Steelers 16
Eagles 14
@Pittsburgh -4
Philadelphia 44 -205
+175
Projected Win Probability: 65.15%
Titans 26
Steelers 23
Pittsburgh -6
@Tennessee 43 -260
+220
Projected Win Probability: 70.49%
The Steelers really had a chance
last week to make some noise in a weak AFC.
A squeaker at home vs. the Eagles was greatly helped by a couple Michael
Vick fumbles and a clutch 4th quarter comeback drive by Ben
Roethlisberger and the offense.
Despite the Sunday injuries to
Troy Polamalu and Lamarr Woodley, many fans (including myself) thought a win
versus a slumping Titans team on Thursday combined with yet another layoff to
get healthy might lead to better things as we head into our mid-season
divisional matchups.
But another inconsistent first
half offensively, a special teams breakdown to give the Titans seven free
points and a defense that just couldn’t get off the field (the Titans ran 42
plays in the first half vs. 26 for the Steelers) contributed to a 16-10
halftime deficit.
Things also didn't look good on
the offensive line as both Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert left with
injuries. Combine that with Mendenhall
leaving the game after one run in the 3rd quarter (a fitting -2 yard
loss) and it was a depressing performance all around.
The Steelers still gave it a run
(maybe just to tease us) and Roethlisberger led the team on two long scoring
drives to start the second half and take a 23-16 lead to start the 4th
quarter. The hopes of Steeler Nation to
get a win and get out of dodge looked positive at this point.
But yet again, the defense broke
down in the 4th quarter making the 37-year old Matt Hasselbeck look
like John Elway. The Titans rallied with
a 12-play, 80 yard drive that included three 3rd down conversions (3rd
and 8, 3rd and 10 and 3rd and 5) to tie the game with
four minutes left.
Again, hope was not lost as
Roethlisberger looked to engineer a second field goal drive to win it in five
days. Steeler Nation was again tentatively optimistic and pinned our
hopes on the shoulders of Roethlisberger.
But the drive failed inexplicably
so close to field goal range (after a few huge plays to get us there) at the
Titan’s 36 yards line. Mike Tomlin
poorly decided to let Shaun Suisham attempt a 54 yarder on grass (would have
been Suisham’s career long) and it came up short by a couple of yards. With great field position, Hasselbeck again
found a hole in the Steelers’ defense and got the one play needed to give them a
shot to win in regulation and the Titans hit the 40 yarder to win it.
I was more in shock at first than
anything. Then angry. Really angry.
I can’t tell you the last time I've been this angry at the Steelers. It wasn't just the loss, but all the contributing factors to the loss. Ones we've seen time and again and frustrate
so many fans year after year. Penalties
on special teams. Poor offensive line
play. Inconsistent running game. Poor late game clock management and decisions
making. Defensive breakdowns and 3rd
downs allowed in the 4th quarter.
You couldn't write a script that
would upset Steelers fan more than what happened last Thursday.
The lack of late defensive stops
is now not the icing on the cake, but maybe the whole cake. Look at the list of 4th quarter
possessions against this season:
14:11
to 9:23 Denver 20 10 plays, 80 yards 6 first downs Touchdown
8:18
to 3:00 Denver 37 12 plays, 51 yards 4 first downs Field Goal
14:53
to 13:47 NYJ 20 3 plays, 22 yards 1
first down Punt
3:34
to 3:04 NYJ 17 3 plays, 0 yards 0 first down Punt
1:07
to 0:00 NYJ 18 6 plays, 49 yards 3 first downs End of Game
1:31
to 12:13 Oakland 20 11 plays, 90 yards 6 first downs Touchdown
10:45
to 6:30 Oakland 36 9 plays, 29 yards 3 first downs Field Goal
1:43
to 0:00 Oakland 25 9 plays, 49 yards 3 first downs Field Goal
14:51
to 6:33 Phila 21 17 plays, 79 yards 6 first downs Touchdown
13:34
to 9:56 Tenn 25 6 plays, 27 yards 2 first downs INTERCEPTION
8:18
to 4:19 Tenn 20 11 plays, 75 yards 5 first downs Touchdown
0:49
to 0:00 Tenn 45 5 plays, 33 yards 1 first down Field Goal
The
Steelers defense has allowed 40 points on 12 fourth quarter possessions
(3.33/drive), but what is most disturbing is an almost unheard of 86.2% drive
success rate against (that’s the percentage of 1st and 10 situations
that end in either a first down or touchdown). And remember two of the so-called “stops” were
really end of game field goal attempts. This defense literally only gets a stop in a 1st in 10 situation 10% of the time in the 4th quarter.
That’s
as bad a defensive statistic as I have ever studied, recorded or researched.
Something
is terribly wrong with our defense and it is possibly systemic in nature (which
means there are so many problems, they can’t all be fixed). Certainly talent is an issue, but so is
coaching and defensive planning (with this particular group of players).
It’s
probably too early in the season to list ideas and fixes. I have many in my head right now rolling
around (as do many other Steelers fans).
The problem is good fixes (the ones that really help) need to be
implemented in the off-season. They need
to be incorporated into the Program and start with off-season front office decisions
and lead into coaching points during OTA’s and season preparation in training
camp.
I’m
sure Tomlin and Lebeau are going to do some things different week-to-week, but
those are cosmetic in nature. They
aren’t really going to fix the team.
In
my anger, I was about ready to write-off the 2012 Steelers’ season. But Sunday’s games again give us a ray of
hope. Currently only two teams in the
AFC have 2 or fewer wins (Baltimore and Houston). In the loss column we are tied with eight
other teams. We have yet to lose a
divisional game and that brings its own opportunities (starting with Cincinnati
next week).
I
will be honest and say I’m not confident anymore. This team is going to have to show me they
can do it before I start believing in them again. I still have some faith in the offense and in
Roethlisberger (who is having a very good season). I still like the changes Haley is bringing to
that side of the ball. But there are so
many issues with injuries and defensive talent right now that I’d be a bit
surprised if we can plug those holes in the ship and prevent our season from
sinking.
I’ll
keep an open mind for a few more weeks and am curious how we will fair versus
Baltimore. But if we have another month
like we just had, I’ll start taking about fixes and the draft because the
season will be lost.
Go
Steelers.
NFL
Power Rankings
1. New York Giants (4-2)
2. Atlanta Falcons (6-0)
3. San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
4. Baltimore Ravens (5-1)
5. Houston Texans (5-1)
6. New England Patriots (3-3)
7. Green Bay Packers (3-3)
8. Chicago Bears (4-1)
9. Denver Broncos (3-3)
10. Seattle Seahawks (4-2)