2010 Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Ups And Downs Vs. Falcons
The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the 2010 season with an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Overall there is nothing more you can ask for than to start off the season with a win, however the offense looked off for most of the game and needs to improve if we want a chance to beat the Titans in week two.
Here are ten things I noticed about the offense while I was watching the game.
Dennis Dixon Is Still Developing
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Dennis Dixon was not too sharp to start the game and looked timid and nervous in the pocket.
Exemplifying this was in the first drive of the game on third down when Dixon started to feel uncomfortable even though no pressure was in his face and ran right into a defender for a two yard gain.
Every time it looked like Dixon was going to finally get into a rhythm something would happen to stall the drive in an interception or a bad pass.
Dixon ended the game 18/26 with 236 yards, no touchdowns and one interception with a quarterback rating of 81.6.
Not a terrible game from Dixon, however we are going to need a little more production from the passing game going forward against stiffer competition without Ben.
Little Success On 3rd Down
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One of the many reasons the offense did not look to be in mid-season form on Sunday was their ineptitude on 3rd down.
The Steelers were forced into many third and long situations and were overall 4-14 on third down for the game.
They had five drives of 4 plays or less including four three and outs concluding with punts and the last drive of regulation which ended with a missed field goal.
If the Steelers hope to have any chance at all going forward in the season they will need to be much improved in this area.
Offensive Lineman Continue To Drop Like Flies
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Overall I thought the offensive line did a pretty decent job opening up holes in the running game and keeping guys off Dennis Dixon in the passing game.
The running game was pretty consistent the entire night and Dennis Dixon was only sacked three times for the game.
They weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination however in my opinion they looked to gel a bit until Max Starks went down with the ankle injury.
Reports are that Starks will be out for about 2-6 weeks with the injury and in all likelyhood they will either move Flozell Adams back to the left side or just stick with Jonathan Scott as they did against the Falcons.
Either way it is another injury to an offensive line already trying to find continuity to start the season.
UPDATE: Max Starks injury is not as bad as once believed and he could actually play this weekend versus the Titans. If not Jonathan Scott will be the starting left tackle in week two.
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Steelers Still Cold In The Redzone
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Another game, another terrible night in the redzone for the Steelers.
They were in the redzone only twice and did not convert a touchdown on either of those two trips.
Other than the game winning touchdown run in overtime, the Steelers were only able to attempt five field goals in the game, converting three of them.
Every time it looked like the Steelers were putting together a nice drive into Falcon’s territory they stalled and had to attempt a field goal.
I don’t think anyone expected the offense to be exactly what it was under Ben Roethlisberger, however, the Steelers were having this problem even with him in there.
Without Ben the Steelers are going to be relying more on their defense, however, if they do get in the redzone they need to be able to punch it in some of the time.
Jeff Reed really wants that contract extension
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Jeff Reed is known for being one of the most accurate kickers in the league in one of the hardest venues to kick in.
Recently Reed has been in the news for being disappointed that he hasn’t received a contract extension from the Steelers yet.
I personally believe that they should sign Reed to a deal, however he didn’t make a strong case for himself with his performance this weekend versus the Falcons.
Reed ended the game 3-5 in field goals for the game which is not bad considering one of the misses was a 55 yard field goal.
However it was Reed’s second miss of the game that was the problem.
With under a minute to go, the Steelers set up for a 40 yard field goal which could have won the game in regulation except for the fact that Reed missed it.
Reed is one of the best field goal kickers in the league, however, a miss like that is unacceptable and doesn’t do much for his bid for a new contract.
Where Are the Big Plays?
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Against the Falcons the Steelers only had five plays of 20 yards or more and one was the game winning touchdown run in overtime.
The other four were three receptions by Hines Ward and one reception by Mike Wallace for 52 yards.
Speaking of Mike Wallace, Dennis Dixon only targeted him five times, completing two, ending up with two catches for 62 yards in the game.
Besides the game winning touchdown run, Wallace’s 52 yard grab was the real lone explosive play the Steelers had in the game.
Going forward the Steelers are going to have to try and get the ball more into Wallace’s hands and need to target him down the field more.
Overtime: One Play, No Problem
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After Jeff Reed missed that 40 yard field goal at the end of regulation and the Falcons won the toss in overtime, I bet most all of us were thinking the same thing.
OH NO NOT AGAIN.
How many games did we lose last year that we should have won in the fourth quarter because our offense left just a little too much time and then the defense let the other team march down the field.
So it was an awesome surprise to me to see our defense step up and give the offense one more chance to win the game.
The way the offense looked for the entire game, I don’t think anyone saw what was coming on our very first offensive play of overtime.
Rashard Mendenhall runs right, looks bottled up, makes a cut, and is off down the field for a 50 yard touchdown!
That’s exactly what we needed and still need more of until Ben comes back from suspension.
Rashard Mendenhall Does More Than Just That One Run
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If you take out that great 50 yard touchdown run, Mendenhall’s numbers weren’t real gaudy for the game.
21 carries for 70 yards and no touchdowns.
That line might not seem too impressive however in my opinion our running game was not the problem in this game.
For pretty much the whole game Mendenhall was gaining chunks of yards and it wasn’t until the Falcons started just gearing for the run and making Dennis Dixon throw did our offense start to sputter.
If anything I think Rashard needs to get more than just 22 carries for the game and a continued determination to run the ball will do nothing but help Dixon’s development in the passing game.
With Mendenhall’s ability, if you keep running the ball he’s liable to break at least one or two of those big runs a game.
Isaac Redman Does His Job
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Isaac Redman ended the game against the Falcons with only six carries for 19 yards.
Why is that significant?
Four out of those six carries were in short yardage situations and Redman converted three out of those four tries.
The only one he didn’t convert was in the last drive in regulation for the Steelers which set up a potential game winning field goal that was missed by Jeff Reed.
Redman runs hard every time the ball gets handed to him and I think him along with Mendenhall should get more carries against the Titans in week two.
Nothing but good things could come from giving the guy the ball and it was great to see the Steelers get back to smash mouth football on third and one instead of going shot gun or something.
The Steelers have been looking for someone to step up and become that short yardage guy and I think it is clear they have that guy in Isaac Redman.
Hines Ward Is A Hall Of Famer
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Lost in all the talk about Dennis Dixon starting for Ben Roethlisberger and then the spectacular run by Mendenhall in overtime was the great accomplishment achieved by Hines Ward in this game.
Hines was the leading receiver for the Steelers in the game with six receptions for 108 yards and had three receptions for over 20 yards for all those people who doubt his ability in his 13th year.
Amidst those six receptions was Hines’ 900th catch in his career and he also eclipsed the 11000 receiving yard mark for his career, becoming the only Steelers receiver to ever accomplish that feat.
Hines Ward has always been known for being one of the toughest players in the league and maybe the best blocking receiver in the league.
Ward is a consistent leader for the Steelers and still has one of the better pair of hands in the league when you consider the fact that he is coming off a 95 reception year in 2009.
Congratulations to Hines Ward on his accomplishment and there is no question in my mind that he will be a hall of famer someday.
Conclusion
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The loss of Max Starks will be difficult to overcome however I truly believe the offensive line will be fine and will keep opening up holes in the running game.
Dennis Dixon will continue to improve in his development as a quarterback and the Steelers will keep running the ball with Rashard Mendenhall to take pressure off of him.
Overall, in conclusion, the Steelers offense needs to improve before facing the Titans in week 2.
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