PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - How many times have you have fallen asleep at halftime of the Sunday/Monday/Thursday NFL games only to wake up and find out that the team which was hopelessly behind had come back to win? The second half completely different than the first.
It happened again this week. Sadly, the second half wasn't quite different enough and, once again, the Steelers season is in peril after losing in Minnesota, 36-28.
After the worst half of football the Steelers had played probably since the 60's – falling behind 23-0 then 29-0 in the third quarter - they staged a furious rally over the final 21 minutes only to fall short when Pat Freiermuth dropped a TD pass as time expired. It was contested but he should have made the catch.
Of course, even had Freiermuth made that catch the Steelers would have still had to convert a 2-point play to extend the game and come up with a better play than that ridiculous behind-the-line-of-scrimmage failure on their previous try when they should have kicked the extra point to make it a one-score game before giving up a 62-yard TD 3 plays later.
But why get bogged down in minutia? The Steelers simply sucked – and sucked out loud – until it was too late.
Both at halftime – after his team had been outgained 300 yards to 66 – and again after the game, Mike Tomlin lamented his players' JV performance. He was too kind. This was (take your pick) Freshman, Middle School , Pop Warner, even Pee Wee.
How about Powder Puff? As he was looking at some of his first-half runs in a post-game interview, Dalvin Cook told FOX's Erin Andrews that she could have run through those gaping holes. She demurred but Cook may not have been far off. He ran for 153 yards in the first half, 205 for the game, the most in the NFL this season.
So, just when you think the weakness against the run has gone away, it shows up again. Yes, Devin Bush is in middle of that yet in another sense he's not in the middle of anything - being easily blocked, making the wrong read or, in too many cases, both. The scheme was lacking as well, which Cook pointed out in that same interview when he said their coaches had seen something that went into their game plan. Any adjustment came too late.
Other Observations
TJ Watt may be the league's best defensive player but it doesn't do any good if he's not on the field. He was a non-factor, leaving the game in the second quarter when it was already 16-0. They actually rallied without him (and Alex Highsmith who also left the game) but the Steelers had 0 sacks.
Chase Claypool continues to confound. He whiffed on a first-half block that killed a drive. He committed another personal foul that, as it turned out, did not affect a drive but was still completely unnecessary.
Then he made key plays in the second half that gave the Steelers a chance. I'm actually shaking my head as I type this.
Pressley Harvin III may have finally lost his job. His 43 yard average is bad by today's standards and two of his short punts were returned for over 10 yards. Former Steeler Jordan Berry was much better and his final punt forced the Steelers to start their final drive from the 4-yard line.
Final Thought
Now that you've given up on the season (again) the Steelers will beat Tennessee next weekend and be back in AFC contention (again)!
