Pittsburgh couldn’t buck their historical struggles in Philadelphia this week, as they struggled to do much of anything despite having a lot of help. The offense failed to do anything this week minus a few drives, and while the defense had its moments, the Steelers still looked like a poor team this week.
There are a lot of issues that need to be resolved before a vital game against the Ravens next week. If they look anything like the team they fielded today, it won’t be a close game. Injuries are an issue, but they are a cheap excuse for any team to blame a loss on. Here are the winners and losers from the Steelers' loss to the Eagles.
Steelers winners
T.J. Watt
Despite most of the rest of the team playing poorly, T.J. Watt was a bright spot. He played great all game and consistently beat Lane Johnson to apply pressure and get sacks. Add in the forced fumble and it was a bright spot on an otherwise bad day. He left the game with an injury late in the game, but hopefully, this isn’t a lasting injury.
Mark Robinson
Another player that did his best to keep the Steelers alive, Mark Robinson delivered a massive hit on special teams to force a fumble that the team recovered. While they could only get a field goal out of it, it was still a chance for the momentum to shift this week. He is deserving of some praise this week.
Steelers losers:
Najee Harris
21 total yards, and a pedestrian 2.3 yards per carry. I get that the Eagles keyed in on the run, but you need Harris to shine while George Pickens is down. He didn’t once again, pointing to the fact that he just isn’t a difference-maker. Add in a horrible fumble and he had a miserable day for the offense.
Donte Jackson
The secondary as a whole was bad, but Donte Jackson was easily on pace for his worst game in a Steelers uniform before an injury ended his day. He was beaten on quite a few routes, including a touchdown. While his play has been hot and cold this year, this game was a clear negative for him.
Coaching
Lumping this all in, as I don’t think any coach is worthy of praise this week. Arthur Smith is getting a lot of justified flack, as his offense came out stale and predictable. Despite knowing that Pickens was out, he failed to scheme up an effective passing game and continued to run into stacked boxes. He needed something creative this week but instead opted for a safe and ineffective plan.
The defense was a mess. While they stopped the run they failed to do anything against the pass. Mike Tomlin also deserves some blame, as he led this team this week with a lot on the line but struggled with his usual clock management and conservative nature. Punting that late when down that much was a pathetic choice that capped off a horrible game.