Recapping the Steelers Loss @ Baltimore + Vibe Check
Well, the general tone on social media is pretty damn negative right now. Surely, I’m not the only one that still has faith in this team right?
The Pittsburgh Steelers marched into Baltimore with an opportunity to secure first place in the AFC North for the season. Needless to say, that didn’t happen, and the Steelers wound up losing 34-17, bringing both teams to 10-5 on the season. Thankfully, the Steelers still have the better record against our conference than the Ravens, so they still ‘control their own destiny’ so to speak, to win the AFC North and host a playoff game in Pittsburgh.
The defense played poorly, and I'll get to that in a moment, but in my opinion, this loss falls on Russell Wilson. In a tie game, in the 2nd quarter, with the offense marching, Russell Wilson fumbled the ball on the Ravens’ 4 yard line, recovered by Baltimore. Their offense would go on a 96-yard touchdown drive and take the lead, 14-7. If Russ slides on the play in the red zone, the Steelers likely punch it in, and take the lead. That’s a potential 14-point-swing on that one fumble. It was inexcusable, and he has acknowledged that. Even still, this game still ended up being tied 17-17 in the third quarter. We were in this damn football game. Then, in the fourth quarter, down by a touchdown, Russell Wilson would throw a pick-six, and it was curtains from that point on. He has a 15/4 TD/INT ratio on the season, so it’s not like these are characteristic mistakes, but that didn’t make them any easier to swallow. I hope he got that out of his system.
Outside of those two plays, I was actually really happy with the way the offense was able to move the ball, for the most part. The 3-and-out in our first drive of the game was tough, because we ended up punting from our own end zone, giving the Ravens excellent field position on a would-be touchdown drive. The offense responded really well, though, with a touchdown drive of their own. The Steelers’ touchdown drive in the 3rd quarter was also really well done and timely. The Steelers’ first play of that drive was a 44-yard bomb to Calvin Austin III, who is proving to be a straight up BALLER for his size. He is becoming a fan favorite, and one of my favorites as well.
The offense wasn’t lighting the Ravens up, but they were playing well enough to keep us in the game, had it not been for the two turnovers by Russell Wilson. I’m just glad that we saw SOMETHING from this offense without George Pickens in the lineup for the third straight game. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were both over 4 yards per carry, and nine different pass catchers caught a reception in this game, so Russ was spreading the love. Mike Tomlin claims George Pickens has a “real chance” to play on Christmas against Kansas City, and that would be…timely….to say the least.
As for the defense, this is the second game in a row where an opposing offense has done whatever they wanted to you. I had high hopes at the beginning of the game when Alex Highsmith won on the edge and forced a strip sack on Lamar Jackson. That ball would be recovered by the Ravens, but I was hoping it was a sign of things to come throughout the game. It was not. The pass rush, yet again, wasn’t able to create very much pressure in this game. We’re not winning consistently enough with four guys, and Teryl Austin just refuses to blitz at a high rate. Zay Flowers had 5 catches for 100 yards, so he was clearly getting loose out there. Joey Porter Jr. left this game with some kind of leg injury (I think a PCL), and with Donte Jackson out with a back injury in this game, depth in the secondary got thin very quickly. Jackson has a chance to return this week, and JPJ was given a DNP in a simulated practice report put out by the team yesterday. Cory Trice will probably be the starter, and I’m actually excited for him to get a big opportunity to show something in a massive game on Christmas Day. If you’re a reader of mine, you know how I feel about this kid…and I would love for him to go out there and have a strong game assuming JPJ is out.
Last week against the Eagles, it really felt like the Steelers sold their soul to stop Saquon Barkley, and Jalen Hurts took advantage of it and threw the ball all over the yard. This week, the Steelers looked like one of the worst run defenses in the league. Derrick Henry finished with 24 carries for 162 yards (a 6.8 ypc average), and that really set up Lamar Jackson to spread the ball, which he did. The star power on their offense is staggering, so I’m hardly surprised that it happened, but that’s two weeks in a row that our defense has looked like it can’t compete with the top offenses in the league. Granted, the injuries are what they are, and the Steelers’ defense is struggling BIG TIME without DeShon Elliot, but look at a team like the Detroit Lions. They’re one of the most injury-plagued teams in football, but still finding ways to win each and every week. There have been times, this season, where I thought the Steelers could be considered in that category, but as we sit here TODAY (December 23rd, 2024), that is just not the case. We can’t stop the run, and we have no pass rush, and that’s a problem. This is not a personnel issue. This is a coaching issue. And, it needs to be fixed quickly.
The good news is, there’s nothing mystical about these losses. @ Philadelphia, the loss of George Pickens was felt in a huge way on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, you sold your soul to stop Saquon, and you did. Jalen Hurts just made the necessary throws. @ Baltimore, that team surely wanted their get-back against us, and they played like it. They’re getting healthy, and their defense is getting progressively better each week, while we’re dealing with injuries and are just trying to keep our heads above water having already secured a playoff spot. Both of those teams are among the favorites to win their respective conferences and contend for a Super Bowl this season, so there’s no need to push the panic button yet. I want to win the division as much as any yinzer on the planet, trust me. However, even if we were to fall to KC this week, I’d rather go on the road in the playoffs with all of our guys healthy than host a playoff game and be missing key players. Also, let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that we run into Baltimore in the playoffs, which is a real possibility…would you want to face that team knowing that you’ve beaten them however many times in a row? We ate a jab by them on Saturday, no doubt, but there’s nothing they did that suggests to me we should be scared of them in a playoff matchup. And, coming off a loss, the urgency will be there next time around. I’m good with that.
Perhaps I’m blinded by my fandom. Maybe this team isn’t winning any playoff games this year…but I just can’t convince myself there’s no hope. This team is absolutely LOADED with talent, and when healthy, we may not be the best team in the league, but we can stand toe-to-toe with anyone, and win in a variety of different ways. If all three phases could play to their talent level every week, we would be fighting for the number one seed right now. Which brings me to KC.
If you love a good underdog story, then you oughta love this: the Steelers, after starting the year off hot, have lost 3 of their last 5 games, and have to host the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day in primetime. Everyone on the Steelers has a chance to play this week, although the same thing was said heading into Baltimore on Saturday so I’m taking that with a teenie grain of salt until the team announces something concrete. I kinda love that this game is happening at a time when the morale of the fan base is at its lowest point of the season. If this was a game I thought we’d be getting our ass kicked in, I wouldn’t love this set up at all. But, don’t let that 14-1 record fool you. This team can be beaten, and it’s not going to take any wizardry, really. Our stars are just going to have to shine in order for that to happen.
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