The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac shed light on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ plan from their last two games, losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. For the Chiefs, he said one play had an error. For the Bengals, he thinks the whole game plan was a mistake.
Appearing on 102.5 DVE Monday, Dulac expressed skepticism about Pittsburgh’s run-heavy approach against Cincinnati.
“I’m still just puzzled by the whole thing,” he told DVE’s Randy Baumann. “I was told by my informants Saturday morning that that was gonna be the game plan. Thirty-five, 40 times they were hoping to run the ball, keep it away from [Joe] Burrow, and just kind of control the game.”
Trailing almost the entire game, Pittsburgh wound up running the ball 23 times. Still, it was a high percentage of the Steelers’ overall plays as their plan proved completely ineffective. The Bengals possessed the ball for 38 minutes compared to the Steelers’ 22. Joe Burrow was efficient against Pittsburgh’s defense, his 80-percent completion rate a record for quarterbacks with 40-plus attempts against the Steelers.
When Pittsburgh ran, it wasn’t effective. They managed just 3.2 yards per carry, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combining for 18 carries and 57 yards. Again, the Steelers were a mess on first downs, averaging just 2.8 yards. It all resulted in just 17 points and two failed chances late in the game to take the lead and win. Pittsburgh finished the season at or under 17 points in four-straight games, a feat the franchise hadn’t “achieved” since 2003.
Though it’s been paid more than enough attention already, Dulac also offered insight as to what the plan was supposed to be on Russell Wilson’s interception intended for TE Pat Freiermuth against the Kansas City Chiefs. While many point to WR George Pickens as the culprit for running the wrong route, Dulac says the ball wasn’t supposed to be pushed downfield.
“The last game against the Chiefs, that play was designed for Connor Heyward out in the right flat,” Dulac said. “And if you look for a brief time, he’s open, but the ball didn’t go to him. And so he went the other way to Freiermuth. It got picked off.”
Here’s a look at the play. Heyward isn’t running to the flat but vertically upfield, making Dulac’s comments inconsistent with the play. RB Jaylen Warren is open in the flat and in hindsight, would’ve been a better option against the Chiefs’ loose coverage.
Despite the late-season issues, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a name in demand this coaching cycle. Already receiving an interview request from the New York Jets, other teams are expected to show interest in Smith as a head coach candidate.
No matter what the plan or root causes are, the Steelers’ offense and team are skidding into the playoffs. Hitting the road to play its Wild Card game Saturday, Pittsburgh will need a perfect game plan to beat the odds and upset the heavily favored Baltimore Ravens.
