Game Thread: Week 2... vsDEN

[Maximus Rex]

Defense is superb. I forgot how much I missed watching good D (last year doesn't count, because no matter how good they were, Steelers were luck to get to .500 with those QBs).

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

1st Half Thoughts:

OFFENSE

• Randy Fichtner is still suspect as a playcaller
• Diontae Johnson is developing a fumble trend.
• Ben's deep ball concerns are gone. But they aren't throwing it downfield much.
• O-Line & James Conner continue to struggle.

DEFENSE

• DL looked suspect early, but they shored things up by the 2nd qtr
• This defense is top 2 easy. Possibly the best in the NFL. 5 sacks in 1 half
• Steelers are going to regret not locking up Hilton long term. Dude just keeps showin out every year.
• Watt & Dupree are as relentless as ever.
• CBs don't look as good this year. Luckily the front 7 is so disruptive

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Steelers defense gave up a lot of penalty yards on that drive... Allowed the Broncos right back in this game.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Yo Tee]

This is a fact and that haunts this team so much.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

This is a fact and that haunts this team so much.

I don't get it. Steelers went uber conservative & became lackluster because of it. The 3rd down conversion rate has to be pretty low today.

Defense is lookin gassed because of it

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just when I start questioning Ben's decision making he makes a beautiful throw for a TD... Alright I'll shut up! lol

But more importantly, the offense finally gives the defense some legit rest.

 

[Yo Tee]

Just when I start questioning Ben's decision making he makes a beautiful throw for a TD... Alright I'll shut up! lol

But more importantly, the offense finally gives the defense some legit rest.

Maybe we just have to complain more and the offense will do better lol

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

F*CK... F$CK F&CK F#CK

2 games in a row Snell fumbles the ball.

Steelers just keep letting Denver hang around.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Ugh. Front 7 is lifeless and the secondary is shitting the bed. Not good.

Offense better wake up.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

3,2,1.... WIN

 

[Maximus Rex]

Diontae Johnson is developing a fumble trend.

He looks so good at times, then drops easy catches at times. Can't figure him out yet.

 

[Southieinnc]

Defense is superb. I forgot how much I missed watching good D (last year doesn't count, because no matter how good they were, Steelers were luck to get to .500 with those QBs).

Your front seven looked superb,
Your secondary looked 2nd tier.

Big Ben had play of the year. Wish I had a gif.

While involved in a runback, Ben was approaced at speed by a Denver player, Ben turned around and let him hit him in the back.!
Denver player suckered into "block in th back" penalty!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Coaching... Sloppy day all around. Team looked prepared, but just flat out undisciplined in crucial moments. Gotta clean that up. Another up & down day for the offense. They went up 17-3 and hit the brake pedal with uber conservative playcalling, sputtering multiple drives, and in the 2nd half they let Denver come storming back into it. Lots of passes at the LOS today. Would like to see them be more aggressive, but that's not Randy's forte. Defense got very sloppy in the 2nd half, but they looked gassed. Once the front 7 stopped generating any sort of pressure the secondary got exposed badly. The officiating was suspect, but a lot of those penalties were self-inflicted. That DEN drive late in the 3rd that resulted in a TD was painful to watch. Lots of penalties extending their drive, and ultimately just looked inept. C

Offense... O-line struggled in the 1st half, but credit to Sarrett & Co for geting things fixed in the 2nd half. Ben had a lot of time to work with. However that led to multiple forced throws & an INT. Ben was fortunate not to have 2 or more INTs today. But just when he starts to get questioned he delivers. He made some vintage big-league throws today. The deep ball to Claypool, and then the scrambling throw to DJ in the endzone. Both were phenomenal throws. Not only those but he was very efficient in the 4th when it mattered most. Conner struggled again today, but he did have some good draws that were negated by penalties. The 59yder to ice the game was a redeemer, but I still hesitate to feel confident with him. If Snell could figure out how to secure the damn football then maybe he'd get a larger share of the offense. Receivers looked ok today. DJ's early jet-sweep fumble was just bad focus. Ebron is disappointing me so far but he shows glimpses. Tired of seeing him trying to block. It's embarrassing for both him & the coaches. B-

Defense... D-line was nearly non-existent to open the 1st quarter, but they locked in during the 2nd qtr. Front 7 was relentless in the 2nd. Secondary needs work, but they are "around the ball" sotospeak. They just aren't as smothering as they were last year. Hopefully they'll get there again. Hard not to think Haden has regressed though. I'm not ready to put a nail in his coffin, but he's on notice in my book. Hopefully Sutton starts to get more work outside if he continues to struggle. Same with Sean Davis is Edmunds continues to look lost in coverage. Devin Bush is athletic, but against Fant he looked out of his league. Not a good look even if Fant is a great TE. Need more consistency from this group if they are to be a top defense. Gotta clean up the penalties with this group. B-

ST... Decent day for this unit. The punt return TD would have given this unit an easy A, but a poor decision by Sutton negated it. Loved how reliable Colquitt was on a windy day at Heinz. That's exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him. We'll never see any boomers from him, but I'll take steady & reliable over the occasional 60yd punt. The ST safety was more of a gaff on Denver's part so it doesn't help their grade. Also gotta commend Claypool for the 2 kickoff coverage tackles. 1st to open the game, and the 2nd when they made a poor decision to return it from within the endzone. Dangerfield & Claypool dumped the guy inside the 15yd line. Love seein the physicality from Claypool. B+

Overall... Another sloppy effort but still a W. There's a lot to be said about grinding out W's while working out the kinks. This team is still finding its stride. O-line is developing some good talent, but still inconsistent. Just hope this team can hit their stride at the right time and start playing to the level we know they are capable of. Gotta clean up the sloppy play and they should be in every game. B

Outlook... Steelers draw the Texans at home this week. The Watt Family reunion game. Should be an exciting game, and the first of the season that I will be expecting the Steelers to trail during. Hope I'm wrong, but the Steelers can't expect to continue to look this sloppy and keep getting Ws. Texans are as inconsistent as anybody, but they have more than enough ponies to get the job done.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

So we've seen this issue many times before with Randy's offense, but it needs to be rehashed.

The early down issues are setting this team up for 3rd down struggles.

The offense was 2/12 on 3rd downs yesterday.

• 10 of those 3rd down attempts were 6yds & longer.
• Half of those attempts (6) were 3rd&10 or longer

Randy & Ben have to figure out a way to set themselves up better on 1st & 2nd downs.

@SteelersPride