Well, the 2024 Steelers preseason is in the books, so to speak. We turned in yet another fruitless effort, this time on the road against the Detroit Lions. Look, I realize and understand it's preseason, but no team wants to go winless, particularly in the final 'tune-up' for the regular season.
I think it will be interesting to see what the 'fifty-three' looks like heading into week one of the regular season. As far as I'm concerned, I don't know that any player who may have been 'on the outside looking in' solidified a roster spot, but I can tell you that several players showed that they are practice squad players and not 'fifty-three' type players.
With that in mind, let's see what we learned on the offensive side of the ball.
The Steelers offense looked good early but fizzled down the stretch
After the Steelers offense scored two touchdowns to go up by fourteen points, I thought those two touchdowns would be the catalyst for an offensive performance that had yet to be seen in the 2024 preseason.
It was good to see us break a fairly long run on the first touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson, one of our free agent signings this offseason, broke a thirty-one-yard run to put the Steelers up seven to 'zip''. A fumble by the Lions on the ensuing possession set up another scoring drive.
Another rushing touchdown put us up by fourteen points, but the offense quickly descended into ineptitude shortly thereafter. According to ESPN, the offense managed a meager two-hundred and fifteen yards.
We ran forty-three plays, went three for ten on third down conversions, took four sacks, lost one fumble, and lost the time of possession battle by eleven minutes. Think about that. The Lions offense possessed the ball for nearly a quarter more than the Steelers. That is not a recipe for success.
Let's see what we learned on the defensive side of the ball.
The Steelers defense could stop neither the run nor the pass against the Lions
You would think that after having lost the first two preseason games and after having the offense hand you a tow touchdown lead in the final preseason game, the Steelers defense would have been able to protect the lead.
Alas, it was not meant to be. The defense gave up three-hundred and sixty-one yards, gave up six out of twelve third-down conversions, allowed the Lions offense to run seventy-four plays, and gave up nearly two-hundred yards rushing, one-hundred and eighty-seven to be exact.
Just not good enough. There were two bright spots. Nick Herbig and Julius Welschof
each had two sacks. The defense generated a total of five sacks and one INT. From what I have seen, at least in the preseason, Welschof has made a case for Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff to find him a roster spot.
By and large, the defensive play was subpar. I don't care that it's the preseason. You need to protect a two-touchdown lead, if for nothing else than to prove that you can do it when it matters. In other words, once the regular season starts, giving up two touchdown leads is not acceptable.
Let's see what else we learned.
The Steelers may be headed down the path toward the first losing season under Mike Tomlin
As I have stated, I understand that the preseason is an opportunity for Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff to see who can do what in a given scenario, for example. The preseason represents an opportunity for players to showcase their abilities.
At some point, you have to win a game, regardless of whether or not it's preseason. We averaged less than eleven points per game on offense and gave up an average of nearly eighteen points. Based on these averages, the 2024 Steelers will not win a game.
While I don't think we will go winless, the preseason did us no favors in terms of inspiring confidence in the roster as it is currently constructed. The quarterback play was subpar, at best, the offensive line is very much a work in progress, the offense lacks playmakers, and the depth on defense is not very good if you ask me.
Also as I have stated, I support Tomlin. I think it's a remarkable achievement in today's NFL to never have had a losing season. I fear that will not be the case this year. This preseason was disheartening, to say the least.
We were outplayed in each game. Our backups looked worse than most of the backups of our opponents. I realize that we may have played things a little 'vanilla' on both sides of the ball, but, again, at some point, even 'vanilla' plays allow players to make a play.
There weren't enough 'plays' on either side of the ball to secure victory against the Lions. Will that portend unfavorable events to come? I certainly hope not. Will we be able to 'flip the switch' come the regular season and get back on the winning track? I certainly hope so.
Like many topics we discuss, only time will tell which path the 2024 Steelers take.