PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s a game and the Steelers won, but admittedly work to do on the offense that was bottom third in Week One in yards and scored only a touchdown.
“I thought the play caller on offense was herky-jerky,” said play caller and head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday. “I didn't think I did a great job getting the players into a rhythm at certain parts of the game.”
Third down, as McCarthy put it ‘held us back’, and the Steelers ran for just 58 yards, the worst of any team during Week One.
“Yeah, the run certainly wasn't consistent enough,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio. “I think that really reflected the first half, when you can't churn out yards and get those four- or five-yard gains. It wasn't good enough in the first half.”
You could immediately point to the offensive line. The only returning starter in the same position as last year is Zach Frazier and two are new altogether. Was it the men up front as to why the Steelers rushed it for only 58 yards?
“No, I think it's just more of a rhythm, seeing what they're doing,” Angelichio said. “They came out, they played us in nickel to start the game, which our guys adjusted great to. So that was great to see. But yeah, just the consistency. You're one block off here or there. Collectively as we get everybody hitting those blocks together in unison, you saw that in the four-minute, but that was it. It was
nothing that was alarming.”
Angelichio mentioned the four-minute offense, when you hope to be able to control the ball and run out the clock. The Steelers did do that, getting the ball at 4:16 to play in the game and never allowing the Falcons to get it back. But if you look at those plays, it was a 14-yard pass to DK Metcalf, 9 yards to Michael Pittman and 15 yards to Darnell Washington, with a monster-sized stiff-arm that really drove that sequence.
“I liked the plan from Mike (McCarthy),” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “I liked the play calling. We took some shots. I felt like we were really close to having one of those really good games. If we come down with a couple of those, it obviously looks a little different on the scoreboard and stat sheet and stuff.”
There were a couple of drops, a couple of missed interference calls and a couple of throws that just missed.
“I thought we had some really good sequences where it looked like we were getting ready to take off, but my experience in the league, it's unfortunately the way it goes in September,” McCarthy said. “September football, I think it's well documented, especially since the CBA and being an individual that was in the league prior to that, teams come out of training camp a little differently.”
What he means by that is with only three preseason games and the shift to not play key veteran players (Rodgers, Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Pittman, Metcalf all didn’t suit up in exhibition games) it is often teams aren’t in rhythm early.
That may be the case, but nearly half the teams in the league scored at least 27 points in the first week.
“I think the biggest thing for us offensively, as far as where we'll put a little more energy, is third down,” McCarthy said as the Steelers finished 3 of 13. “Our third downs frankly held us back (as we mentioned), because if you hit on three or four more third down conversions, obviously that's at least another 12 plays. That's really where our focus was.”
“We had the one give away. We had some poor ball carriage throughout the game.”
Rodgers is confident it’s going to get better. It has to.
It’s the first road test Sunday at New England then right into AFC North games. Steelers are 1-0, but much work to do, and they are aware.
Reaction to 1st game and reviewing the good and bad
Reaction to 1st game and reviewing the good and bad
