As if the 24 hours-old news of the top two running backs on the depth chart being arrested on marijuana charges was not enough, tack on an ugly preseason loss to the list of problems for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
At Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles (1-2) on Thursday night, the Steelers (1-2) fell flat in an embarrassing 31-21 loss, a final score that was not indicative of how lopsided this game really was. Pittsburgh trailed 17-0 at halftime and 31-7 after three quarters, as both the first string offense and defense struggled against Eagles starters and then, later on, even against reserves.
After trading punts on the opening drives, Nick Foles and the Eagles quickly found their rhythm, scoring the game’s first points on a 22-yard catch-and-run by running back LeSean McCoy. They scored again in the second quarter, capping off a long drive with a Darren Sproles touchdown run from a yard out. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense was largely unsuccessful in all facets, punting three times in the first half and turning the ball over on an interception. Add in a missed 46-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham, his third of the preseason in as many games, and it was a fruitless first half effort by Tomlin’s team.
The third quarter was, arguably, even worse. Keeping the first team units in, Pittsburgh remained unable to stop the Eagles offensive attack, led by backup quarterback Mark Sanchez at this point in the game. Sandwiched between two long, seemingly easy Philadelphia touchdowns, Roethlisberger and the Steelers did get on the board when tight end Heath Miller caught a 27-yard bullet for a score. The Steelers scored twice in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable on passes by Bruce Gradkowski to Darrius Heyward-Bey and Martavis Bryant.
Roethlisberger finished the night 15-24 for 157 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked twice. Gradkowski was 8/11 for 105 yards and two touchdowns. For Philadelphia, Nick Foles was 19/29 for 179 yards, a touchdown, and an interception by Troy Polamalu. Eagles quarterbacks completed 31 of 43 passes overall for 300 yards. Reserve running back Matthew Tucker had two touchdown runs.
The Steelers running game was led by Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount, who played despite being arrested Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh on misdemeanor marijuana possession and DUI charges ahead of the team flight to Philadelphia. Both received considerable playing time, but combined for just 55 yards on 16 carries. The longest Steelers running play went for just seven yards. Heath Miller led Steelers receivers with five catches for 53 yards, Antonio Brown had three for 59 yards and Heyward-Bey had three for 54 yards. Philadelphia’s Jeremy Maclin led all receivers with six grabs for 43 yards.
Most alarming for the Steelers was the inability to stop the talented Eagles offense. Dick LeBeau’s defense could not get off the field, allowing a whopping 36 first downs and 482 total yards of offense. Another eye-popping statistic in this game was the amount of penalties. There were 27 in all, 13 called on the Steelers for 92 yards. The utter lack of discipline, inconsistency on offense, poor offensive line play, ineffective positioning on defense, and inability to force punts or turnovers will all be focal points in practice over the course of the next week, leading up to Pittsburgh’s final preseason tuneup at home against Carolina next Thursday.
Adding to the sting of the loss, the Steelers also may have lost linebacker Sean Spence to a right knee injury. Spence has been working to return to health from surgery on his left knee, so this injury is new and doubly concerning. Also, linebacker Jason Worilds, projected as a starter, limped off the field with a right knee injury as well and he did not return to action. Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward also reportedly had a minor ankle sprain.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pittsburgh Steelers
