The Pittsburgh Steelers, fresh off of a nail-biter against the Cleveland Browns, experienced a huge setback in Baltimore against their AFC North rival. With a chance to assert themselves and prove that the first half of last week’s game was their new norm, the Steelers looked worse than the team that permitted the lowly Browns to get back into a blowout game and nearly win it.
Here are five things we learned from their poor effort on Thursday night.
The defensive front is really struggling to stop the run
Last week, rookie Terrance West gashed the Steelers for over 100 yards on the ground after Ben Tate was injured. This week it was Bernard Pierce and Justin Forsett pounding the once-proud tradition of Pittsburgh’s gritty defense. The Steelers defensive front just could not get stops when they needed to, no matter the down and distance.
The problem here starts up front. The defensive line doesn’t get good push off the snap and has done a terrible job of maintaining their gap integrity. Cam Thomas has not earned a paycheck yet after accepting a free agent deal in the offseason. The nose tackle position is troublesome as Steve McLendon continues to be inconsistent. Cameron Heyward and Brett Keisel haven’t been bad, but neither can anchor the line by themselves.
While the defense as a whole has been a concern since the end of the first half of the first week, the inability to slow down the run is out of character for a team that traditionally has excelled and focused on the front seven during the offseason and in the draft. If this is their best, Pittsburgh is in trouble.
The pass defense might be even worse
Free agent money doled out to Mike Mitchell has given the Steelers another flag-drawing hitter at safety. The fact that the flags themselves make little sense doesn’t take away from the fact that Mitchell is not a good coverage guy. Money paid to Cortez Allen hasn’t been repaid by performance either.
Joe Flacco shredded Pittsburgh’s revamped defense just as often as their runners found ways to trample it. As with the ground game, forget statistics and look at situations. When the Ravens needed yardage, through the air or on the ground, they found a way to get it. Cleveland had similar success last week but couldn’t finish. Baltimore finished.
Ike Taylor has been a nonfactor as well. Pittsburgh cannot cover zones well and their coverage schemes don’t mesh. Dick LeBeau has had no luck adjusting the scheme beyond one or two drives. Troy Polamalu is the last vestige of greatness and has played relatively well, but he has never been a pure cover guy and cannot be asked to assume that role now.
In the end, Kevin Colbert’s decision to invest elsewhere in the draft—and at positions that already were relatively solid for this season and beyond—will cost this team wins.
The wide receiver corps is too inconsistent
Beyond Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh’s wide receivers show their youth and inexperience far too much to be relied upon. This season may prove valuable for them to gain experience, but players like Justin Brown and Markus Wheaton have plenty of growing to do.
Brown, one of the last players in on cut day after missing out a year ago, had a costly first-quarter fumble and several poor attempts when targeted by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. If he expects to play in the NFL for more than just this season, getting more consistent is a must.
Wheaton, who excelled against Cleveland, had an uneven game. In the first quarter, he made a poor spin after the catch and ended up basically being tackled by teammate Darrius Heyward-Bey. Wheaton’s speed and solid hands are great assets, and his ability to run reverses is a huge asset. His routes, however, are not crisp and he doesn’t always seem mentally invested in every play.
Le’Veon Bell could be a very special player
Assuming that he can keep his nose clean from now on, Pittsburgh may have found their next great running back. Le’Veon Bell is a special player. He does exciting things every time he touches the football.
Bell has shown that he isn’t the unsure rookie of 2013. He runs with authority and keeps himself moving forward instead of sliding side-to-side or backward. He has proven to be an athletic target in the passing game and a shifty runner on the ground. He’s the complete package and he’s performing at a higher level than anyone around him in black and gold.
The key for Bell will be behavior off the field and health on it. He was dinged up a bit last season and it cost him valuable time. He plays a very physical brand of football as well and seeks contact often. Those are not good traits for someone hoping for a long career, but they do pay dividends on the field in the AFC North.
For now, he’s the Steelers’ unquestioned MVP. He needs to get 20+ touches per game for the offense to consistently move the football.
The Steelers might be a franchise in decline
The longer the listless efforts against other potential contenders continue—and we’re in the third year of below-par performances—people will question Mike Tomlin’s ability to get this team back to the playoffs and into the Super Bowl once again.
The Steelers continued on Thursday night to play a very shoddy version of football on both sides of the ball. They looked like the team that went 8-8 each of the last two seasons. In some ways they looked worse.
But Tomlin isn’t alone. Dick LeBeau’s schemes look out of touch with the current level of play. Todd Haley’s offense looks better but is still not effective in the red zone. Kevin Colbert has continued to invest poorly and away from positions of great need. The staff, as a whole, seems tone deaf to the real needs of this team.
Pittsburgh fans expect success. The Steelers have not delivered it since 2010. At some point, the questions need to be asked regardless of how painful they are to answer. At some point, this team must be put back on its feet. While there is plenty of 2014 football left, this team looks no closer to contending than they did on opening day in 2011.
Bottom line
Since a strong showing in the first half vs. the Browns, the Steelers have been outscored 50-9 by their opposition. Something has to give, and many adjustments are needed to get this team back to the contender they used to be.
