Steelers defense torched again
Where once their goal on offense was to score 30 points a game, are they at the point where they need to score 50?
“No, we’re at the point where the offense needs to start a whole lot faster,’’ guard Ramon Foster said. “That’s where we are right now.”
The Steelers defense could not cover, could not pressure, and could not tackle. They forced one fumble, had one sack. Their highlight was a two-point safety.
Those six touchdowns by the Chiefs came honestly even with cornerback Joe Haden ruled out with an injury. Mahomes, in his second season, threw three scoring passes on Kansas City’s first three possessions of the game to take a 21-0 lead.
Ben Roethlisberger and his offense roared back to tie it at halftime, 21-21, but it took its toll as they abandoned the run and kept pressing with the no-huddle.
“Guys were exhausted,’’ Roethlisberger said. “I mean, it was hot out there. Guys were worn down. The offense, we felt like we were out there forever. And the receivers — you are running routes every play.”
There was more drama on the sideline, too, as TV cameras caught Antonio Brown apparently lashing out at offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.
Brown, who left the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter, caught nine of the 17 passes thrown his way for 67 yards on a day in which Roethlisberger threw for 452 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught 13 for 121 and a touchdown, Jesse James caught five for 138 yards and a score and James Washington’s first NFL reception was a 5-yard touchdown.
Roethlisberger also dived 3 yards into the corner of the end zone for another touchdown with 1:59 left, but the Steelers offense never got the ball back after coach Mike Tomlin decided against an onside kick.
“The game plan coming in was we knew we had to put up a lot of points,” Roethlisberger said, “because that’s what we want to do, regardless of the opponent. And we didn’t do it enough.”
Not the way Mahomes and the Steelers defense were playing. Kansas City’s young quarterback completed 23 of 28 for 326 yards and no interceptions with a near-perfect passer rating of 154.8. He also had something the Steelers did not have — a ground game. The Chiefs had 127 yards rushing for a 5.1 average. The Steelers abandoned the run after they fell behind quickly. James Conner, who rushed for 135 yards in his first NFL start last week, had 17 yards on eight carries, one for a 1-yard touchdown.
“When you get in a hole like that,’’ Roethlisberger said, “you have to find ways to score and you’ve got to score quick. It makes you run the no-huddle and it makes you throw the ball every play, pretty much.”
He threw it 60 times — six short of his team record set a yearago — and completed 39 with no interceptions, just one sack and a 104.3 rating. His 452 yards rank sixth in Steelers history.
But it wasn’t enough on a day in which even Chris Boswell missed a 49-yard field goal and an extra point.
For the second game in a row, the Steelers piled up more offense (475-449) than its opponent and also had the only turnover of the game and they remain winless.
“You tip your hats to what they did but we didn’t make it easy on ourselves,’’ Cam Heyward said. “Whether it was penalties [each team had 12], not tackling well, errors in coverage — all around. We still didn’t get them under 100 yards rushing. It’s not acceptable on all accounts. I think everybody knows we all have to get better.”
But can they on defense, or did they just run into one good, young budding NFL star at quarterback on Sunday?
“It’s one game,’’ Heyward said. “We’re 0-1-1, not 0-2 and I know that’s not good by any standard. I’m just going to come to work. That’s all we can ask of everybody in this locker room. There’s a lot of football left to be played.” Too early to panic, then. “No panic at all,’’ Foster said. “None of that. None of that. We are a good team that will correct this and move forward.”
On to Tampa, Fla., and the Buccaneers, who have scored 75 points in two victories, 27 Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
That Steelers defense needs to get better quickly.