Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium.
WINNERS
OLB Nick Herbig
Herbig was a constant threat in the Buffalo Bills’ backfield in the first half, racking up six tackles, 1.5 sacks, one TFL, and two QB hits in the first 30 minutes alone. He looped through the middle on a stunt to sack former teammate Mitch Trubisky on 3rd and 2 to force a three-and-out. Herbig looks like possibly the NFL’s best rotational pass rusher and should compel the Steelers to utilize some three-outside linebacker looks throughout the season.
DL Larry Ogunjobi
It’s been a good camp for Ogunjobi, staying healthy in the summer for the first time in his Steelers career. He ripped through a Bills left guard to pressure Trubisky that led to a Nick Herbig/Keeanu Benton sack, got in the backfield the next play, and later made a key third and short stop shy of the sticks. He missed out on finishing a couple of those plays, but he was a tough man to block up front. Now, he just needs to carry this play over into the regular season.
P Cameron Johnston
At least the Steelers have a good punter? That was as much optimism as you could muster watching the first-team offense flounder drive after drive. Johnston was booming the heck out of the ball, nearly a 57-yard average and a long of 65 yards.
He had three 60-yard boots, the others travelling 61 and 64 yards with good hang time and the net yardage/coverage was stronger than last week. It was far too much punting, but Johnston is a clear and obvious upgrade over Pressley Harvin III.
LB Mark Robinson
Robinson helped firm up his odds of making the roster as the No. 5 inside linebacker, a spot he was already likely to hold heading into the game. But he played hard downhill and filled the run with authority while dishing out a big lick on special teams. That might be his ceiling, but Pittsburgh needs guys like him on the end of its roster.
RB La’Mical Perine
Perine had a mild training camp but spiced things up to give the Steelers’ running game some signs of life. Perine showed some speed to win the edge, averaging 5.3 yards on his first four attempts. He took advantage of extra reps with Jonathan Ward missing the game due to a hamstring while Jaylen Warren left for the same reason. Perine is still fighting for practice squad viability with Aaron Shampklin and Daijun Edwards. A lack of special teams value could hurt and Perine negated a good punt return from Scotty Miller with a block in the back.
WR Dez Fitzpatrick
Digging deeper into a list of winners on a largely listless night, Fitzpatrick made a couple of plays. Had a tackle on the coverage team and made two catches for 32 yards, including showing nice concentration on a sideline throw that was tipped by the Buffalo underneath defender. There’s still potential to be the fifth receiver and starting gunner, Fitzpatrick again getting the first nod at that spot like he did last week.
LOSERS
Broderick Jones And The First-Team Offense
The whole first-team unit stunk up Acrisure Stadium over its five drives, Jones sticking out most of all. He allowed at least two of Russell Wilson’s three sacks and gave up a pressure/QB hit to Justin Fields late in the first half. Jones is battling an elbow/arm injury and the big brace he plays with could be impacting his technique. But Jones has no power on his punch and his hands are too high, getting bullied and beat repeatedly by the Bills’ pass rush.
No matter the explanation for his struggles, he has been a liability through two preseason games. If that continues and Troy Fautanu is healthy for Week 1, the Steelers will have to consider starting Dan Moore Jr. on the left side and letting Jones heal on the bench.
Beyond him, I could list out the individual names who struggled but I’d essentially be providing the first-team depth chart. No one was good enough and the offense was painful to watch.
Third Down Offense
Situational football is plaguing the offense. A lack of run game and multiple sacks put Pittsburgh in third and forever, finishing the first half 1-of-7, its only conversion a throw over the middle from Russell Wilson to Van Jefferson. For as much as the Steelers work on third downs during camp, they haven’t had in-stadium success.
Second Half Run Defense
Ugly after the break with the backups in and it’s hard to pinpoint any individual. Secondary support was poor, missed tackles by S Jalen Elliott, S Cam Sutton, CB Anthony Averett, and CB Kyler McMichael. Averett would later leave with a hamstring injury. The Bills rushed for well over 100 yards in the second half, chewing up clock in the fourth quarter as rookie Frank Gore Jr. tore up the middle of the defense.
Pittsburgh’s d-linemen were bullied off the ball and it’s hard to get excited about their performance. Injuries didn’t help, losing LBs Tyler Matakevich and Payton Wilson.
Quarterback Production
While it’s not all on the feet of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, they didn’t lead a touchdown drive. Neither of the team’s top two quarterbacks have been able to put the ball in the end zone, a disappointing stat heading into the preseason finale. That’s on their resume and right now, it’s empty.
