Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Steelers dropped what I would categorize as an 'ugly' game against the Indianapolis Colts. Statistically speaking, we outgained the Colts in total yards, total plays, passing yards, and time of possession.
The only statistic that matters in the NFL and in any other sport for that matter is the final score. Having spotted the Colts seventeen points, we made it close but in the end, we found ourselves on the short end of the stick.
With that in mind, let's see what we learned on offense.
Steelers' offense came to life, but it was too little, too late
Here is all you need to know about how this game against the Colts unfolded. On the five possessions the Steelers had in the first half, we punted twice, turned it over on downs, fumbled but managed to get on the board before halftime with a field goal.
We turned the jets one, so to speak, in the second half, but, as I said, it proved to be too little, too late. No one on the offense really stood out save for George Pickens, who caught seven balls for one hundred and thirteen yards but also fumbled at the most inopportune moment.
With the Steelers driving in the first half, we were in the 'red area', as Mike Tomlin would say, but Pickens fumbled and it was recovered by the Colts. That play probably cost us the game, to be honest. If we had managed to score even a field goal on that possession, it would have changed the trajectory of the game.
Justin Fields had an excellent game, statistically speaking. He threw for over three hundred yards, one TD, no INTs, and rushed for two TDs; however, he did take three sacks. Those sacks were not all on him, but they were sacks, nonetheless. Oh, and he fumbled in the third quarter when we were in FG range.
Look, I appreciate the fact that Fields has done an admirable job of protecting the ball up until this game, but to score twenty-four points and lose means that we needed to score more points but could not and did not.
Let's see what we learned on the defensive side of the ball.
Pittsburgh's defense 'took one the chin' against the Colts
To say that the defense played substandard football against the Colts would be an understatement. The game was frankly out of hand at halftime, thanks to a fourteen-point deficit in which we found ourselves.
We had no answer for what the Colts were calling on offense. Despite holding the Colts scoreless in the third quarter, the defense just could not do much in the turnover department, meaning we lost the turnover battle.
Our defense has thrived on generating turnovers and sacks. We managed to generate two sacks, but zero turnovers. I believe that was part of our demise against the Colts. We turned the ball over and the Colts did not.
While I appreciate the fact that we made adjustments at halftime to give the offense a chance to get on track in the second half, what happened in the first half? How about making adjustments series to series so that we aren't facing a fourteen-point deficit at halftime?
Maybe we did make adjustments 'on the fly', but it sure seemed like we waited until halftime, but, as we know by looking at the final score, it proved to be for naught. I hope the defense will watch the tape from this game and realize this was one we let slip away.
Let's see what else we learned.
Steelers have a coaching problem that can no longer be ignored
I realize it's one loss, but it's one loss in a long history of losses against teams we probably should have beaten but didn't because we were seemingly unprepared, uninspired, outplayed, outcoached, or some or all of the aforementioned.
I have said it before and I will say it again, I am a Tomlin supporter but I am not a Tomlin apologist. Every year since the 2007 season, we have lost a handful of games we should have won. To be fair, this happened under Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher and I was as equally perturbed when it happened then as I am now.
The loss against the Colts was 'bad' on many levels, but the worst of it is this: it is a conference loss, and depending on how the rest of the AFC North fares against the Colts, the loss could have far-reaching ramifications down the line.
That said, I would not rather have any other coach than Tomlin but the elephant in the room needs to be discussed. We simply play down to the level of our competition. The Colts were a one-win team heading into our contest. Now, they are a two-win team. We should be undefeated, but we are not.
The NFL is a week-to-week league. This week, we did not get the job done and it doesn't get any easier from here. Let's hope Tomlin and company can figure out how to beat the teams we need to and should beat the rest of the season. I, for one, would like to have meaningful football to watch in January.