Just when it appeared the Steelers might beat the Broncos handily in week two, they shot themselves in the foot on many possessions if it wasn't for a key Corey Trice interception robbing the Broncos of a touchdown shortly after they had a 50-yard pass reception in the 3rd quarter. Otherwise, the game might have handily gone to overtime.
The Steelers outplayed Denver's rookie starting quarterback, Bo Nix, as they should have. The problem was on the offense. Nearly every time they had the ball, someone wiped out a potential scoring drive with a holding call or pass interference.
Steelers' penalties wiped out a long George Pickens reception and a touchdown, plus one first down obtained by Najee Harris.
Broderick Jones has a very bad day in the penalty department
The worst series came with successive penalties from second-year tackle Broderick Jones. Three plays later in the second quarter, he jumped offside, and officials flagged him for holding wiping out a 50-yard reception by George Pickens. Shortly after that, Tomlin benched Jones for his sloppy play.
Three of the Steelers' ten penalties were holding penalties. The issue was so severe that Mike Tomlin discussed it at length in the post-game interview, and he said the penalties needed to be addressed in practice this week. Of the penalties, he said they were 'troublesome.'
After a great rookie campaign, Broderick Jones appears to be struggling to make that second-year leap. This is disturbing for the guy they traded up to get in the 2023 draft. He almost seems to have regressed this season.
This is not an isolated incident, as the Steelers' offensive line generally has sloppy play in September, so it's not unusual. Hopefully, whatever is ailing Broderick Jones, Mike Tomlin can find a solution quickly.
Of course, as time goes on, as it usually does when October rolls around, you should start seeing cleaner play in terms of penalties. The Steelers' offensive line generally has sloppy play in September, so it's not unusual.
When they stall drives, force punts, and wipe out touchdowns, it's always problematic. It applies to all offensive penalties, not just the holding penalties, especially when the offense is struggling to score touchdowns as they are.
Still, the penalty rate today forced the defense to step up and bail the offense out for a second consecutive week. This can not continue as the Falcons face the Chargers next week, a significantly stronger team than the Falcons and Denver combined.
The only significant note is that this contest had no egregious lousy refereeing. When the penalties happened, they were evident on both teams, although they may have missed a few holding calls in Denver.
Once the Steelers get back to practice on Wednesday, they will certainly get an earful from Mike Tomlin. Hopefully, this will spark a fire under a few players to improve their game.