Things got really weird in last night’s game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But we’ve talked plenty about what happened at the end of the game against the Cleveland Browns, but we are here to talk about the actual game itself. The Steelers fell 21-7 and now sit at 5-5 and are struggling to hold on to a spot in the playoffs.
The game was ugly from start to finish for the Steelers, and you have to wonder how they rebound from this loss. Here are our big takeaways from the game:
Injuries don’t excuse poor play
Running back James Conner and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson all went down with injuries. But this does not absolve quarterback Mason Rudolph for his four-interception effort. This game raises serious doubt about whether he can help this team win going forward.
Injuries don’t excuse poor coaching
Despite some big injuries on offense, the Steelers run game once again didn’t do its part. You could tell from the beginning of the game Conner wasn’t 100 percent, but it falls on the coaches to recognize this and adjust. It wasn’t until Conner was too hurt to continue they pulled him. But giving 13 carries to running backs, on a night when they trailed by only seven points for a good stretch, is unacceptable. And getting 43 yards on those carries is even worse. The Steelers called pass plays twice on fourth-and-short, which tells me the coaches have no confidence in the offensive line or running backs.
No turnovers, no wins
The way the Steelers have won recently in spite of an anemic offense has been the defense’s ability to generate turnovers and score touchdowns. But on Thursday, Pittsburgh did nothing on defense, and that really exposed the problems with the offense.
