The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns 29-17 Thursday night. While the offense did show moments of competency in this one, HC Mike Tomlin mentioned after the game he could care less if he saw steps forward by the unit if it doesn’t result in a victory.
“I wasn’t looking to be encouraged,” Tomlin said to the media in the postgame press conference which aired live on the team’s YouTube channel. “I was looking to win the game. I would expect us to get better in all phases, so I don’t know if I share that perspective.”
After starting the game a little shaky on the offensive side of the football with a three-and-out and a missed FG, Pittsburgh showed life, using tempo and the no-huddle offense to score TDs on back-to-back possessions. The went 75 yards on both drives, showing a nice blend of run and pass to move the ball down the field and punch it in for the touchdown on both occasions.
However, after having a little success in the first half, Pittsburgh’s offense sputtered once again similar to the same way they did in the fourth quarter against the Patriots last weekend. The had four-straight drives where they punted the football, finally getting a field goal on the board to get themselves in a one-score game of Cleveland with only 1:25 left remaining in the game.
While Pittsburgh did take notable steps forward offensively in this matchup Thursday against Cleveland, they still aren’t where they need to be to move the ball consistently throughout the game and sustain a drive when they need it the most. They were in position to go up 17-13 at halftime but couldn’t get into field goal range and failed to capitalize on getting the ball to start the second half.
Ultimately, it appears that it’s going to be a marathon rather than a sprint when it comes to the play of the offense this season. We can say that they did take a step forward in terms of running the football effectively and making plays down the field in the passing game, but Mitch Trubisky, the wide receivers, and the rest of the offense needs to be more consistent to close out games going forward.
