Following each game in the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season I will once again be giving you my 10 takes. These aren’t hot takes meant to shock the world. They will be instant reactions written while still in that period just following the game when the emotions are high, and the ideas are fresh. Included will be thoughts, observations, queries, and reasons that caused me to yell at the television.
Regular Season Week 15 vs Indianapolis Colts
1. I Thought JV was Bad – Mike Tomlin likes to refer to bad play by his team as a junior-varsity performance. How would he describe his team getting manhandled and, in that process, allow JV players on the Colts have career performances? The trio of Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson and D.J. Montgomery combined for 205 yards and a touchdown. They got outscored 30 to zip after taking a 13-0 lead. This team has become really hard to watch in the second half of the season.
2. Decision Making – Damontae Kazee is in line to get his sixth fine for his on-field play. Not of his career, of this season. He tries to play with physicality and even made a big, clean hit early in the game. The problem is this has become a pattern. Some would argue there was nothing he could do in the play that injured Michael Pittman Jr. I disagree. He could have aimed for somewhere else on his body other than the head and still had the same effect on the play. He could have gone toward the ball and led with his arms. He could hit with his shoulder to the body.
Going toward Pittman’s head with his shoulder is a poor choice and a dangerous one. Expect this fine to be hefty, and there is probably going to be consideration for a suspension.
3. Good Band Name – Danny Smith and the Blockers. I bet that band would rock. Kudos to Danny Smith and his punt-block team for producing another blocked punt that led to a touchdown. He has been able to scheme getting these players into a position to make a play and they have come through. The offense can’t produce anything, so the defense and special teams try to pick up the slack. It’s sad that this is basically the high point of the entire game and produced as much offense as the offense.
4. Bos-Not-Well – You know things are going poorly when the kicker is dropping his shoulders and shaking his head in disgust. Down 11 late in the third quarter the Steelers had a chance to make it a one-score game if Chris Boswell could make a 57-yard field goal. Tomlin lived in his fears and called for a punt instead. That punt went 22 yards. There is no reason to trust this offense to do anything. If you have a chance to let your kicker, who is particularly good from 50-plus, try a field goal you do it.
5. Losing Minkah – It has been a rough year for Minkah Fitzpatrick. It looks like he suffered his third major injury of the season. He has not created splash plays this season due to how he is being used on the defense, but his presence makes a stark difference. After he left the game, the Colts did whatever they wanted on offense. They ran the ball with ease. They threw to wide open receivers. The whole demeanor and effectiveness of the defense left the field with him.
6. Right Decision, Wrong Time – NFL Network announcer Kurt Warner talked about changing quarterbacks. Sometimes you are looking to just spark the offense. It has worked and it has failed. Tomlin put in Mason Rudolph but far too late in the game. The time to do it was either halftime or mid-third quarter. Not with two minutes left. That doesn’t do anything. If he enters in the third quarter, maybe he sparks the offense. And that is a big maybe. But to do it with two minutes left makes no sense at all.
7. Lean on Me – Goal-line and short-yardage plays. It’s about displacement, movement, attitude. Looking across the line at your opponent and deciding I am going to win this round. When you engage the defender and lean on him, you are going to lose more than you win. The Steelers’ offensive line gets zero push on short-yardage play. They lose the leverage battle and there is no leg drive. Where is the fire? Where is your competitiveness? Maybe they need to rotate more linemen into the game, so they have more energy. I don’t know. Anything is worth a try now.
8. Dirty Dozen – Indianapolis played old-time Steeler football. Thirteen consecutive runs to march down the field. Defensive linemen were getting blown off the line of scrimmage. Again, like other points here, I don’t know what to say. Were they tired? Is it a rotation issue? Should Teryl Austin have gone with more of a goal-line defense and take his chances with them throwing the ball? Does it matter because the offense wasn’t going to score regardless?
9. Spiderman Meme – You have probably seen it. The two Spidermen facing each other and pointing. That is what I think of when I look at the Steelers quarterback room. They are all essentially the same player. That each might have better qualities than the others but none of them have been effective. I trust none of them to lead the team late in the game when it is needed. I don’t think any of them scare defenses. I don’t think the offensive players have faith in any of them. Yes, you can argue that you want to see Kenny Pickett in a different offense. But wasn’t changing offensive coordinators going to stunt his growth? Then next year will push him back even further. The Steelers need more from their quarterback, or next season won’t be any better.
10. Trust Dwindling – I have usually given Tomlin the benefit of the doubt on his decision making. He has made some head-scratching calls in the past that I’ve disagreed with, but they were usually spaced out across the season. This season has been a whole unique experience. There are multiple calls, moves, indecisions, and decisions made every game that are baffling. I think he is afraid to pull the trigger. It all seems to be snowballing and it is picking up speed. He tries to protect the ineptitude of the offense by deflecting but it doesn’t hide what we all can see.
His Tomlinisms don’t hold the power they once did. I wanted to see him step out of his normal routine and really rip into the team the last few weeks. Maybe he has behind closed doors. Maybe the team is just really bad, and it won’t matter. The team’s future is a lot more nebulous than it has been in a long time.
