Where would you like to start with the mess that has engulfed the Steelers?
With an offense that has failed to produce a point in the first quarter of the past 10 games and apparently ran out of quality plays to call on a critical fourth down in the fourth quarter?
With a defense that couldn’t generate a sack for the first time in 76 games because they were playing without four of their front seven players?
It was all on display Sunday in a 24-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field, the first time the Steelers have lost back-to-back games at home since the 2003 season. If you’re into omens, especially bad ones, that also happens to be the last time the Steelers had a losing season.
“Let’s not sugarcoat it,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We played poorly. We didn’t deserve to win.”
The Steelers (1-2) had nearly twice as many first downs (21-12), ran nearly twice as many plays (77-42) and had a dominating edge in time of possession (35:22 to 24:38) but managed just one touchdown and a 26-yard field goal by Chris Boswell against the Bengals.
It was so bad that when faced with 4th-and-10 at the Bengals 11 with 3:09 remaining, the Steelers came out of a timeout with a play that had no chance — a dump pass in the flat to running back Najee Harris that the Bengals stopped for a 1-yard loss. Tomlin’s explanation was as surprising as it was pointed.
“We had fired all of our bullets at that juncture in terms of some of our play selection, man,” Tomlin said. “It just wasn't a good enough play to get in there.”
No it wasn’t. And Ben Roethlisberger, who attempted 58 passes and threw for 318 yards, said the play was designed to get blockers out in front of Harris, who caught a team-high 14 passes for 102 yards. But the only thing in front of Harris was Bengals defenders.
“In hindsight, we wish we would have taken a shot in the end zone,” Roethlisberger said. “I wish I would have done that.”
It was not a good day for Roethlisberger. He threw two interceptions — each by linebacker Logan Wilson and each leading to a touchdown — and was sacked four times. He misfired badly at least twice to receiver Chase Claypool, who also had two drops, and overthrew James Washington on a deep sideline pass in the fourth quarter.
Even when it appeared the Steelers might make a game of it with a 4-yard touchdown to tight end Pat Freiermuth with just 64 seconds remaining in the first half, the Bengals need only three plays and 27 seconds to score on a 34-yard touchdown to rookie Ja’Marr Chase — the second week in a row the defense let the ball get behind them.
“I don’t know what the mood is right now,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “We sucked today. Things did not look well and didn’t play in our favor. Hopefully it’s the worst one of the year.”
Not only did the Steelers fail to register a sack on quarterback Joe Burrow, who was the second-most sacked quarterback in the league, they didn’t even register a quarterback hit. It was the first time since Oct. 23, 2016 — a 27-16 home loss to New England — that the Steelers failed to register a sack, snapping their NFL-record streak at 75 games.
Of course, they were also playing without their two outside linebackers, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, because of groin injuries. That meant the Steelers had to rely on Jamir Jones and Derrek Tuszka — players with a combined 43 NFL snaps — to rotate with Melvin Ingram.
It was also the first game without nose tackle Tyson Alualu, who had surgery to repair a fractured ankle and is out for the season. Couple that with the continued absence of defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who is on injured reserve with no timetable for return, and the defense looks about as fearsome as a three-week-old puppy.
“We got some hits on him early,” Heyward said. “We caused an interception because of it. But after that, they got the lead and he wasn’t really exposed to that. He got the ball out quick. That’s going to be the game plan for any team that plays us. When we don’t get the lead, we do not get the chance to really light our hair on fire, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
Still, no play epitomized the lack of pressure more than when the Steelers rushed five players and couldn’t get close to Burrow on his 9-yard touchdown to Chase that made it 24-7 in the third quarter.
“We didn’t play that well. We didn’t play that well as a defense. We didn’t play to our capabilities and we know that we can be better,” said safety Terrell Edmunds, who had the first interception of the season. “We just have to get better because this is not acceptable at all.”
It would be easy to point to the 10 penalties for 73 yards that disrupted some of the Steelers offense, especially four on the first three series. But that doesn’t take into account the 10 penalties for 83 yards by the Bengals that benefitted the Steelers. In the end, the lone bright spot for the Steelers was the continued improvement and involvement by Harris, who had 28 touches for 142 yards.
“I know we’ve got to clean up our penalties,” Tomlin said. “I know we’ve got to make routine plays routinely. And those are two things we're not doing right now. And you're an easy team to beat when you play like that.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: September 26, 2021, 10:44 p.m.
