The Pittsburgh Steelers finally got over the 400 yard mark in total offense for the first time since 2020 but it wasn’t easy as they beat the Bengals in Cincinnati 16-10. Here are my rapid-fire thoughts on the game.
Offense
-Kenny Pickett says “hello” to the ghost of Matt Canada with a throw over the middle to Pat Freiermuth on the game’s play. Pickett was not perfect today but he was “better.” He was able to use more of the field and that mattered. He wound up 24/33 for 278 yards. Most notably his yards per completion jumped to 8.4 yards.
-Diontae Johnson’s maturity or lack thereof is a problem. He continues to drop balls, not run upfield and literally stands and watches as the Bengals return a Jaylen Warren fumble. I’m guessing we’ll hear about Johnson’s lack of effort all week long and rightfully so. If the Standard is the Standard then this wasn’t even close to it. He ended up with four receptions for 50 yards.
-Najee Harris ran as hard as I’ve seen him this year. Every run was a bulldozer-like play. He carried 15 times for 99 yards and a score. He had two big runs late to help ice the game.
-The Bengals tackled Jaylen Warren as well as any team has this year. He was able to put together 49 yards on 13 carries but wasn’t as effective as he’s been in recent weeks.
-Great to see Pat Freiermuth finally get used properly. There is zero reason he shouldn’t be targeted like this more often. He collected 120 yards on nine receptions.
-Broderick Jones got some good lessons today. He was beaten a few times in pass protection and that happens even to the best.
-George Pickens had three receptions for 58 yards including a sensational over the shoulder catch that led to the game-clinching field goal.
Defense
-Really dumb penalty by T.J. Watt right before the two minute warning. Chandon Sullivan should have had the sack but still, dumb move by Watt. Thankfully it didn’t lead to points. Overall Watt was a consistent pain in the rear collecting two sacks and five tackles.
-Speaking of Sullivan, the Steelers desperately need an upgrade at slot corner.
-Trenton Thompson has played very well in relief of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal. He’s not perfect but he’s been a nice surprise. His INT led to a Steelers’ TD.
-How many times did the Steelers tip a ball only for it to be caught? Three? Crazy.
-Granted, no Joe Burrow back there slinging it, but Joey Porter, Jr did a decent job on Ja’Marr Chase. I thought Patrick Peterson played well too.
-Elandon Roberts led the team with six tackles. His presence cannot go unmentioned. He’s done a great job with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander out for the season.
-What a great sack by Nate Herbig who came flying up from coverage to stone Jake Browning. It was a perfect example of how to tackle and force a player to make a decision.
Special Teams
-When you get a punt that lands inside the ten your gunners have to keep that ball out of the end zone.
-Ho-hum…. Another perfect day for Chris Boswell. 3 for 3 on his field goals and 1 for 1 on his PATs.
-Danny Smith has to shore up the kick coverage teams. The last couple of weeks have seen way too much yardage surrendered on kick returns.
Coaching
-Two things are true here. The offense produced a lot more in terms of yardage than they have under Matt Canada recently. But… the Bengals D isn’t exactly the Browns.
-I had no problem with Mike Tomlin not challenging the Diontae Johnson ‘catch’ in the back of the end zone in the first quarter. Gene Steratore claimed it was a catch as he got three steps in but the fact that he didn’t ‘complete the catch’ is what made me think it wouldn’t be overturned.
-Great job by Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan. The two biggest things I noticed were getting the ball deeper in the backfield and allowing Pickett to use the middle of the field.
