Based off the headline, I know what you’re thinking.
Defenses are only one step ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Because it feels like they’re doing laps around this offense.
That was the argument former Steelers quarterback and current analyst Charlie Batch made on Randy Baumann’s 102.5 DVE’s morning show Wednesday, noting that the Steelers’ struggles are one part execution and one part predictability.
“We’re already one step ahead of you because based off the tendencies that you’re showing is showing up in the game,” Batch said of the defense’s mentality, “and there’s times that linebackers are just running to the spot before the handoff is even happening because they know where the ball is going.”
He’s not wrong. Earlier today, we went through a list of Pittsburgh’s issues in the running game, highlighting roughly 10 plays where the scheme and execution were obvious problems. One play that also should’ve been included was this one against Cleveland, and it proves Batch’s point.
On a failed end around to WR Calvin Austin III, pay close attention to Cleveland Browns linebacker (No. 6) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Watch his eyes and helmet. He is keying TE Pat Freiermuth the whole way, knowing his off-ball alignment means he is going to pull across. He is flying off the line of scrimmage before the ball is even snapped and makes the tackle on Austin, who has no chance.
Beyond that, there have been clear run/pass tendencies the Steelers have shown, as pointed out by Warren Sharp, though they lack the context of Pittsburgh passing out of shotgun for nearly three quarters in Week One’s loss after falling behind.
Across the board, the Steelers have failed to win schematically or with their talent and technique. It’s led to another miserable offensive start, one that is actually worse than a year ago. Frankly, it’s hard to believe this offense, with the on-paper talent talked up this summer, has actually taken steps backward.
If there is a “get right” game, it’s against the Las Vegas Raiders, coming off an ugly 38-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. They’ve struggled to stop the run, pressure the quarterback, or make splash plays, a unit with the NFL’s worst pressure rate and zero interceptions.
Still, if the Steelers have this many tells on the field, they’re again going to sputter and stall. The Raiders might not have a great defense but they’re still NFL players. And their starting middle linebacker Robert Spillane, who has played 100 percent of the team’s snaps, and knows the Steelers well after playing for them the last several years.
