The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their first primetime game of the year 27-24 to division rival Cleveland Browns. This loss extends the Steelers’ bizarre losing streak in road divisional Thursday night games, which dates back to the 1950s.
Pittsburgh found no balance on either side of the ball for most of the game. The offense started red-hot, while the defense struggled mightily against Cleveland’s weapons. After the first drive, the offense completely vanished, while the defense picked up steam in the second half by forcing two turnovers. Even the ever-reliable Chris Boswell missed a field goal early in the game.
Once the offense found its rhythm again, it was too late. The team’s blunders were too much to overcome, especially since the mistakes continued for both units. It was a frustrating game that featured Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy bickering over playcalling and T.J. Watt yelling at defensive coordinator Patrick Graham through the headset.
The score tells the story of a failed comeback. The Steelers, however, had lost the game way before the clock hit zero.
The Steelers Abandoned What Worked After One Drive
Pittsburgh’s first offensive drive lasted almost ten minutes. The 17-play drive had a healthy mix of pass and run plays capped with Roman Wilson‘s touchdown run off a jet sweep. Jaylen Warren once again looked like the best player on offense, breaking countless tackles after the catch.
Warren tallied 49 total yards in the 78-yard drive. He had nine touches in the team’s first 21 plays. After the Rodgers interception to Denzel Ward led to another Browns score, though, the touches dried up. Warren only saw the ball 11 more times in the next 51 plays, and he never got more than two carries per drive after the pick.
McCarthy chalked up the offense’s inconsistency in the postgame press conference to the natural flow of an intense divisional game in the league.
“Frankly, I think that’s the National Football League,” said McCarthy at the 2:29 mark of the video. He added that the game had “the best environment” of any of the games he has coached at Huntington Bank Field.
This answer only addresses the outcome. It ignores why the team opted to abandon the running game by the second quarter. The offensive line could not handle Cleveland’s pass rush even after losing Mason Graham, arguably Cleveland’s best interior pass rusher, to injury.
The receivers were once again not getting much separation against the Browns’ man coverage, which they played in about 73% of the Steelers’ dropbacks. Rodgers, frankly, looked lost and timid.
McCarthy (and possibly Rodgers, too) is seemingly committed to running 11-personnel even when it is not working. What has worked is 12-personnel, with Pittsburgh loading up on tight ends and having Darnell Washington out there as a tremendous blocker.
The play above perfectly demonstrates how Pittsburgh can maximize Warren’s pass-catching ability and Washington’s open-field blocking to open up their offense using 12-personnel. The urge to have three wideouts out on the field on a night the line is stopping no one is stronger, though.
Rodgers Fought His Coach and His Receivers
Rodgers simultaneously killed the team and kept them afloat. The first three quarters of his night were brutal. Rodgers kept arguing with McCarthy over late play-calling. There was even a moment where the mics picked up his audio crystal clear.
“What the f—! Call it!” Rodgers screamed. The broadcast then cut to McCarthy and caught him saying, “What an a–hole.” McCarthy later said in the press conference he “wished he did not use those words,” but the damage is already done.
Rodgers’ ire extended to the receivers, whom he yelled at for not getting enough separation against Cleveland’s defensive backs. However, Rodgers was not doing his pass catchers any favors. He was missing throws all night and even failed to spot DK Metcalf open behind the safety over the middle on two separate occasions.
Cleveland’s pass rush exposed Rodgers’ immobility all game and completely rattled him. They frequently sent in five rushers and flew past the line, closing in on Rodgers almost immediately after the snap. Rookie right tackle Max Iheanachor gave up six total pressures and two sacks. One of those pressures resulted in the first of Rodgers’ two picks on the night.
Rodgers Had the Overtime Throw and Chose the Wrong One
The fourth quarter saw Rodgers lock in and finally connect on some deep dots, hitting Metcalf for a big gain down the sideline and Washington in the end zone for one of the two touchdowns of the period. Still, Rodgers could not get out of his own way, as his last throw demolished any chance at an overtime win.
With ten seconds left in the game and the Steelers having a timeout, the offense called a bunch of deep routes to get Boswell in comfortable field goal range. Metcalf ran a post and found himself wide open in the middle. A completion there possibly sends Pittsburgh to overtime. Instead, Rodgers chucked it into triple coverage, trying to hit Wilson on an out-go route. The pass was intercepted, and the game was over.
Rodgers’ fourth-quarter heroics ultimately fell flat. To his credit, though, he revived the team after two pivotal forced turnovers from the Steelers defense. The issue lies in the fact that it should not have been needed.
The offense hummed on the first drive when they threatened with the running game. The decision to almost completely abandon it only left Rodgers vulnerable to the Browns’ front, which dominated the line of scrimmage. This was four days after Warren had 176 total yards against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Momentum is a powerful thing. It can also be hard to take back once a team loses it entirely. The Steelers panicked after it swung in the Browns’ favor and only got it back once the damage was done.
If the team wants to compete in January, the offense needs to commit to its identity as a run-heavy unit. Feed Warren the ball and stop needing to depend on a 42-year-old quarterback.
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