Nov 19, 2007
Stumbling Steelers Fall to Jets 16-13 in Over Time
We expected this might happen, right? That vaunted Jets run-stuffing defense would stop the running game and get pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Actually, I don’t think anyone was thinking that, and again the Steelers failed to win at the line of scrimmage. The last time the Steelers got beat in the trenches was their last loss, a game against the Broncos where they also failed to take advantage of the worst run stopping defense. You really can’t feel too good after a loss like this, and while the offensive line was the main disaster, as Coach Tomlin said after the game, “We win together, and we stink it up together”.
- The Steelers started right out with the pooch kick on the opening kick off. At first I looked at it as them having no confidence in their coverage unit (which is still true I suppose), but the more I thought about it, I decided that it isn’t such a bad strategy. Other teams have started doing it as well with guys like Devin Hester. Is it ideal? Not really as you’d rather stop them at least at the 20 yard line. But with the way the Steelers’ special teams have been playing and the way kick returns for touchdowns are on a record pace this season, maybe it isn’t a completely horrible compromise against the better returners.
- The Jets defense has been horrible against the run and the Steelers still couldn’t pound the rock. This wasn’t like the Broncos game either, where the Steelers faked themselves out by trying to pass more– they actually really tried to run it this game and failed badly. There’s been some questioning now on Steelers’ forums of whether or not Willie Parker is any good, etc. Look, he is good. But a game like yesterday played into his weakness. If the offensive line is struggling, he is not going to be one to either make guys miss or knock people over. It is just not something he is great at…
- …which is why, I presume, the Steelers have a guy like Najeh Davenport as their number two back, ready to come in to games like this one. In fact, they did try Najeh and he had a bit of success. At least he was getting three or so yards a pop. I didn’t mind them putting Willie back in later on, but the one part I still can’t understand is why they didn’t use Najeh when it was his time to shine. He has been spectacular so far this season at getting yards at the end of games to help run the clock out. So why when the Steelers got the ball back on a Deshea Townsend interception did they try to run with Willie and not Najeh?
When you absolutely need tough yards to run the clock out, and the other team knows you are going to be running it… are you going to go with the guy that has been struggling to get past the line of scrimmage all night, or do you give it to the guy who was born to push the pile and get tough yards? The Steelers chose Willie, went three and out, and gave the Jets the ball back with plenty of time left. The Jets then went down for the tying field goal (and came damn close to getting the winning touchdown too).
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Slow starts are really killing the Steelers this season. Even in some of their better games they started out slowly, especially on offense. These past two games the defense got in on it as well. The defense did play better in the second half, at least enough to allow the offense to come back. Though they again couldn’t come up with a big play on the last drive of a game, allowing the Jets to boot the game tying field goal.
Not to mention they gave up their first 100+ yard rusher in 34 games. Did that sneak up on anyone else as well? I didn’t even realize Thomas Jones was that close until the announcers mentioned it. It is a bummer to have the streak snapped, but at the same time it isn’t the end of the world. Like I said earlier, despite them not playing particularly like the #1 defense in the league, they still did just enough to win the game.
- I am hesitant to lump the Steelers’ punt in over time into the “another example of how the Steelers’ kick coverage blows” category only because I think the real problem on that play was the awful punt by Daniel Sepulveda. It was really set up by his short kick. He’s had some poor punts lately. I’m not sure what happened. He could do no wrong to start the season.
In fact, it seems like almost everything we held the Steelers in such high praise for to start the season has done a complete 180. Sepulveda’s been unimpressive. After a touchdown and signs he might have been a huge pick up for the Steelers, Allen Rossum’s returns have been pitiful. Willie Parker and the Steelers’ run game looked unstoppable, but after leading the league in rushing Willie has had only 199 yards on 69 attempts in the last three games, for an average of 2.9 yards a carry. Their usually smothering defense has seemed a bit leaky and absent at times. The Steelers seemed trapped in bizarro world.
- All that and I still haven’t gotten to the main culprit last night. So without further ado, the offensive line. I know that the whole team had bad plays, and some bad penalties. But it happens most games; rarely does a team put on a perfect performance on all phases of the game. But at least everyone else did well enough at times. With even a little better performance by the line, they could have won the game. The case has usually been that if the line isn’t the best at pass protection, at least they can run block. They couldn’t even do that yesterday.
They simply got manhandled by the Jets. They couldn’t open holes and they couldn’t give Ben time. The rare times that Ben had a moment, he seemed to have no where to throw to anyway (though I guess that one isn’t the line’s fault). The numbers speak for themselves- Ben was sacked seven times, and Steelers’ runners had only 112 yards on 33 attempts.
Heck, if Ben wasn’t such an escape artist, he might be rivaling David Carr’s record of being sacked 76 times in a season. Or at least the team would probably be no better then .500 right now.
It is cliche and I’ve said it a number of times already myself- but the team is only going as far as the offensive line takes them. If this isn’t proof that the big guys up front just might be the most important part of the offense then I don’t know what is. If the offensive line doesn’t figure something out then the Steelers have all the making of a one and done playoff team.
- OK, now to catch our breath on this last point. It is OK. The Steelers still have only lost three games. They were all games that they should have won, but they were also all games that the were in position to win. It was bad losing to the Jets, but better them then the Browns last week or the Ravens, or the Bengals, etc. Yes, they have weaknesses and a lot to work on. But so do most teams not called the New England Patriots. In fact, I think the only reason that some many people are so down on the team today even though they are 7-3, is that the Patriots are playing at such a high level.
We can’t compare this team to the Patriots right now. No team is currently in their class. In fact, I’m not convinced that the Steelers beating them in three weeks is super important. Ideal yes, but not the end of the world if they don’t. The real time to compare the Steelers to beat the Patriots is if/when they meet up in the playoffs. Right now, the Steelers have to concentrate on shoring up and winning the games that they are suppose to win. Obviously they didn’t do a great job of that yesterday, but fortunately they are in a position to be able to get right back up and get on track. Don’t dump on the team just yet, there’s still so much left to be played.
