Pittsburgh Steelers: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Week 3 With Video Highlights
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon 38-13, and the game was not as close as the score would lead you to believe.
Charlie Batch gift-wrapped an interception on his own 30 to start the game setting up the Bucs for a guaranteed field goal, and a late game touchdown against mostly backup defensive personnel for the Steelers, accounted for 10 of Tampa’s 13 points.
Week three of the NFL season brought with it yet another side to the ever evolving Pittsburgh Steelers. A revitalized offense, continued defensive dominance, and the look of a team that is poised to take on all comers even without their starting quarterback didn’t come without, you guessed it, the good, bad, and ugly.
The Good – Charlie Batch
1 of 7Charlie Batch was an afterthought all off-season, pre-season, and training camp leading up to the 2010 season.
Blame it on the leftover Super Bowl season mystique of the available Byron Leftwich, the curiosity of what an athlete like Dennis Dixon could do under center, or the known physical frailty Batch has displayed over the last few years, but he wasn’t in the picture.
Despite the lack of attention Batch has gone about his business, and took his opportunity yesterday to show exactly why he continues to hold a roster spot season after season.
Batch came out shaky throwing an interception on the Steelers’ first drive of the game, but after spotting the Bucs a three point lead he settled down and delivered, finishing the game 12 of 17 for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
While Batch can be accused of under-throwing a few passes that were still caught, and throwing another interception, and a poor one at that, the game was already in hand. The under –thrown passes are correctable with another week of work developing timing with the first team offense.
Batch’s confidence in throwing the ball down field opened up the offense for the Steelers’ running game, and created more options for a group that desperately needed room to work with in the box.
At this point the Steelers quarterback questions seem to have been answered leading into this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. His ability to find speedster Mike Wallace down field, while having the ability to move around the pocket under pressure has been exactly what the Steelers need to be successful and keep the defense honest.
The Good – Overall Offense
2 of 7201 yards rushing, one quarterback hit, and zero sacks sounds more like a wish list than a recent performance from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, those are the stats turned in by the much maligned group up front.
Charlie Batch, Mike Wallace, and Rashard Mendenhall might have gotten their names in lights, but the Steelers’ offensive line played in ways reminiscent to years gone bye.
Unlike weeks past where penalties cost the Steelers precious offensive yards and touchdowns, the line went without a penalty Sunday against the Bucs.
The often penalized, Trai Essex was out injured, leaving Doug Legursky to take over the right guard spot. He did everything a young, inexperienced, offensive lineman could be asked. He tore open gapping holes and never once had his name mentioned outside the opening introductions.
Many thought the experience of Trai Essex helping Flozell Adams with his calls on the right side was worth keeping him in the starting lineup, but Legursky continued to show why he may yet be next in the long list of undrafted playmakers in Pittsburgh.
Before the Steelers drafted rookie Maurkice Pouncey, who had another outstanding game at center, it was thought likely that Legursky would supplant incumbent starter Justin Hartwig at the position. When Pouncey was drafted and later proved to be everything he was cracked up to be, Legursky ended up the backup on the interior line.
There is an adage as old as football that says, “Never let your backup see the field”. Trai Essex may be seeing the bench in favor of his backup if Legursky continues to play the way he did alongside Adams, Pouncey, Kemoeatu, and Starks on Sunday.
The Ravens are sure to provide more defensive pressure, and if they hope to give Batch enough time to throw down field in order to open room for the running game, they will have to continue to play mistake free football.
The Good – Offensive Line
3 of 7
201 yards rushing, one quarterback hit, and zero sacks sounds more like a wish list than a recent performance from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, those are the stats turned in by the much maligned group up front.
Charlie Batch, Mike Wallace, and Rashard Mendenhall might have gotten their names in lights, but the Steelers’ offensive line played in ways reminiscent to years gone bye.
Unlike weeks past where penalties cost the Steelers precious offensive yards and touchdowns, the line went without a penalty Sunday against the Bucs.
The often penalized, Trai Essex was out injured, leaving Doug Legursky to take over the right guard spot. He did everything a young, inexperienced, offensive lineman could be asked. He tore open gapping holes and never once had his name mentioned outside the opening introductions.
Many thought the experience of Trai Essex helping Flozell Adams with his calls on the right side was worth keeping him in the starting lineup, but Legursky continued to show why he may yet be next in the long list of undrafted playmakers in Pittsburgh.
Before the Steelers drafted rookie Maurkice Pouncey, who had another outstanding game at center, it was thought likely that Legursky would supplant incumbent starter Justin Hartwig at the position. When Pouncey was drafted and later proved to be everything he was cracked up to be, Legursky ended up the backup on the interior line.
There is an adage as old as football that says, “Never let your backup see the field”. Trai Essex may be seeing the bench in favor of his backup if Legursky continues to play the way he did alongside Adams, Pouncey, Kemoeatu, and Starks on Sunday.
The Ravens are sure to provide more defensive pressure, and if they hope to give Batch enough time to throw down field in order to open room for the running game, they will have to continue to play mistake free football.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The Good – The Defense
4 of 7
The Steelers defense continued to play the same dominant way they have been leading up to the game in Tampa Bay.
After an ugly start the Steelers’ defense righted the ship and attacked the Buccaneers’ endlessly, finishing the day with four sacks, five quarterback hits, four tackles for a loss, five passes defended, and another defensive touchdown off of a Brett Keisel interception.
The Bad – Batch’s Interceptions
5 of 7
While Charlie Batch was without a doubt the bright spot of game for the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he did make mistakes they were very obvious.
Batch’s decision-making ability is a known strength in his game. In his time in Pittsburgh he has rarely turned the ball over, and perhaps that is why the decisions he made leading to his two interceptions on the day were even more surprising.
The first pick came on the opening drive of the game, when he improperly read the coverage and threw a pass on a route that Aquib Talib had already undercut.
After watching the film it’s clear that Batch expected Wallace to break off the route, and you can clearly see him explaining his expectations to his receiver on the way to the sideline.
His second interception came later when the game was pretty well in hand, but was a very similar issue in which he did not read the underneath coverage.
Linebacker Quincy Black showed blitz up the middle and then retreated into underneath coverage. Batch never accounted for the zoning linebacker, and throw clearly showed that he never saw Black in coverage.
While some will make an argument that at least two passes including a Mike Wallace touchdown were underthrown, the ship can easily be righted with more time spent and timing earned with the Steelers’ first team offense this week in practice.
If the Steelers’ are going to win against Baltimore in week four, Batch is going to have to make better reads and match those reads with better decisions against a tough Raven’s defense.
The Ugly – Early Game Tackling
6 of 7
It’s pretty much nitpicking to point out a fault against a 3-0 team with a defense that has surrendered only two late game touchdowns all season, but truth be told, the Steelers’ tackling efforts in the first quarter of week three was ugly.
Signs of overconfidence and shoulder tackles quickly gave way to renewed tenacity as LeGarrette Blount powered his way to 26 of his 27 yards rushing on five brutal carries in the first quarter.
The missed tackles and slow reactions were reminiscent of the 2009 Steelers, but as quickly as the Blount got started the Steelers regained their focus and the tenacity that has made the 2010 version of black and gold defense so dominant.
Against a better offensive team the Steelers will not have the luxury to start slow and sloppy in the tackling department. Look to see them come out fast and hard in week four against Baltimore and Ray Rice.
The Wrap Up
7 of 7The Steelers are 3-0.
At times it has been good, at times it has been bad, but the flat out ugly times have made this team stronger and better with each step.
Whether it has been injury concerns, offensive issues, placekicking, or momentary over confidence, the ability of the Pittsburgh Steelers to correct their biggest issues from week to week has been unpredictable by the most prophetic of prognosticators.
As the Steelers look ahead to the Baltimore Ravens in week four, good, bad, and ugly is sure to be expected, but if they can keep the same level of tenacity and intensity that they have exhibited so far, then they will continue to have opportunities to win football games.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")