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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell is wrapped up by Washington Football Team defensive end Montez Sweat Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, at Heinz Field Pittsburgh.
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Ron Cook: Steelers' offense isn't making the grade

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ron Cook: Steelers' offense isn't making the grade

 

Where was Ben Roethlisberger when I was in school?

Why wasn’t he one of my teachers?

I actually might have graduated with a decent grade-point average.

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This was Roethlisberger Monday night after the Steelers’ perfect record took its first hit of the season in a 23-17 loss to Washington at Heinz Field:

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“Right now, we’re not great on offense. You know, we’re not bad. I’d say we’re a little above-average. Maybe a B or B-minus right now.”

I know what you are thinking.

I couldn’t believe Roethlisberger said that, either.

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Even my easiest teacher would have given the offense’s performance in the past two games a D or a D-.minus The team was lucky to beat the Baltimore Ravens, 19-14, Wednesday afternoon to go to 11-0 despite – in the inimitable words of Mike Tomlin — “us sucking.” They ran out of luck against Washington.

They have been saying it in sports for years and years:

You either get better or you get worse.

Not much doubt about what the Steelers are doing, is there?

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drops back to pass Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, at Heinz Field Pittsburgh.
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Especially their once high-powered offense, which averaged 29.8 points in the first 10 games and 18 in the past two.

It wasn’t that long ago that we were talking about Roethlisberger having his best group of receivers. That was before there were seven drops against the Ravens and six more against Washington.

It wasn’t that long ago that we were saying the Steelers didn’t need a ground game to win. That was before they combined for 104 pass plays and 34 runs in the past two games and looked horrible doing it.

“I just worry about us fluidly moving the football whether it’s run or pass,” Tomlin said after the loss. “We’ve just got to make routine plays routinely. We’re not making them routinely enough right now. It’s affecting our fluidity as a collective group.”

 

Tomlin described the drops as “routine” plays. Diontae Johnson had three more against Washington and has turned into a drop machine. Eric Ebron had two drops.

It probably was coincidence more than a lack of confidence in his regulars that Roethlisberger threw passes on critical downs to an eligible offensive tackle and a little-used running back. The first, on a third-and-goal play from the Washington 1 in the second quarter, was high and clanged off tackle Jerald Hawkins’ hands. Did he fit in with the group or what? The second, on a fourth-and-1 play from the Washington 28 with 5 minutes left in the game, was high and couldn’t be pulled in by Anthony McFarland, who had just five catches coming in. 

“I have to deliver a better throw,” Roethlisberger said. “I wasn’t good enough. We didn’t put up enough points. We didn’t possess the ball enough.”

It’s instructive that the Steelers tried passes in each of those short-yardage situations. It didn’t seem so much because the team has become strictly pass-first. It was more of a tacit admission by Tomlin, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and perhaps Roethlisberger that it simply can’t run the ball, at least not without James Conner, who missed his second consecutive game because of COVID-19.

The Steelers had five cracks from the Washington 1 during a second-quarter series, thanks to a Washington penalty, and failed to get any points. Benny Snell Jr. was stopped for no gain on three of the plays despite — are you ready for this? — Derek Watt in the game at fullback.

Forget that D or D-minus grade.

That drive was strictly an F.

So was a third-quarter drive that had drops by Ebron and Johnson and a bad snap by backup center J.C. Hassenauer, in for Maurkice Pouncey, who was on the COVID-19 restricted list, that Snell had to recover for a 4-yard loss.

Just as awful was a drive deep in Steelers’ territory early in the fourth quarter that set up Washington’s touchdown that tied the game, 17-17. Defensive end Montez Sweat batted down a Roethlisberger pass on first down, Roethlisberger threw incomplete deep for JuJu Smith-Schuster on second down and Snell lost 2 yards on a delay when defensive tackle Daron Payne beat Hassenauer to make the tackle.

You knew what was coming, right?

The Steelers offense would make one final mistake to make sure the team lost. Of course, it did when, with Washington leading, 20-17, Roethlisberger’s pass was knocked away again by Sweat and intercepted by linebacker Jon Bostic at the Steelers’ 25 with 1:59 left. That play was noteworthy for two reasons. One, it was the third time Sweat batted away a Roethlisberger pass and the fourth time it happened in the game. And two, Bostic was deemed to be a bust with the Steelers in 2018.

I’m guessing Sweat and Bostic enjoyed the heck out of a win that didn’t just end the Steelers’ perfect start but also left Washington with a 5-7 record, tied for first place with the New York Football Giants in the NFC East Division.

I know what the mood was in the Steelers’ locker room.

“It stinks,” Roethlisberger said. “We lost the game. It’s not a good feeling.”

Next up for the Steelers is a game Sunday night at Buffalo against the 9-3 Bills, who are in first place in the AFC East.

Staying unbeaten no longer is the main concern.

Solving the offense’s problems is.

At this point, those problems are many and they are significant.

Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.

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First Published: December 8, 2020, 4:04 a.m.

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