PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The first Bengals matchup was a turning point in the Steelers season. This Sunday seems like another.
Steelers have lost three of four starting with that game in Cincinnati. The offense is coming off its worst performance of the season. You could just feel it in the mood around offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on Thursday.
“When you get in a game like that, you got to own it,” Smith said. “You got to look at yourself. It starts with me and thankfully going to get another opportunity to play Sunday. A chance to do something about it. We got half a season left, this is a huge game for us.”
Steelers didn’t convert a third down until the final drive against the Chargers, only getting in the end zone when the game was decided. Smith said it’s too easy to blame Aaron Rodgers, who had the worst game of his Steelers career. He said it takes all 11 to win, including better design by the coordinator.
“It’s all of us,” Smith said. “We are a team and offensively you look at every game whether you win or lose. Certainly, very critical of myself, when you are trying to be objective, it's not being a victim. That’s the name of the game, you look at everything you are doing. What do you need to do to execute better? What do we
need to change? And that’s an ongoing process.”
One of the big questions from the game was the use of Jaylen Warren. He had only 14 carries, for 70 yards, and fewer snaps than Kenneth Gainwell. Smith chalked that up to only have a limited number of plays, 50 in this case. Then he said they got behind and it built on itself.
“I don't want to take anything away from the Chargers, because they had a say in it, as well,” Smith said. “We have to sustain more drives and score more points. I think the number is always going to be skewed when you get into a game like that.”
The ongoing problem with the passing game is not finding opportunities for lead receiver DK Metcalf. Teams have done their best to get multiple bodies on him and mostly take Metcalf away. In the last two games, only five catches for 41 yards.
“A lot of things we've tried to do,” Smith said. “Game like that, you don't get the result really anywhere you want. We moved him all over the place. Continue
to do that. I mean, you get in a game like that, you got to own it.”
As for the view from the quarterback.
“Other guys got to get open,” said Rodgers succinctly.
He added they haven’t been able to get Metcalf the targets they want because he’s been doubled.
Smith said it’s a resilient and unselfish group. They are not pouting about the recent struggles, he said they’ve gone to work.
“You can start out hot (in the season), here we are at the halfway point with an opportunity Sunday with a huge divisional game,” Smith said. “We got to continue to improve. We got to bounce back Sunday night.”