The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 7-5 on the season following a really humbling loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home. Here are my rapid-fire thoughts on what I saw.
Offense
-I will never understand shotgun at the goal line on fourth and one. Let’s also mention the Steelers had Mitchell Trubisky in for his first play which was a sign they weren’t going to throw it. The whole sequence inside the 10 was horrible.
-I appreciate Kenny Pickett but he’s not the guy. Misses too many wide open receivers every week.
-We need a new center in ‘24. Mason Cole just isn’t solid enough in blocking and now all of the sudden he struggles to snap the ball in shotgun.
-The gameplan today was awful. No need to throw the ball that much early on against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.
-George Pickens had four targets in the first half of the first quarter. He had one the rest of the game.
-Pat Freiermuth had three receptions for 29 yards. A significant drop from last week’s big performance.
-Kenny Pickett has now failed to finish five games in his career that he started. Durability is in question whether you like it or not.
-Diontae Johnson may not want to dance while getting blown out. Not a good look.
-Not a particularly good day for the offensive line in pass protection/ Way too many guys getting free at the point of attack.
Defense
-The Steelers are essentially playing practice squad guys at inside LB and it shows. Run fits are inconsistent and pass coverage hurts too.
-Officials made the right call on Joey Porter, Jr. He committed pass interference at least twice on the play in the end zone.
-Stop me if you’ve heard this before but the Steelers were once again victimized by an opposing tight end. Today it was Trey McBride who caught nine balls for 89 yards and a score. The rest of the Arizona receivers caught five balls combined.
-Minkah Fitzpatrick looked like a guy who hadn’t played in four weeks. Missed tackles and seemingly a step slow at times. That said, he broke his hand and had it casted at halftime before continuing to play. I thought Teryl Austin used him wrong all day long too. Why are you blitzing him so much and leaving Damontae Kazee alone in the back? Seemed a bit arrogant to me.
-Best defender on the field today? Rookie Keeanu Benton. Both Mykal Walker and Alex Highsmith played well too. Benton is proving to be a handful for blockers and he’s got some quickness I think a lot of defenders aren’t quite ready for.
-Anyone know what happened to DeMarvin Leal???
-I think T.J. Watt was a little banged up before he tweaked his ankle in the second half. It’s that point in the season so I’m not surprised but he just looks a little “off” to me.
Special Teams
-As bad as everything else went today it was only fitting that Chris Boswell missed a field goal. It was just his second all season long.
-Miles Killabrew, the Steelers’ Special Teams Captain, was called for three penalties today.
Coaching
-A collectively bad day for the entire staff. From Mike Tomlin right on down it was ugly. Very disappointing from a head coach that knows better.
Up Next
The Steelers host New England on Thursday night. Take the ‘under.’
Feature Image courtesy ap.com
