Pittsburgh Steelers: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Week 10 with Video Highlights
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to their long-time nemesis the New England Patriots by a final score of 39-26 Sunday night at Heinz Field.
The score however doesn’t truly show just how soundly the Patriots defeated the Steelers in every aspect of the game.
Streaks were ended, records finalized and weaknesses fully exploited in this addition of “The Good, Bad and Ugly” Week 10 edition.
The Good – Mike Wallace
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Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns Sunday night.
While the numbers tell a story of just how deadly Wallace has become as a receiver within the Steelers’ offense, what they can’t describe is just how impressive the effort was against the backdrop of a lackluster performance by his teammates.
Wallace is truly becoming one of the great young receivers in the league. His speed is unmatched, and for the first time, spectators got to watch a determination that if maintained will propel him into becoming an unparalleled talent in the NFL.
After watching Hines Ward go down to a concussion in the first quarter, and his veteran teammates turn in a poor effort in his absence, Wallace tried to will his team to victory at a position that is least likely to be able to do so.
If he continues his current pace of development, Mike Wallace will find himself at the Pro Bowl for years to come.
The Good – Lawrence Timmons
2 of 10On a night in which there were few defensive bright spots, Lawrence Timmons managed to shine bright.
Timmons finished the night with seven tackles and a pass deflection. While the stats aren’t mind blowing, he proved his weight in gold in pass coverage against the Patriots. Timmons’ speed allows him to track receivers down the field incredibly well for someone his size, and he made several plays including a key third down pass deflection as a result.
Timmons continues to develop into one of the best all-around linebackers in the league. It will be interesting to see whether Dick LeBeau will find a way to use Timmons without completely diminishing the role of Troy Polamalu as he has done in recent weeks.
The Good – Maurkice Pouncey
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As far as rookie performances at center are concerned Maurkice Pouncey ranks right up there with the Nick Mangolds of the world.
His maturity, poise and flat out physical dominance has brought back fond memories of storied figures of black and gold past.
With all of the injury concerns along the Steelers’ offensive line so far this season, Pouncey has been the one stable piece to the puzzle. Despite all of the issues Sunday night against the Patriots, Pouncey was great once again. He continuously handled the twist stunts the Patriots threw at him and never once allowed his assignment to lay hold of Ben Roethlisberger.
As long as Pouncey stays healthy, center is the one position the Steelers need not worry about moving forward.
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The Steelers’ Defensive Game Plan
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The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the game as vulnerable as they have ever been concerning their pass defense, and for a reason unknown, Bill Belichick seems to be the only coach in the league who recognizes and is willing to exploit the glaring weakness.
The Patriots have passed well over 70 percent of the time against the Steelers in their last seven meetings, and they are 6-1 against Pittsburgh in that span.
During the last several years it has been more than evident that the Steelers’ pass rush is the only thing keeping their pass defense respectable. When they dial back the pressure on the quarterback, Steelers typically get picked apart.
From the very start of Sunday night’s game the Steelers put very little pressure on the quarterback, and proceeded to line their defensive backs up in man coverage with a seven to 10-yard cushion on the outside.
In other aspects of game plan, Dick LeBeau has converted the role that Troy Polamalu has played for the better part of the last eight years into a much less definitive role played by linebacker Lawrence Timmons.
While Timmons has been great this season in almost every facet of his game, the change in roles from Week 3 to Week 10 this season has minimized and otherwise rendered Troy Polamalu meaningless in terms of his effect on the game.
Polamalu, while gifted athletically, is not your average defensive back. While he can cover downfield, Polamalu is so much more in terms of what he brings to the table defensively.
Many choose not to criticize the defensive decisions made by LeBeau, and I have always given honor where honor is due concerning the genius that LeBeau has displayed in his Hall of Fame career, but reputation can only earn a free pass for so long.
LeBeau’s defensive game plan has put the Steelers in some dangerous late-game situations in the last two seasons. The game plan tonight and decisions concerning the use of Polamalu lack the wisdom Steelers’ fans have come to expect from him as a defensive coordinator.
With zero sacks tonight and zero turnovers, the correlation between pressure, turnovers and wins is quite obvious.
The Bad – Hines Ward’s Concussion
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Ben Roethlisberger may be the engine that makes the Steelers offense run, but Hines Ward is the heart and soul of the team.
Ward’s absence from the first quarter on Sunday night not only ended his streak of 186 consecutive games with a reception, but it also took away a vital aspect of the Steelers’ offense both in the passing and running games.
Not only did Ward spending all but minutes on the bench force the Steelers to rely on unproven receivers like Emmanuel Sanders in the passing game, but it also took away one of the few reliable run blockers the Steelers had left as well.
While it is unclear as to what extent Ward is injured, a prolonged concussion to a player of Ward’s importance on an offense already decimated by injuries on the offensive line could prove to be more than the Steelers are capable of compensating for going forward.
The Ugly – The Pittsburgh Steelers as a Whole
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Coach Tomlin wanted to talk about the Patriots being “flat-liners” that show little emotion, but he could not have been more wrong concerning the demeanor of his team in comparison to the New England Patriots.
With the exception of a handful of players, the Steelers came out flat, emotionless and never once showed any signs of wanting to impose their will or way on their opponents.
The Patriots on the other hand came out knowing exactly what they wanted to do, and they accomplished perhaps what no other team in the league has been capable of doing—beating the Steelers at their own game.
The Patriots out hit, out ran and out played the Steelers in every facet of the game.
They are the first team to run for over 75 yards against the Steelers’ defense this season, breaking an NFL record eight straight games of yielding 75 yards rushing or less to begin a season.
The Ugly – William Gay
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Go back and watch the tape, not all of it just the touchdowns the Patriots scored Sunday night, and you will see a common theme on a majority of those plays, and they all surround a blown assignment by the guy wearing the No. 22.
William Gay has been weighed, measured and found wanting.
If last season wasn’t enough to prove that statement, there is always the nine games the Steelers have played in 2010 to reassure you.
When Gay wasn’t biting hard on play action fakes, he was busy getting flat out beat by a rookie tight end that happened to be a Pittsburgh area native—Rob Gronkowski.
Gay’s inability to anticipate, respond and most importantly cover ground fast enough to actually play the ball rather than someone carrying it by the time he gets there has cost the Steelers enormously this season.
While it’s not often that a nickel back can be blamed for major issues within a defense, it happens to be the case in Gay’s situation. While playing man coverage is a foregone concept his inability to cover an intermediate zone is costing the Steelers valuable yards especially on third down.
It may be time to reevaluate Keenan Lewis…
The Ugly – Antwaan Randle El
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Losing Hines Ward, the emotional and physical offensive leader of the Steelers’ offense, created an opportunity for Antwaan Randle El to step up and prove why the team brought him back over the offseason.
In response to his opportunity, Randle El went on to do anything but make a positive impact for the Steelers’ offense. In the first half alone, Randle El dropped a shore touchdown pass from inside the Patriots 10-yard line and proceeded to drop two more passes on the following drive.
Randle El finished the game with five catches for 66 yards, and it was not for lack of opportunities that he didn’t reach 100 yards and a touchdown.
The Ugly – Jonathan Scott, Trai Essex Flozell Adams
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Jonathan Scott, a free agent signing that came over from the Bills with new offensive line coach Sean Kugler, was certainly the glaring weakness on the offensive line Sunday night as he assumed the left tackle duties in place of the injured Max Starks.
Scott found himself continually overmatched by Tully Banta-Cain, who was in on two of the five sacks Roethlisberger suffered at the hands of the Patriots.
However, Scott was never expected to be the starting left tackle this season—unlike right guard Trai Essex and right tackle Flozell Adams who were both expected to hold starting jobs this season.
After spending four weeks out with an injury, Essex has been abysmal in his return. His slow feet have been matched only by his shocking lack of ability to block anyone wearing an opposing jersey in recent weeks.
Adams on the other hand, who is nicknamed “the hotel,” certainly has a revolving door by which opposing defenders have made their way into the Steelers backfield.
Granted Willie Colon has proven his worth in his absence, but that still leaves much to be said about Adams’ in ability to move his feet.
With the continuous injuries hitting the offensive line it may be time to look at several options along the front five. While no one can ask more of Maurkice Pouncey, Doug Legursky has performed much better than Essex to date at the right guard.
Tony Hills, a fourth-year player out of Texas continues to hold an active roster spot and may get some consideration if Scott continues to under perform at left tackle.
The return of Chris Kemoeatu next week should help alleviate some issues, but Ramon Foster has performed well when given the chance and may be a viable option at tackle as well if Scott and Hills fail to get the job done.
The Wrap Up
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Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to play Sunday night, and they were prepared to do it as well. In every facet of the game the Patriots found a way to strike before the Steelers could do it themselves, and final the score showed it.
The Steelers gave up more points, more yards and more confidence than they have in any previous game this season.
While the Steelers found themselves beaten badly tonight, they are still in position for the playoffs as of games end Sunday night.
At 6-3, the Steelers are tied with Baltimore in terms of record but lose a tiebreaker because Baltimore beat Pittsburgh head to head in Week 4.
If the season ended today the Jets, Raiders, Ravens and Colts would win their divisions, and the Patriots and Steelers would make it in as wild card teams.
The Steelers have not been at their best in recent weeks, but as much of the current situation has to do with injuries as it does with poor play. If the Steelers can manage to get healthy, they still have an opportunity to take the AFC North if they can beat Baltimore head to head on December 5th.
Before the Steelers can look ahead, the next test will be the Oakland Raiders, and make no mistake, the Raiders will be a test. They are a far better team than the squad that beat the Steelers last season.
Pittsburgh is sitting in a position similar to the 2009 version of their team, and this coming week will speak volumes as to the character they posses and the effort that can be expected going forward. Oakland is as close to a must win as you will get this early in the season.
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