The Pittsburgh Steelers came into their Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns hoping to end their streak of nine consecutive losses on the road to divisional opponents on Thursday Night Football. Instead of accomplishing that, they got embarrassed in front of the whole country, losing 27-24 thanks to a mistake-filled day by the offense and a defense that couldn't tackle most of the people reading this (ok, maybe it wasn't that bad).
It was the kind of performance that has become routine for the Steelers in this specific game situation, and it serves as a painful reminder that this team is far from being a threat in the AFC.
In my tracker for this game, I made the claim that ending their struggles in games like this was a non-negotiable if Pittsburgh wants to be taken seriously as a potential AFC North division winner. I stand by that, but there are other issues (and a few positives) that fans should take away from this game. Here are five instant reactions to the Steelers' disappointing loss to the Browns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have some soul-searching to do after loss to the Browns
Steelers first possession may be the funniest we see all season
17 plays. Five penalties. 9:48 of game clock taken up. A touchdown for Roman Wilson. It was about as agonizing as a drive could be, despite ending with a score. Even Steelers fans were probably getting tired of it before they finally punched it in with a pop pass to Wilson.
It was made even funnier (or sadder, depending on who you were rooting for) once the Browns reeled off 21 unanswered points. The Steelers wouldn't score another touchdown until 10:10 left in the game.
Aaron Rodgers lack of pocket presence doomed the offense
Aaron Rodgers has been criticised for his unwillingness to hang in the pocket and allow plays to develop downfield ever since joining the Steelers last season. It limits the offense's ability to create explosives and allows opposing defenses to attack downhill without worrying about the ball going over their heads.
Against the Browns, Rodgers was much more willing to hold onto the ball than fans are used to. Unfortunately, it wasn't because he was making big plays. Thanks to a combination of poor pocket awareness and his receivers being locked up in man coverage (more on them later), Rodgers took five sacks that killed any chance of the offense moving the ball.
He cost them points on multiple occasions, and just a few plays that could have gone differently if he hadn't run into pressure may have been the difference in the game.
Jaylen Warren is the Steelers best skill player, and it's not close
You can put some amount of blame on nearly every member of the Steelers' offense for how they performed on Thursday, but not on Jaylen Warren. For the second week in a row, the dynamic running back put up over 100 yards from scrimmage and was the only reliable weapon for Mike McCarthy to lean on.
His ability to bounce off tacklers and his unyielding determination once the ball is in his hands make him a nightmare for defenses. It felt like every time he was stopped for a short gain, he somehow found a few extra yards to give the offense a slightly better chance of success. While it wasn't enough to win, it's never been clearer that he is their best weapon.
Steelers tackling issues made the Browns job easy on offense
To even call what Steelers defenders were trying to do against the Browns "tackling" is a disgrace to the sport. In the first half especially, the Browns quickly realized that all they had to do to find success offensively was get their young playmakers in space. KC Concepcion and Quinshon Judkins both made the Steelers look silly after the catch, and even third-string RB Jaquan McMillan easily scored on a play that should have been stopped well short of the end zone.
Patrick Queen looked especially soft, and I hate using that word for an NFL player. He was embarrassed by the 190-pound Concepcion on McMillan's touchdown by McMillan, getting knocked out of the play multiple times by the rookie receiver. If the tackling doesn't improve, their future opponents will take advantage of it.
Steelers receivers aren't good enough to make this offense work
As bad as Rodgers looked for most of this game, his receivers didn't do him any favors for the vast majority of the game. Michael Pittman Jr. frankly looks slow out there. DK Metcalf has struggled mightily all season to get separation, and nothing changed in this game (until it was too late, at least). Roman Wilson had his moments, but the Browns were able to get away with man coverage consistently due to the group's struggles.
A late comeback helped make the final numbers look better, but the passing offense was a mess for the first three quarters. It may be time to see if rookie Germie Bernard or an outside addition can help them get things back on track.
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