After one of the worst losses in recent memory, here are the two winners and four losers from the Steelers’ 24-10 loss to the Bengals.
The Steelers entered this game as favorites, but similar struggles from offense and key injuries on the defense led to similar results from last week. The Bengals had the game well in hand by the third quarter and the team never really got back into the game. Here are the two winners and four losers from the Steelers’ loss to the Bengals.
Steelers loser: Matt Canada
The Steelers’ gameplan week one on offense was decent considering the struggles this team faced. It centered on the quick passing game, attempted the occasional deep pass, and tried to get some creative play calls included. While not perfect, it was enough to get the win. Unfortunately, the offensive game plan has looked identical every week since, minus some of the motion that was used early on.
This week almost looked like an identical offense to last year. It was extremely conservative and despite being down by a lot of points, the play calling never shifted to a more aggressive style. This was never more apparent than when the Steelers were relying on Najee Harris to be their leading receiver.
Moving forward, this offense has to get more creative. While there are severe limitations to what the offense can do with a bad line and a limited quarterback, using more motion and receivers would aid this team. The play calling, while never great, has progressively gotten worse each week. Something has to give, and Canada needs to get more creative in his offense going forward.