Following each game in the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season I will once again be giving you my 10 takes. These aren’t going to be hot takes that are meant to shock the world. This will be instant reactions to the game 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 this game between the Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Regular Season Week 15 vs Philadelphia Eagles
1. T.O.P Dog – Coming into this game the Steelers lead the league in time of possession. The Philadelphia Eagles were unimpressed by that statistic. The Eagles held the ball for 39 minutes and 52 seconds. That included a 10 minute and 29 second drive to close out the game.
Pittsburgh had two possessions in the second half. Two! They totaled less than six minutes of game time. The scary part is those were two of their longest possessions of the game. Hard to come back when you don’t have the ball.
2. Like a 1978 Buick on a Cold Day – It’s beating a dead horse, but slow starts have become too commonplace for this team. Arthur Smith has shown creativity in his play calling as the game progresses. Maybe he needs to get a feel for the game.
But starting the game with the ol’ standby’s puts them in a hole. That first running play with Connor Heyward at fullback we’ve seen repeatedly. Opposing defenses have seen it repeatedly. Mix it up earlier, man.
3. Dean’s Definition – Roughing the snapper is not a common call in the NFL. Every time I’ve seen it called, it’s when a rusher goes right up through face of the long snapper. Dean Blandino explained players must rush in the A gaps (between the center and guards). This is for the safety of the snapper whose head is down. Montravius Adams did rush in the A gap until he was shoved by the left guard over the long snapper. If this is a penalty, Danny Smith should teach his guards to do it on every play.
Horrible call.
4. The Thanos of Plays – The Brotherly Shove. The Tush Push. Whatever you want to call it. It is inevitable. I was hoping the Steelers would be able to avoid seeing this extraordinarily successful play. And for most of the early parts of the game, they did avoid it. When coaches design a play, they look for ways to win situations. This play is nearly unstoppable. The quarterback rides a wave of offensive lineman that slides forward. A perfect short yardage eraser. You wish you could snap your fingers and make it go away.
The coach who figures out how to defend this will have a statue made for them.
5. Tommy Tempo – Tom Brady is still finding his footing as commentator but what he said about playing with tempo was spot on. He said when he played, he liked to play with tempo against Pittsburgh because it put the defense into a position where communication became vital.
Defensive communication has been an issue for the team for years, and at the beginning of this game, there looked to be some confusion for the defense. The Steelers try to play with tempo on offense but can’t execute well enough to do it consistently. It tires out a defense and puts them on their heels.
6. RB Rhythm – For the past two weeks, the rotation of running backs has been perplexing. Prior to last week, it was common for the team to use one back for a five or six play stretch. Allowing each player to find the flow and be effective.
The last two weeks, it seems to be a quicker rotation of two or three plays regardless of whether the back is handling the ball or having success. They are constantly shuffling players in and out. If someone is running well, let them stay out there. Even if they aren’t touching the ball but the offense is moving, leave them in there. I’m not saying it led to Najee Harris taking his eyes off the ball and fumbling, but it probably didn’t help. Stop the rapid shuffle.
7. Even Deacon Was Confused – It has been 47 years since it was removed from the league. Deacon Jones was well known for the head slap to the helmet of the offensive player. It was outlawed for player safety. Jalen Carter didn’t get the memo, but he did find a loophole. If you want to do it, just wait until the ball is punted. As a ball was in the process of being punted, he smacked Connor Heyward in his head. He was penalized but it was considered after the punt, so they got to keep the ball. Wouldn’t the possession change after the ball is caught or the ball is downed? Strange outcome.
8. Rough Around the Edges – For a lot of the game, the defense did a decent job in coverage to make Jalen Hurts hang on to the ball. They were bad early, and they weren’t good late. But in the middle of the game, they collectively made things more difficult. The strange thing is they weren’t beaten by a great scheme. They were beaten by the basics: slant routes, whip routes and crossing routes. Those are routes Pittsburgh doesn’t run nearly enough. Creating space with physicality and change of direction led to big gains. Kind of an Occam’s razor situation. The simple is usually the best.
9. Play or Punt? – The decision in the fourth quarter to punt the ball on 4th and 7 seemed to rub a lot of people the wrong way. I thought it was the right decision. You punt it deep and ask your defense to make a stop. The offense execution wasn’t screaming “Hey we can get seven yards.”
If they do get a first, the best-case scenario is they still have to score quickly and try to make a stop. If they don’t get it, they give the Eagles, who have moved the ball rather easily, a short field and a chance to go up three scores. It looks bad due to the outcome, but who could have guessed the Eagles would have a 21-play drive to end the game?
10. Be the Worst You Can Be – If you look at just the score, the defeat doesn’t look that bad. But it was. There weren’t many positives overall. The passing game was bad. The running game was worse. The tackling was bad throughout the game. A tripping penalty, an unnecessary roughness call and roughing the snapper were all drive stallers. A key fumble on a pivotal drive basically sealed it.
Some defenders had decent games, but overall, this team laid an egg. If there was time to do it, this was the game. It was a quality opponent with a lot to learn from the loss. Let them watch the film and then move on with a little chip on their shoulder that says “That wasn’t us.” Get angry, get focused and take it to Baltimore next week and take home the division.
