Every so often, even football teams with storied traditions like the Pittsburgh Steelers put together a “throw-away-the-film” type of performance. You know, the game where it’s nearly impossible to find anything positive. The type of defeat that, in retrospect, might end up being labeled as the worst regular-season loss in the Mike Tomlin era.
In the wake of a 34-3 drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0), Tomlin and his staff need to take that tape and burn it, bury it, do anything to rid themselves of the stench left behind in Sunday’s blowout loss.
The Steelers (2-1) now not only have to figure how to bounce back from the embarrassing loss but also how to deal with a slew of injuries to key starters as they prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night at Heinz Field.
But, before we can move on from the Steelers-Eagles debacle, let’s look at this week’s depressing edition of “Three up, three down.”
Three up:
AB back to being AB, Coates carving out a niche: A week after Antonio Brown had one of his worst statistical performances in recent memory against the Cincinnati Bengals, the All-Pro wideout’s performance against the Eagles was a rare bright spot. Brown ended the day with 12 catches for 140 yards — while the rest of the team combined had 12 catches and 117 yards.
Three of those catches were by Sammie Coates, one of which was a 40-yard catch that provided more evidence that Coates can fill the considerable void left by the suspended Martavis Bryant and be a big-play receiver.
Amid a wave of injuries, Roethlisberger remains healthy: The Steelers got absolutely crushed by the injury bug (more on that later) and, despite four sacks — along with a number of additional hits on Ben Roethlisberger — the most important player for the Steelers was able to come out of the blowout loss healthy.
Help is on the way: Needless to say, after such a mortifying performance, you sometimes have to look ahead to find positives. Well, Sunday night the Steelers will welcome running back Le’Veon Bell when he makes his return from a three-game suspension. Sure, there’ll be some speculation regarding how much of the workload Bell, arguably the best running back in the NFL, will get in his season debut (especially since DeAngelo Williams has been very good to start the season), but getting Bell back couldn’t come at a better time.
Three down:
Injuries might be the biggest negative of all: Disclaimer: Injuries didn’t cost the Steelers the game yesterday; they were dominated in all phases. However, depending on the seriousness of these injuries, there could be major implications for Pittsburgh in the coming weeks.
On defense, linebackers Ryan Shazier (knee), Lawrence Timmons (shin) and Jarvis Jones (ankle) and safety Robert Golden (hamstring) all left the game early due to injuries. On offense, guard Ramon Foster (chest) and wide receiver Eli Rogers both left the game and didn’t return.
I won’t beat a dead horse, but the injury bug looks like something that could potentially doom Shazier’s career. Shazier tweaked his previously injured knee early in the game and looked to have an apparent elbow issue later. Pittsburgh has to be hoping neither injury is serious.
Timmons, who was actually taken to the hospital to have his shin looked at, told reporters after the game that he was OK. Still, it’s quite possible Pittsburgh might be preparing for next weekend without either of its starting inside linebackers. Backups L.J. Fort, Vince Williams and Tyler Matakevich all saw the field against Philadelphia and might be asked to carry a heavier load against Kansas City.
The loss of Golden to a hamstring injury may be as costly as any. With Golden out, the Steelers were forced to shift to rookie Sean Davis, which changed the defense’s coverage packages and personnel. If Golden is out long-term, it’s a potentially crippling loss for the Steelers’ secondary.
Both lines dominated by the Eagles: Coming into the game, it was fairly obvious that the Steelers needed to get pressure on rookie QB Carson Wentz (the Steelers had just one sack in the first two games of the season).
But, once again the Steelers’ pass rush was non-existent, allowing Wentz, clearly a rising star, to spend the entire game picking Pittsburgh’s defense apart. Not only did the Steelers not register a sack, Wentz barely got touched or pressured, and the results were predictably dreadful.
Speaking of dreadful, the Steelers’ offensive line was simply overmatched all game long. Through the first two games, the line looked to be a strength. But against Philadelphia, the running game never got established — the Steelers had 29 total rushing yards — and then, forced to be one-dimensional, the Eagles made life miserable for Roethlisberger by applying consistent pressure.
Wheaton’s drops and sloppy play set tone: Let’s just say wide receiver Markus Wheaton’s season debut could have gone better. (A lot better.) Wheaton had three consecutive drops, including what would — and should — have been a touchdown on the opening drive. That seemed to set the tone, and Wheaton’s drop was immediately followed by a blocked field goal.
Wheaton must be better, especially if Rogers’ toe injury is serious.
Finally, the Steelers just played flat-out sloppy for four quarters. They had seven penalties in all, and several of them extended the Eagles’ scoring drives when the game still very much up for grabs. The tackling by the defense was especially poor, and the missed tackles by Davis and cornerback Artie Burns on Darren Sproles 73-yard touchdown were downright embarrassing.
It was a rough game with much more negatives than positives, but it’s just one week. The Steelers need to toss the tape and get ready for a great Sunday night matchup.
Image credit: USA TODAY Sports
