at the end of the half that led to the Dolphins last points.
Coaching once again struggled with the clock, losing a timeout because of a personnel issue. They deserve credit because they made half time adjustments after getting ripped for chunks of yards in the first quarter. The defense played great in the second half despite having little to no pass rush. Matt Canada needs to get more out of a very talented personnel group.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: He dropped a big interception, but I am going with the Steelers unsung hero, Terrell Edmunds, who made several second half adjustments and played well. He is tough as they come and has been an anchor for the Steelers secondary. Also Considered: Devin Bush and Myles Jack who are starting to gel together.
Beer of the Game: So much like the Steelers offense, Beers were non-existent last night! We had just returned from being overseas and have been battling jet lag.
“Steel the Snacks”: KGB is going with a Miami favorite, Cuban Sandwiches, because of several factors we were unable to have snacks during the game, we will be having tonight! We picked on some leftover Chicken and pasta salad.
My Stat of the week: Zero sacks, which last happened week three last season and hadn’t happened since the 2016 season before that. The pass rush is non-existent without T.J. Watt. Also, three dropped interceptions (two of which were converted to six points in the game) The Dolphins had picked off Kenny Pickett three times including a two-toe touch backbreaker to end the Steelers final drive by Noah Igbinoghene.
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are in deep trouble against the tough undefeated interstate rival Eagles club. The Steelers need to continue to evolve the defensive strategy and they have the tools to pull an upset but will need to play much better and more consistent football.
Jersey of the Week: Home Black #52 Mike Webster, I have been mistaken a few times for Iron Mike’s son Garrett, love this jersey and was hoping it would bring luck.