Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo grades each aspect of the Steelers’ 20-17 loss against the Cowboys.
Quarterback: Justin Fields continues to struggle early in games. He missed a couple of deep throws, including two on the first drive. He overshot Connor Heyward and misfired to Darnell Washington near the end zone. He did throw a touchdown to Heyward in the third quarter and another to Pat Freiermuth in the fourth quarter, but the first-half woes are costing this team big time and putting too much pressure on the defense to win the game every week. Time to go to Russell Wilson if he is healthy for the Raiders game?
Grade: C-
Running backs: The Steelers played without Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson, and their running game suffered as a result. Najee Harris finished with 42 yards on 14 carries, while Fields was next with 27 yards. For a team that wants to establish the run, they’re having a difficult time playing to their identity.
Grade: D
Receivers: If you didn’t already know, Arthur Smith loves to throw to his tight ends. They had more targets in the first half than the receivers. The results weren’t great in the first two quarters, but they finally started to make some plays in the second half. Heyward had a 16-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, and Freiermuth caught a shovel pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. But an NFL offense has to be able to get the ball to the best receiver, and the Steelers did not get the ball to George Pickens enough. He had two catches for just 29 yards.
Grade: D
Offensive line: The running game was solid in the first half with 80 yards on the ground, but the pass protection left a lot to be desired at times, including one instance when Linval Joseph bull rushed Isaac Seumalo into the backfield and caused a fumble. Fields recovered his own fumble, but it was a 14-yard loss and led to a punt. The injuries can’t be an excuse. This unit, filled with rookies and backups, has to start playing better.
Grade: C-
Defensive line: The Cowboys were one of the worst rushing teams in the league coming into the game, but the Steelers allowed them to run for 109 yards. Cam Heyward had some big pass rushes that resulted in some pressures, and he finished with four tackles. But he didn’t have enough help in stopping the Cowboys.
Grade: C-
Linebackers: T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig combined on a strip sack of Dak Prescott when the Cowboys were threatening to score on 3rd-and-6 from the Steelers’ 11-yard line on the final play of the first quarter. Watt’s half-sack gave him 100 for his career. He’s the second fastest to reach 100 sacks behind only Reggie White. He later added another sack in the third quarter. Elandon Roberts forced a fumble near the goal line in the final two minutes, but Prescott recovered and won the game a few plays later.
Grade: B+
Secondary: When does Cam Sutton return from his suspension? Rookie slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. had a tough game. He had couple of big mistakes on the Cowboys’ second field goal drive. He was flagged for a facemask penalty that gave them an extra 15 yards and then blew an assignment that allowed an uncontested 27-yard catch to Jake Ferguson. Then late in the third quarter he was called for defensive holding on 3rd-and-7. Sutton returns in a month, but his absence is killing the Steelers now. Overall, the secondary just gave up way too many big passing plays to the Cowboys. They had four completions of 25 yards or more. Donte Jackson came up with a big interception with 51 seconds remaining before halftime. It was the second turnover in the red zone for the Cowboys. They needed one more big play at the end and didn’t get it.
Grade: D
Special teams: Defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter that kept the Steelers in the lead at 10-6. The stagnant offense kept punter Corliss Waitman busy, and he pinned the Cowboys inside the 20-yard line twice. But a bad start to the game led to the Cowboys taking a 3-0 lead on their first drive. Not only did the kickoff team fail miserably to cover the opening kickoff, allowing a return to the 38-yard line, but somehow Damontae Kazee was penalized for an illegal formation. Talk about not being ready to start a game. That’s about as bad as it gets for the Steelers.
Grade: C
Coaching: Mike Tomlin does not appear to have a remedy for the slow starts by the offense. Yes, it’s a young and inexperienced group, but the mental errors have been too much for the team to overcome the past two weeks. The play calling was a bit conservative again early in the game. Facing a 3rd-and-8 at the Dallas 28 on their opening drive, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith called for a pitch to running back Aaron Shampklin. The Steelers kicked a field goal to tie the score, but at some point, the Steelers have to trust Fields in that situation. Tomlin’s defense surrendered 445 yards to the Cowboys. If not for a couple of bad turnovers from Dak Prescott, the Steelers would have lost this game in blowout fashion. This defense isn’t good enough to play so conservatively on offense. Something has to change next week in Las Vegas.
Grade: D
First Published: October 7, 2024, 5:16 a.m.
Updated: October 7, 2024, 2:43 p.m.
