Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Friday.
The Kickoff
One could argue that the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers even got as close as they did last night in Cleveland was pretty impressive. They were as awful as any team could be in the second quarter falling behind 21-10 at the break. Yet there they were, tied at 24 with under two minutes to go. Even after surrendering the game-winning field goal they had a timeout left and ten seconds on the clock while starting at the 35. It all ended in a blink as Aaron Rodgers chose to chuck the ball deep into triple coverage rather than take a wide open D.K. Metcalf down the middle. The interception ended the game and it was a fitting end too. It was the capper on a real shitshow.
Offense
-Aaron Rodgers was brought back to keep the franchise competitive and there are times when his talent comes through. But he is not playing well. I don’t place it all on him but he’s taking bad sacks and he’s missing way too many receivers that are running free. He finished 22/40 for 299 yards 3TD/2INT and was sacked five times. The Steelers could be building for the future right now but instead are pushing the future back another year.
-Jaylen Warren had another 20 touches (17 carries for 93 yards and three catches for 33 yards) proving that he’s easily RB1 for this team. How sustainable is this however?? The team has to find someone capable of spelling him.
-The offensive line came back to earth. The Browns targeted the right side of the line all night while playing man coverage behind. Max Iheanchor looked like a rookie but he had good moments too. This is to be expected in his second career start.
-Mike McCarthy found himself in a difficult spot last night. He knew they needed to keep running the ball but with only Warren doing the work he went to the pass more often than he should have to limit the wear and tear on him. Being down 11 didn’t help either.
-Going 4/10 on third downs isn’t going to cut it.
-The absolute best call and best execution of the night was the opening touchdown in which Roman Wilson scored. The motion and quickness had the Browns confused and Pat Freiermuth had another big block to spring him. Speaking of Wilson, why did he cut back on that deep throw??? Keep going to the pylon!
-D.K. Metcalf finally made some plays worthy of his number one WR status as he caught five balls for over 100 yards. The taunting penalty against him was weak but he has to know better.
Defense
-Patrick Queen has gotten the benefit of the doubt from me for much of his time here. He plays hard with great effort and enthusiasm. That goodwill is over. He was making “business decisions” that cost his team last night.
-It was fitting that the secondary struggled on the day the team traded Joey Porter, Jr. It gave his supporters plenty of ammunition to say “Told you we should have paid him!” JPJ was faking an injury and refusing to play. I’ll leave it at that.
-The lack of interior pressure is troubling. Cam Heyward is 37 years old and can’t do it by himself. Now Derrick Harmon is hurt and the rest of the unit is nowhere to be found.
-Daylen Everette got beat several times last night. He’s a rookie. It’s going to happen. Robert Spears-Jennings has already proven to be a Special Teams demon and has been forced into action defensively. I’m good with both of these guys getting PT.
-Rayshawn Jenkins may be a veteran safety but he sure doesn’t play like it at times. Missed tackles and blown coverages appear to be common with him.
-Nick Herbig has zero sacks in four games. The team through four games has just ten total with T.J. Watt leading with 4.5.
-I’m not the biggest Jalen Ramsey fan but I have huge respect for the guy. He broke his wrist in the first quarter Sunday and played the whole game then played again last night. Sure, that’s what we expect from these modern day gladiators but it still deserves respect.
Special Teams
-Chris Boswell appears to be having another one of those years. Granted, the majority of his misses have been from over 50 yards but his miss last night was costly.
-Kaden Wetjen is wasting a roster spot right now. He’s not a threat as a return man especially on kick returns simply because he hides from contact. This was a blown fourth round pick.
Coaching
-Lots of knives out for Patrick Graham today. Listen… Coordinators can always be better but Graham wasn’t the one missing tackles and blowing coverages last night.
-McCarthy apologized for getting caught on camera using some rather inappropriate language while calling in a play to Rodgers. In my opinion he doesn’t need to apologize. Cameras are far too intrusive in sports today and football is an emotional game.
Up Next
The Steelers will lick their wounds and get ready for the Colts a week from Sunday.
Hot Reads is presented by
