Did Washington Expose Pittsburgh?
Why last night’s game should be worrisome for Steeler fans
As if one shock from the NFC East wasn’t enough (see New York upsetting Seattle). Last night, Washington might’ve pulled an even bigger upset than the Giants. The Washington Football Team defeated the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers 23–17. Now one game won’t ruin an impressive season for Pittsburgh. The game against Washington however, will only increase some underlying concerns about the Steelers.
Let’s start with the game itself. After both teams started slow with multiple three and out possessions, Pittsburgh began to gain steam. The Steelers jumped out to a 14–0 lead before heading to halftime up 14–3. All seemed to be well for the formerly undefeated Steelers. They were severely limiting Washington’s offense that had already lost their leading rushing Antonio Gibson earlier in the game.
Then Pittsburgh’s offense went cold.
The Steelers only scored three points in the second half. Washington on the other hand scored 20. The problem for Pittsburgh on offense was the same last night as it has been all season. They can’t run the football.
The Steelers gained 21 yards on 14 carries last night. This isn’t anything new for the team either. Pittsburgh is coming off a game against a depleted Baltimore team, in which they only ran for 68 yards on 20 carries. On the season, the Steelers have the fourth-worst rushing offense in the NFL. This has led to 38 year old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger having to carry more of the load.
For the most part this hasn’t been a bad thing. Big Ben ranks 12th in passing yards, and fifth in passing touchdowns. The problem is the Steelers aren’t really explosive. Sure there’s times when Chase Claypool gets behind the defense for a big play. But for the most part, Pittsburgh has been dink and dunk. That is why Roethlisberger is only 12th in passing yards despite having the most passing attempts. The Pittsburgh QB currently ranks 29th in yards per attempt at 6.4.
The lack of explosion on offense continued to be true against Washington. Even with a 50 yard touchdown pass, Roethlisberger’s yards per attempt were 5.8. Much was the same in Pittsburgh’s previous game against Baltimore as well. Big Ben finished that game with a 5.2 yards per attempt average. The Steelers have no other offense however, considering Roethlisberger attempted over 50 passes in both games.
This is a big reason why people have been skeptical about Pittsburgh this season. Their offense, which ranks 21st in total yards per game, doesn’t scare anyone. And even with a tenacious defense, teams have been able to hang around with Pittsburgh this year. The Steelers have won multiple games by one possession this season. That’s not necessarily a bad thing until you look at who some of those wins are against. A five point win over Denver, a seven point win over Houston, and a five point win over Dallas doesn’t bring a ton of optimism.
So where does this leave Pittsburgh for the rest of the season?
The sky shouldn’t be falling for the Steelers just yet. Concerns are starting to break through though. With games remaining against Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, there’s a possibility Pittsburgh adds three more losses to their record. Their defense, which ranks top five in multiple categories, should be able to will them to victory in at least one of those games. However, the loss of Bud Dupree could end up proving costly. On offense, Pittsburgh’s problems aren’t going anywhere. A running game isn’t magically going to appear. Big Ben is unlikely going to start forcing the ball deep downfield. The Steelers are still a good team. They just aren’t as good as their record says.
