The Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss was painful. And it was prolonged. In one of the most miserable experiences for Steelers fans attending and watching (but mostly attending), twice today’s game at Acrisure Stadium was delayed. And though the light never came on for Pittsburgh, crushed in a 24-10 defeat, Cam Heyward doesn’t believe Mother Nature was the team’s toughest opponent of the day.
“Screw the delays,” Heyward told reporters in the locker room via Steelers.com. “We should have been prepared. Before the delays even happened, we were down 17-3. So, we had already dug ourselves a hole. Didn’t provide short fields on defense, didn’t get off the field, didn’t stop the run, kept drives going. You name it, we did it wrong.”
Nothing went right for the Steelers on Sunday, including the weather conditions. What began as a light rain turned into a downpour late in the first half. But the weather didn’t bother the Cardinals. They capped a 99-yard touchdown drive with a score to TE Trey McBride, who had found the end zone the play before until it was overturned by the officials. QB Kyler Murray calmly hit McBride a second time, working against the much smaller Damontae Kazee.
The score broke a tie, putting the Cardinals up 10-3. They wouldn’t give the lead back. Pittsburgh knelt once and took the ball into the half after that. During the intermission, the Steelers announced there would be a weather delay as fans raced for cover underneath the concourse. Rain wasn’t the issue, it never is in football, but lightning caused the game to pause for roughly an additional 15 to 20 minutes. In total, there was about a 35-minute span from the end of the first half to the start of the second.
Play resumed just after 3:20 PM/EST. Pittsburgh forced a three-and-out punt but fumbled the ball away on the following possession, center Mason Cole snapping low to QB Mitch Trubisky, who couldn’t fall on the ball. The Cardinals recovered and seven plays later, RB James Conner pushed his way over the goal line to extend their lead to 17-3.
With severe weather rolling back in, another delay came at 3:40 PM/EST before the Cardinals could kick off after Conner’s score.
This time, it was an even more prolonged delay of roughly an hour before play finally resumed at 4:30 PM/EST. But by then, the Steelers were playing from well behind, and they never turned things around. Arizona’s running game got on track and the Cardinals ran the ball the rest of the way. Conner added a second touchdown and busted off a 30-yard run to dash any hopes of Pittsburgh trying to get back into things.
In total, the Steelers allowed 150 yards on the ground while getting pummeled on third downs over the final three quarters. They’ll have to bounce back and show they can make plays against a hapless New England Patriots offense four days from now. Or else, the Steelers hopes of returning to the postseason will also face a lengthy delay.
