It was an abysmal Sunday for the Steelers. Here are their winners and losers from their miserable loss to the Bengals in Week 12.
The Steelers wanted revenge in Week 12 after losing to the Bengals earlier this year, but it wasn’t so. The Bengals came out and dominated the team in every facet of the game en route to the blowout loss. There weren’t a lot of positives this week and the losers list is a full one. Here are the winners and losers from the Steelers vs. the Bengals in Week 12.
Steelers loser: James Pierre
There was legitimate hope that James Pierre would perform well this week against the Bengals after being burned by them earlier in the year. Him being matched up against Tee Higgins was a good setup as well, as Higgins is more of a physical receiver than a pure deep threat. It wasn’t his week to get redemption though, as he was burned regularly by the Bengals.
He gave up numerous plays in coverage all game, and there wasn’t a standout play that he could fall back on to try and save his performance. Even his tackling, something that had been a strong suit for the second-year corner, wasn’t very good this week. His coverage was absolutely miserable though, and he was a huge reason the Bengals moved the ball so well in the air.
The worst play was easily the touchdown he gave up to Higgins. He had him beat vertically, was in a position to contest the catch, and had the size to match up against Higgins but he was soundly beat instead of breaking up the pass. It was a pathetic play and one that should have led to him going to the bench. It was a bad day for the second-year corner, and he was just one reason this defense utterly failed this week.
Steelers winner: Alex Highsmith
While many will point to his failed interception as a reason to not include him here, Alex Highsmith was easily one of the only bright spots on a miserable day for this defense. He was consistently beating his man off the line of scrimmage and was applying pressure to the quarterback. It wasn’t enough to overcome the rest of the issues on the day, but he was still playing well.
Important to note was that T.J. Watt was effectively shut down this week. More than likely the Bengals focused their offensive game plan around blocking Watt. Add in his pre-existing injury and Watt was a non-factor this week. Highsmith overcame that though and was a force on the line.
Outside of Cameron Heyward, who had a fine day but was nothing special, Highsmith was the only defender that was good this week. He has really turned it on in recent weeks and is deserving of some praise. While Watt is still the best edge defender on the team, Highsmith has really come into his own this season. He had a good performance in an otherwise miserable outing.
Steelers loser: Run game plan
This looks a lot like last week’s issues, except they were magnified this week. While the Steelers spent the majority of the game down on the scoreboard, they weren’t being blown out all game. The team never tried to get the run game going though, despite Najee Harris is one of the best players on the offense, the team didn’t seem like they had him in their game plan.
Harris rushed the ball eight total times while only catching three passes. He was phased out early and was subbed out more often than he had in other weeks. I don’t entirely blame Harris here, as while he did take his lumps, he wasn’t given a real opportunity to get going. The game planning with him has been really weird and the past two weeks.
There should be some questions with the Steelers and selecting Harris in the first round at this point. The team doesn’t seem geared to rely on him despite heavily investing in him in the first round. The offensive line hasn’t done him any favors, but that can’t be an excuse anymore. The entire run game has been a disappointment. It really makes the argument of not taking a running back in the first round that much more sensical.
Steelers loser: Ben Roethlisberger
After looking like a different version of himself last week, Ben Roethlisberger came crashing back to earth this week. His decisions were poor, rushed, and most of his passes seemed off. Keeping him in the game for the entirety of this disaster was poor planning as well, as there was no reason to have Roethlisberger playing when the game was well out of hand. That may have not been his decision, but this week was still a train wreck for the veteran.
While he did throw for 263 yards, he paired that with two interceptions and a touchdown that came late in garbage time. While his attempts at deep passes were refreshing, his arm strength is clearly waning. He was underthrowing a lot of his passes deep. Sometimes the receiver bailed him out, but other times it nearly resulted in an interception and aided in killing drives.
The most frustrating aspect was how quickly Roethlisberger would resort to the check-down. Despite being down heavily for all of the second half, Roethlisberger would opt for quick check-downs instead of trying to let the play develop. Sure, he doesn’t have the mobility to make plays last long anymore, but to be so timid despite being down so much was another reason the team couldn’t muster any sort of an offensive drive. It’s close, but this was one of the worst games for the veteran this season.
Steelers winner: Diontae Johnson
While the loss was a difficult one to swallow, one has to give Diontae Johnson some credit. After one of the most inconsistent seasons last year due to his inability to catch the ball. Those fears have been alleviated as Johnson hasn’t just become the team’s best receiver but is one of the brightest young receivers in the game.
This week was no different, as Johnson was a dynamic threat as a receiver. He made catches all over the field and did his best to try and make a big play after the catch. The best part of his game was the consistency he showed. Chase Claypool had a few big catches but had a couple of ugly drops. Pat Freiermuth was quiet all game until his incredible garbage time score. Johnson was a stud from the beginning of the game to the end.
He has really turned it around this season with the Steelers. Now, Johnson is on track to be one of the best receivers in the league and should easily be the best receiver the team has by season’s end. He continued his good season with another solid game in a losing effort. He has transformed his game and has been a present surprise this season.
Steelers loser: the run defense
Another group that is quickly becoming a regular on this list, the Steelers’ run defense has had a fall from grace. While this unit was never as good as it was last season, the start of the season was relatively strong for this run defense, the past few weeks have been a miserable showing from this group, as there haven’t been many positive plays in terms of run defense.
Joe Mixon absolutely smoked this defensive front to the tune of 165 yards and a pair of scores. It isn’t like Mixon is an unknown to this team either. He has been one of the most efficient backs this season and is one that the Steelers have faced off against regularly. They had no answer for him though, as he seemingly ran at will against any front the Steelers put in front of him.
There isn’t a single name that is at fault here, but the usual suspects are certainly worth some blame. Devin Bush had yet another bad outing and was seemingly replaced by Robert Spillane until he was lost to an injury. The defensive line didn’t get much of a push and even Watt fell short of his usual excellent play. This group has to do something going forward, as the team can’t keep field the players that aren’t successfully stopping the run.
It was a miserable week for the Steelers, and this loss was a crushing one for the team. While the playoffs are still in play, this team has to play better moving forward and get back to their winning ways. This loss was a crushing one, and the team will have to make quite a few adjustments before they play against the Ravens.