Steelers offense struggles mightily in narrow win over Titans
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers got a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they didn’t exactly earn it the way we hoped they would in Week 15.
We knew how much was riding on this game. As the Pittsburgh Steelers sat in last place in the AFC North with a 6-6-1 record, a loss against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 would have virtually killed any chances of Mike Tomlin’s team making the playoffs this year.
Fortunately, the Steelers were able to escape with a 19-13 win, but this wasn’t exactly the confidence-booster fans were looking for.
With the exception of allowing 10 first-quarter points, Pittsburgh’s defense was terrific. The Titans offensive line clearly had trouble containing T.J. Watt in this game and the two-time All-Pro defender set the single-season sack record in this contest — earning his 17th of the season and surpassing former Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison.
Likewise, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, Terrell Edmunds, Joe Schobert, Chirs Wormley, Joe Haden, Ahkello Witherspoon, Cameron Sutton, and Devin Bush all played with their hair on fire. Though they still had their issues against the run, the Titans couldn’t move the ball effectively in this second half and they held QB Ryan Tannehill to just 152 passing yards and a 68.7 passer rating on the afternoon, via ESPN.
Sadly, as good as the defense was in this contest, Pittsburgh has plenty of reason to be concerned about their offense. This was a wretched performance from Ben Roethlisberger and company, and it’s surprising that this team did enough hang in there — let alone come away with the win.
Steelers first-half offense continues to struggle
Steelers first-half offense has been pitiful this year, and that trend continued in Week 15. Against the Titans in the first two quarters, Ben Roethlisberger had just 92 passing yards on 15 attempts. Despite rarely being under pressure, Big Ben seemed too content checking the ball down underneath and it resulted in a stagnant passing game.
Likewise, the rushing attack was non-existent in the first half. Rookie Najee Harris rushed 4 times for just 6 yards and the team entered the half with just 16 yards in this department. All of this equated to just 3 points coming out of the tunnel in the third quarter.
Steelers fans should be concerned about this unit moving forward
Though the Steelers were able to put more points on the board in the second half, it’s important to look at this in context. Nearly every Pittsburgh score came off one of the four turnovers the defense created. It was the fact that this team was +4 in the turnover department — not the offense — that kept them in this game.
While it’s encouraging to see the defense step up and make plays on the ball, the state of Pittsburgh’s offense was concerning in this game.
Ben Roethlisberger finished the game completing 16 of 25 passes for a dismal 148 yards. His 5.9 yards per attempt and 80.1 passer rating lined up with the poor performance we saw on tape.
In the same way, the running game was non-existent. Najee Harris finished the afternoon with 12 carries for just 18 yards (1.5 yards per carry). Two nice runs on end-around from Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson boosted the team average up to 2.1 yards per carry — which is still remarkably underwhelming.
Though I’m not going to complain about my team winning football games, this offense put up just 168 total yards compared to 318 for the Titans. It’s hard to find any reason to be confident in them as legitimate contenders in their current state.
The Steelers get one of their most difficult matchups of the season as they face the Chiefs in Kansas City next week, and they really need another win to stay in the hunt. If their offense plays as bad as it did against the Titans, there’s not a chance they return home with a win in Week 16. They need to make some changes in a hurry.