On Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers let another win slip away and find themselves 1-2 after a 29-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Here are our big takeaways from the game.
Trubisky didn't do enough to keep his job but he will
The first half of last night’s game had everyone excited for Mitch Trubisky and the offense. But in the second half the bottom fell out and we saw Trubisky fall back into the trends of the first two games. Through three games, Trubisky is only averaging 5.5 yards per attempt which is bad even by Steelers passing standards. If this isn’t the time to make a change, when?
A moving Najee Harris is the best Najee Harris
It was incredibly refreshing to see Najee Harris moving like an NFL running back on Thursday night. Harris’ game is predicated on momentum and when he stops his feet and tries those jump cuts, he gives up any advatage he has against the defense. But Harris’ best runs on Thursday were downhill with quick cuts and always going forward.
Don't put this one on the offensive line
Another high point from the game was the play of the offensive line. There were lanes to run through, the run game was effecient when utilized and pass protection was rock solid for much of the game.
Too little too late with Pat Freiermuth
For some reason, Mitch trubisky waited until there were nine minutes left in the game to target tight end Pat Freiermuth? When you have one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the AFC on your roster, you need to make him a bigger part of the offense. Freiermuth made two excellent catches in a row late and in the middle of the field which is unknown territory for this offense.
Without Watt, the pass rush is lost
The drop off of the Steelers pass rush has been disappointing but not unexpected since T.J. Watt was injured. In his defense, linebacker Alex Highsmith did have 1.5 sacks but consistent pressure on Jacoby Brissett wasn’t there and it allowed him to maintain balance with the
Run defense still needs beef
I have personally banged the table for the Steelers to add a massive, run-stuffing nose tackle for years but obviously the front office doesn’t listen to me. The lack of beef up front showed itself trying to slow down Cleveland running back Nick Chubb. The Steelers have a nice rotation of defensive linemen but they all fit in that same mold and none of them can anchor the middle.
How can so much change at halftime?
Thursday’s game was a tale of two halves for the Steelers offense. As good as the team looked in the first half was as bad as they looked in the second. This creates a lot of finger pointing but the reality is there is plenty of blame to be spread between the quarterback, offensive coordinator and even the skill players.
