3 Things the Pittsburgh Steelers Forgot to Do Against the Ravens

Wasn't this game supposed to be at least as close as previous Steelers-Ravens battles, or maybe even more heavily in Steelers' favor?

Many thought the additional fire power of the Steelers' suddenly deep and talented wide receiver group could yield more points, and push the needle of momentum heavily in favor of black-and-gold. 

The Ravens were hungry, wanted revenge, and had home-field advantage. But, to everyone's surprise, the Steelers barely showed up against their most-hated rival. 

Is this indicative of a Super Bowl hangover—seven months since that loss to the Green Bay Packers? It's been long enough for them to get their heads on straight.

Or is it simply failure to match the intensity of a hungry opponent? Was it bad game planning, or poor execution of a decent game plan? Was it a sign of an aging defense, or just poor match-ups?

The reasons for this lopsided loss probably include all of the above.  Here are the top three things that left me scratching my head, but hopeful that they can be corrected before we see these Ravens come to Heinz field.

Not Enough No-Huddle Offense

That was a sad display of offense today. 

Predictable, disappointing, and passive are some words that come to mind when I think of the Steelers' offense schemes and execution. Most of the starting lineup remained the same as last year, but many Steelers fans thought one area that showed huge development, improvement, and potential was its wide receivers group and passing game. Bruce Arians and the Steelers should have relied on this advantage much more than they did against the Ravens.

Going into the game, I felt it would be wise for the Steelers to pull a page out of their 2005 Super Bowl championship run, and setup the run with the pass. They have more receiving weapons than they did back then, and Big Ben Roethlisberger looked as sharp as he has ever looked in preseason. 

While watching the game, I kept wondering why the Steelers insisted on running the ball so much on first down. I'm as much a fan of smash-mouth football as anyone, but when the coaches didn't see it working the first couple of drives, they should been more creative, and less patient. Nothing changed at half-time in the locker room, as Rashard Mendenhall was handed the ball on first down, and ultimately coughed up the ball to a salivating Ravens defense.

I would have liked for Bruce Arians & Ben Roethlisberger to be more aggressive with their passing game and use the no-huddle. A no-huddle offense early in the game could have helped provide some rhythm, and also might have tired out the Baltimore defense. 

Once the no-huddle passing game set the tone, the running game (especially quick draw plays) could have provided some balance. Guess when the no-huddle showed up—when it was too late, with the Steelers were down for the count, and desperate for points.

Win the Turnover Battle

Everyone knows that the turnover battle is always one of the biggest factors in determining the winner of any game.

How does one explain seven turnovers? The count actually didn't matter, since the first couple did enough damage. The Steelers' offense practically gave up two touchdowns to the Ravens early in the game, making it an uphill chase that resulted in even more turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger was throwing ducks like a rookie QB. 

Future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed was catching fly balls, and his opposite number Troy Polamalu couldn't even get close to the ball. The Steelers defense is known for forcing turnovers, but on this first Sunday, it looked like the third-team defense in a preseason game. 

Joe Flacco was never really threatened, and Ray Rice was barely touched on his way to his best game against the Steelers. The Ravens were the team hitting hard, stripping the ball, and grabbing fly balls. 

Though the two games were very different, this reminded me of the Super Bowl against Green Bay, when the Steelers' opponent held a lopsided turnover advantage, and scored points on short drives.

Stop the Run!

It's no secret that the Steelers love to shut down the run against any opponent.

They are one of the best at blanketing opposing running games (see Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, and others from last season). 

But Sunday was different. The Steelers failed to stop little afore-mentioned Rice throughout the game, and things didn't change when Ricky Williams piled up some more yards. This the main reason for the Steelers' loss to the Ravens on Sunday.

Forget that the Steelers' defense didn't shed their blocks, or succeed in bottling Rice. The biggest surprise is that the Steelers couldn't focus on and stop him—the one player they needed to dominate. 

Ray Rice is the Ravens' most consistent offensive weapon, especially with former playmakers Todd Heap and Derrick Mason moving on to other teams. The defense's most important job on Sunday was finding and stopping Ray Rice. It would have made sense for Lawrence Timmons to shadow Rice all over the field.

Stopping Rice is the best and only way to put the pressure on Joe Flacco. Without stopping Rice, the Steelers couldn't put the game on Flacco's shoulders. 

Without Flacco feeling the pressure, the Steelers didn't get any of those signature Flacco fumbles or interceptions that they have enjoyed in so many Ravens games. It's just not a Ravens-Steelers game unless Flacco is rattled into turning the ball over.

The Steelers defense prides itself on being able to stop the run, disguise blitzes, and cause turnovers. It is built to do that; it is highly paid to do that.  We can only hope that this is not a sign of things to come, but rather an anomaly that fuels the defense into causing pain for the Seahawks at Heinz field.

Summary

It's rare for a Steelers team to not stop the run and cause turnovers.  So, it's surprising that such a rare sighting of bad defense came against the arch-rival Ravens.

Let's hope last Sunday's game against the Ravens was an anomaly, and serves as a wake up call.  Some say the Steelers play their best football when they feel disrespected.  This first loss to the Ravens should have taken some of the preseason luster off their bandwagon, shifted the media focus back on the Ravens, Patriots, Jets, and other darlings of the AFC.  With such a disappointing performance, the Steelers are back to flying under the radar, and have all year to earn respect back from the media.