What it means: Four games into the season, the Steelers have all but played their way out of postseason contention. They are 0-4 to start a season for the first time since 1968, and fans will start turning their attention to the 2014 draft. The Steelers are making a dubious run at a top-10 if not top-5 pick. Maybe they will use it on a left tackle, as Mike Adams continues to look overmatched there. A playmaker for a defense that is in serious decline is also an option. As well as the Steelers’ offense played Sunday, it couldn’t bail out the defense. And a turnover doomed the Steelers at the end. They are now minus-10 in turnover differential.
Stock watch: This loss was all on the defense, which turned in a simply unacceptable performance. When was the last time the Steelers gave up two touchdowns of 60 or more yards in one half, let alone one game? The Steelers’ tackling was horrendous, and they didn’t put any pressure on Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel. The turnover issue has become laughable, as the Steelers have not forced one in four games. What should have been a fumble recovery by Jarvis Jones after a LaMarr Woodley strip-sack turned into a Vikings first down when Jerome Simpson came up with the loose ball.
Bell tolls in London: Le’Veon Bell showed why the Steelers missed him so dearly in the the first three games of the season. The rookie had 84 total yards rushing and receiving yards and two scores, and he looked every part the feature back. His first NFL touchdown was a thing of beauty, as a nifty cut by Bell and a crushing block by tight end Heath Miller sprung him for an early score. The Steelers’ running-back-by-committee setup has been put out of its misery.
What’s next: The Steelers have their bye this week, which will give them a couple of extra practices to work on fundamentals such as tackling. They never imagined they would go into their bye week winless, and all eyes will be on the Steelers to see whether they start coming apart at the seams.
Game Recap vs the Vikings:
On an international stage, showcased as one of two NFL games being played in London this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers mounted a comeback effort that fell about six yards short Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Trailing the entire game, and by as much as 17 in the fourth quarter, the Steelers (0-4) lost 34-27, allowing Minnesota to earn its first win (1-3). Though they are a team clearly suffering from many shortcomings, turnovers continue to be the main issue for Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin has watched helplessly as his offense has turned the football over at least twice in each of four games, and 11 times overall. Meanwhile, his defense has forced zero opposing turnovers. In this game, a Ben Roethlisberger interception led to a Vikings touchdown pass two plays later. Then, at the end of a last-minute, last-gasp attempt to at the very least tie the game, Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled inside the ten-yard line, sealing the Steelers fourth loss of the season in as many tries.
Minnesota and second-string QB Matt Cassel, who started for the injured Christian Ponder, grabbed a 10-lead about seven minutes in, when he found veteran WR Greg Jennings for 70 yards on a play where Steelers defenders whiffed on numerous tackle opportunities. Roethlisberger and rookie RB Le’Veon Bell, making his first regular season appearance after sitting three weeks due to injury, answered with a scoring drive of their own. Bell cut to the outside and found the end zone from eight yards out to cut the lead to 10-7.
Early in the second quarter, Minnesota’s elite RB Adrian Peterson charged through would-be Pittsburgh tacklers for a 60-yard TD run and a 17-7 lead. Dick LeBeau’s defense, not generally accustomed to allowing such big plays, had allowed two of 60 yards or more just 18 minutes into the game. The teams exchanged field goals and it was a 20-10 halftime deficit for the Steelers. The third quarter began promisingly when Le’Veon Bell scored from one yard out, becoming the first Steelers rookie back to score twice in his debut since Bam Morris in 1994. However, Cassel and the Vikings had an answer. Peterson ran another in from seven yards, Roethlisberger threw his interception, and Cassel hit Greg Jennings again. That made it 34-17 and it appeared a blowout had ensued.
One can credit the Steelers for sticking in there as much as one can blame Minnesota for playing too conservatively and nearly losing the well-earned lead. The fourth quarter was all Pittsburgh, as Minnesota struggled to convert first downs to move the chains and bleed the clock, while Roethlisberger found Jerricho Cotchery for a TD and led a drive for a Shaun Suisham field goal. The final drive, unfortunately for Pittsburgh, fell short when Roethlisberger was hit by Everson Griffen and his fumble was recovered by Kevin Williams.
The Steelers now limp into a bye week with numerous questions, many to blame, and two-game deficit in the AFC North. Their three division opponents are all now 2-2 following Baltimore’s loss at Buffalo and Cleveland’s upset over Cincinnati. Following the bye week, and perhaps some changes in personnel and philosophy, Tomlin and his team will head to New Jersey to battle the New York Jets in Week 6.
