The Steelers are looking to extend their perfect record, but here’s what they must do in order to beat Washington.
Despite a long-week of waiting to finally play Baltimore after COVID-19 setbacks, the Steelers should have been able to dominate the Ravens both offensive and defensively with ease. One of the reasons I was concerned about this game or any trap games I mentioned recently was all the miscues and little things that could happen that determines performance in every game, it is a lesson all players are taught when beginning to play tackle football. Feel free to reread my post on where the Steelers need to go after going 8-0 at the halfway point of this 2020 season.
Dropped catches, botched returns, missed routes, missed coverages, turnovers, and having extra players on the field were examples where the Steelers had things go wrong, and history has shown in the past where we had been expected to win by a landslide, but barely squeaked it out. Out of the 11 games played so far, the point differential has been around +12 which ranks us at #1 in the league, though one scoring drive by the opponent and they’re right back in it. But the good news in all of this is that we are still able to clinch ballgames and it is a statistic among the greatest teams in NFL history to overcome mistakes and still come out with the big win.
Are Steelers about to fall into a ‘trap?’
Because of close, but losing records for all teams in the NFC East, the upcoming game against Washington is an already-called trap game that I know the Steelers may fall into, they are in a midst of clinching the division so Washington has more to play for than Pittsburgh. Moreso, they have been riding on emotions with the return of Alex Smith after an almost career-ending and life-threatening injury and witnessing coach Ron Rivera overcoming Lymph node cancer.
To avoid this situation, here are a few strategies that Pittsburgh should follow to avoid any failure. Case in point over the last several seasons where teams tried to go undefeated, they lost to teams that are from the Eastern divisions such as the Giants defeating the Broncos in 1998 and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, the Jets defeating the Colts in 2009, and the Cowboys defeating the Saints in 2009.
If Conner remains out, try to use the ‘option’ or reuse the Wildcat
As a fan, I always wanted to see how our team could do well using the Option that Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Seattle have found success using. We know Ben based on his size and injury history he won’t be able to participate, this would be the time in the game to utilize Joshua Dobbs or switch-up receivers to set up the formation and run as it should.
Our receivers have the skill to perform it with conversion rates at a high using short routes. Strategically, our opponents know when we’ll throw or handoff, but what if we use the Option and leave the Defense second-guessing. In the past, another formation known as the Wildcat we have used but didn’t live up to expectations. We need to become more clever if we want to get ahead.
Use your Mind
Compared to last season, and our record does show, the Steelers have committed fewer penalties and penalty yards that always set us back on critical plays and down conversion attempts. As already mentioned, we have fewer giveaways thanks to a more strong disciplinary approach and giving Ben more time in the pocket to let plays run their course.
But last Wednesday’s game was an outlier that wasn’t a true example of Steelers football that we’ve seen over the course of the season. And it was just fundamentals that we know the Steelers should not have trouble at all. A week of interrupted gametimes and lack of mental focus might have affected how the game played out, so tonight’s game we will see a better performance. But from the mind of a coach, it is no excuse for poor performance and the Steelers know better. Which leads me to this…
Make it easier to convert on 3rd Down
Based on statistics, we are #1 in the league on 3rd down conversions, but as you watched Wednesday’s game, it didn’t look easy. About every 3rd down attempted, it was 5 yards or more the Steelers needed to convert and it has been like that all season long. We succeed in overcoming the longer yards, but it gives the offense more work to do; maybe use the run game early on instead of relying on the pass. 27% of first downs we use the run which institutes a lower probability to convert on 3rd down when a pass is incomplete on 1st or 2nd.
Don’t get a linebacker matched up on a receiver in coverage
This might have to do with play-calling rather than the performance itself. I like our zone coverage schemes when we know plays will be down the middle and will be stopped. What I don’t like is if we’re in zone with just 2-3 defenders and all receivers are out in an empty set, it forces us to use our linebackers or defensive ends to cover for a pass if they just don’t have the speed. This is just in general and not a knock off the players, but it has happened more often than not. As an example on a 2nd down play against Dallas, Vince Williams was covering their tight end, due to his stature, it is not a strength of his. With more time in training, he can get better, but he’s more of a blitzer than a cover guy.
We’ve been 11 – 0 by getting the job done when it matters, it would make winning easier if these adjustments can be made. Our staff is so experienced they can make it happen. Like I said, Washington has been on a good streak that they can catch Pittsburgh off guard, which concerns me.