The Steelers and their winners did their best to play comeback kids, but they came up short thanks to these losers against the Chargers.
It was a tough game to watch at times for the Steelers as this defense certainly looked like they were ailing this week. The Chargers were dominant against this unit all game, and even though some late-game hope almost led to a comeback, it wasn’t meant to be.
Here are the three winners and three losers from the Steelers 41-37 loss to the Chargers.
Steelers winner: Special Teams
Sometimes all it takes is one play, and the Steelers block of the Chargers punt was easily one of the highlights of the game. At a time where the team was really down and out, a Miles Killebrew block was a spark that the team needed. While it took the team far too many plays to score from there (more on that soon), the block was a notable change for a team that was seemingly completely out of the game.
Add in Pressley Harvin’s great punt and Ray-Ray McCloud’s tough running as a return man and you had an overall strong outing in every phase of this unit. During a game where not a lot went well, having a stable third aspect to the team was a relief. The team struggled mightily elsewhere, but the third phase of the team did well to keep the Steelers’ hopes alive.
Steelers loser: The run defense
The Steelers struggled mightily against the Lions to counter the rushing offense of the Lions despite Detroit using a sixth offensive lineman regularly. Even with the injuries that the team suffered on the defense, one would have had to think that this defense would have been ready to counter another rushing attack.
Instead, Austin Ekeler ran with relative ease en route to his impressive day. Worse yet was Justin Herbert. The young quarterback is athletic, sure, but he isn’t a well-known scrambler. Yet he did more than enough damage as he rushed for over 100 yards. The team had no answer for this, and worse yet, they never adjusted to this issue.
It has been a fall from grace for the Steelers rush defense this season. While regression from last season was expected, the recent falloff has been nothing short of detrimental for the team. It was D’Andre Swift and the Lions backups last week, and this week was all Ekeler and Herbert. This run defense has been pathetic so far and needs to shape up as the team faces off against some of the better rushing offenses coming up.
Steelers winner: Cam and Cam
To be clear, the Steelers’ defense was horrible tonight. Sure, the team was lacking most of its star power, specifically along the front seven, and it clearly showed this week. That said, both Cameron Sutton and Cameron Heyward showed up this week and helped lead the scraps of this defense late in the game.
Heyward was well planned for by the Chargers, but he was still good enough to make an impact as a pass-rusher. His effort is unparalleled as well when he sprinted forty yards down the field to tackle Herbert. His tip later in the game allowed Sutton to grab the key interception that helped keep this team in the game.
Sutton had his fair of struggles tonight. He wasn’t great when tasked with covering Keenan Allen and he gave up the long touchdown to Mike Williams, but he was stout as a tackler and was physical at the point of attack. Add in his hustle to make the key interception and you have to commend him on the day.
Both of the young cornerbacks (Sutton and James Pierre) had solid nights, but the Cam and Cam connection was key for this defense in this game.
Steelers loser: Devin Bush
The whole defense can and should be on this list outside of a select few players, but someone who deserves a spotlight, in a very negative sense, is Devin Bush. Hyped up for his athleticism and aggressive playmaking, he has been anything but this season. His poor angles and mediocre decision-making has been a huge detriment to this team.
In both coverage and run defense, Bush was constantly out of position. Specifically, against Ekeler, Bush was burned multiple times in coverage for big gains and scores. Despite being drafted for his athleticism, he struggled to contain Herbert. It has been an incredibly weak string of games from Bush, and nothing got better this week.
At this point, one has to think Robert Spillane will be seeing the field more. I predicted this earlier in the week, and Spillane ended up seeing some more time shortly after Bush gave up the touchdown. His play was bad this week, and it has been bad for most of the year. I’m not sure what he can do at this point to turn the year around for him.
Steelers winner: Diontae Johnson
NBC highlighted the work that Diontae Johnson has done to improve his craft this offseason, and it has paid off for the talented young receiver. After struggling all of 2020 with consistency and drops, he has reworked his game and has presented some high-quality reps this year for the team this season. His route running and ability after the catch were always elite but add that in with his sure hands now and you have an entirely new threat.
He totaled just over 100 yards receiving on the day, and his consistent play was on display. He was a threat short and deep and was his usual dominant threat after the catch. Even more impressive was his touchdown catch earlier in the game. Despite being swamped in coverage, Johnson still made the difficult grab and came down with the score.
Even with Claypool being the better big-play threat, at this point, it is all about Johnson in this offense. Pat Freiermuth is the sure-handed safety valve while Johnson is the focus in the passing game. His improvements in the receiving game have been a breath of fresh air for this passing offense. His hard work has paid off, and it was all on display this week against the Chargers.
Steelers loser: Rushing offense
Simply put, the Steelers didn’t come into this game with a smart or effective offensive game plan. It was their usual version early on, and despite facing off against the league-worst rushing defense, Najee Harris rushed for all of 12 times on the day. The team once again relied on the passing game to get them the win despite the heavy investments in the rushing offense this offseason.
Nothing was more frustrating than when the team had the ball within the five yard-line. One would think that the Steelers 232-pound first-round running back would be the plan with the team so close to the endzone, but instead, Claypool end-arounds and passing plays were the call of choice for this offense. The results were as expected. The team almost blew prime field positioning following the blocked punt, but a pass interference allowed Harris his proper chance to score.
While the Steelers going down by multiple scores in the second half made it hard to rely on the running game, the team was within a score for the first half for most of the time. Instead of trying to establish the run, the team bailed on it and focused on passing. Harris has been a good player sure, but the team lacks the confidence they should have in their first-round pick. It has been nothing short of frustrating to see the team misuse Harris.
Despite the Steelers’ late-game heroics, the team still came up short. Bad play calling and even worse defense caused the team to struggle to mount the comeback. It was a game filled with hopeful moments and frustrating conclusions overall. The winners were bright spots, but the losers ultimately left the Steelers with a loss on the day.