Following each game in the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season I will be giving you my 10 takes. These aren’t going to be hot takes that are meant to shock the world. These 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 in the Steelers’ 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Regular Season Week 17 vs Kansas City Chiefs
1. Whole Lot of Coal – I was hoping this post could be a happy, festive one, but that performance was like Cousin Eddie showing up unannounced. This is a culmination of ridiculous scheduling by the NFL, injuries on both sides of the ball, poor execution, questionable scheme choices and overworked players. Each game in this three-game stretch has been progressively worse.
For the NFL to do this to four of the better teams in the AFC is a major humbug. However, it didn’t seem to affect some teams. It’s getting late and the Steelers don’t seem to have any answers.
2. Is That Santa? – Excuse me, Teryl Austin and the Steelers’ defense. I would like to introduce you to Travis Kelce. This guy is rather good. He had his 1,000th career catch in this game. He also caught the 90th touchdown pass of his career today. He just happens to be one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. I think your philosophy of leaving him open pretty much the entire game was a poor choice. There should’ve been someone in his pocket on every play.
Horrific game plan.
3. No Rush to Deliver – Let’s set the scenario. The Steelers got the ball back down by 19 points. There’s 12:38 left on the clock. The Steelers need to score and do it quickly. Arthur Smith’s first call is a run. No need to try to push the ball through the air, let’s run the ball. He liked it so much he did on the final two drives as well. You want to mix in runs, I get it. I don’t like it, but I understand it. But to do it on the first play of three consecutive drives down 19 points is confusing. Just for the record, he did it on the final three drives last week as well when the Steelers were down seven, 14 and 17 points.
4. Bumble’s Bounce – The Steelers have been great at creating turnovers this season. The past couple of weeks they just haven’t been able to capitalize on those opportunities. They had a chance to recover another pair of fumbles this week and neither went their way. Patrick Queen also had an interception go right through his hands. Shout out to Mark Robinson for stinging returners on special teams.
The offense turned it over twice again with one being a forced throw into the end zone. Just not a way for this team to win by playing from behind constantly.
5. Run, Run Rudolph – One major difference between the two offenses today was yards after the catch. Quite honestly it has been a problem for a few years, but it was very evident today. When the Chiefs receivers get the ball, they are in a position to add yards, turning a nice play into a really good one. The Steelers’ route designs rarely give them a chance to run after the catch without having to make a guy miss at the catchpoint. It’s easy for other teams to keep drives going when a four-yard pass becomes a 14-yard gain. And stop throwing the ball to Calvin Austin III behind the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t break tackles and it’s a waste of a play.
6. Give Him That Figgy Pudding – I’m going to go ahead and say this again. It’s time to feed Jaylen Warren. The offense runs so much smoother and quicker when he is in the game. I audibly groan now when I see them take him out of the game. It should be a least a 2-to-1 breakdown of touches in Warren’s in favor. And bringing in a cold Cordarrelle Patterson to run laterally, not downhill, on third and three is another confusing choice. Najee Harris by all accounts is a good dude and has been a solid performer in his four years. It’s just time.
7. Gift Return Policy – At the end of the first half the Steelers were gifted a first down after the Chiefs had 12 men on the field during a punt. The results of the next three plays were a run for negative yardage, a two-yard pass and an incompletion. Just 15 yards would have given the Steelers an easy field goal opportunity and they couldn’t do it. Against a team that only has one loss this season you need to take advantage of any and every chance you’re given.
8. Expedited…Occasionally – Mike Williams makes a nice catch down the sideline. Before the team can run another play there is an expedited review that says correctly that he didn’t get both feet down.
Later in the game, Hollywood Brown attempts to make a catch and as he rolls over, he barely has the tip of the ball, it balanced precariously between his wrist, facemask and two fingers. Not one referee saw this and said that might have been incomplete? The expedited review can’t buzz down and say, “Hold on a second, we want to take another look?” And don’t give me the league favors Kansas City schtick. This is just common sense to review that play.
9. Review Part Two – Protecting quarterbacks is part of the game and with the financial commitment to these players it is easy to comprehend. That said, the roughing-the-passer call on Cam Sutton while hitting Patrick Mahomes was a punch to the chestnuts. He never hit his head or neck. He eased up at contact. These are often huge calls in the game and should allow the eye in the sky to take a quick look and correct it. The calls go both ways over the course of the season and the Steelers have not been getting them over the last month.
We just want the calls to be right. Man, is that asking too much?
10. The Snowball Going Downhill – You would think on a day when T.J. Watt got three holding calls in his favor it would be a good day. Hey refs, can we spread those out more evenly over the season please? Anyway, back to the defense that is bad on every level. The pass rush has disappeared. Struggles by everyone, including Nick Herbig for example. He has been a playmaker all year but has just three tackles and one QB hit over the last four games. The tackling has been bad. The coverage and communication on the back end have been worse.
It has been a complete and total collapse.