Don’t let defense off the hook
I’ll let others tear into the Steelers’ pathetic second-half offense. It’s deserved after the 37-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. I’m here to talk about the NFL’s highest-paid defense (according to spotrac.com), a unit coach Mike Tomlin bragged about back in training camp.
“I think it’s a reasonable expectation for us to play great defense,” Tomlin told the Steelers’ flagship station in August. “Those are our intentions. We’re not going to be bashful about stating that as an expectation, and we’re not going to run away from it; we’re going to run to it.”
He wasn’t finished.
“We have the men, not only in personnel but in schematics and coaching. I expect them to be dominant.” That kind of quote can haunt a man if it doesn’t come true. Tomlin wrote a check. It hasn’t cashed. He had a reasonable excuse for the eight games T.J. Watt missed. There was no excuse Sunday.
The big boys all played (Watt made one of the most sensational interceptions since ... well, since the season opener, when he made the exact same play). The Bengals were without star receiver Ja’Marr Chase and lost star
running back Joe Mixon early. A man by the name of Trenton Irwin kept making plays against this Steelers defense.
Afterward, Watt basically admitted the Steelers were outcoached when he said, “They had a great game plan for us, clearly.”
Say whatever you want about Matt Canada & Co. in the second half — again, it’s deserved — but just know this: A “great” defense never, ever gives up ...
• Two 90-yard (plus) touchdown drives on its home field.
• Seven plays of 20 yards or more.
• Thirty-seven points (only three of which were scored with the Bengals starting on the plus-side of the 50) and 408 yards.
• Three screen-pass touchdowns to the same running back (Samaje Perine), covering 46 yards.
HEY GUYS, WATCH OUT FOR THE SCREEN TO 34!
Joe Burrow is great. I wouldn’t expect the Steelers to shut him down. Not many people do. But the Ravens held him to 17. The Steelers smashed him to pieces in the opener, and the Bengals clearly adjusted with a quicker-release, screen
heavy pass game, later adjusted to a “throw the ball to whoever Number 35 is covering” offense in the second half.
Those are ridiculous numbers no matter the opposing quarterback. Especially the point total.
Dick LeBeau’s defenses always talked about holding teams to 17 points or less. I actually thought the defense played winnable games without Watt earlier this season, when they kept New England Matt Freed/Post-Gazette and Miami to 17 and 16 points, respectively. The offense clearly lost those games.
Not this one. Not when you give up 37 in your own backyard — and again, only three of those began with the Bengals in Steelers territory, and that was with the outcome no longer in doubt.
The momentum-gaining plays did not make up for several momentum-sapping episodes. As soon as the Steelers tied the score 10-10 in the second quarter, for example, the Bengals went 92 yards for a touchdown.
“We gotta make people settle for field goals,” Tomlin told reporters.
Late in the first half, Levi Wallace intercepted Burrow, and the offense went 44 yards in six plays and kicked a last-second field goal to take a 20-17 lead into the half. So the offense took advantage of that play.
The same wasn’t true of Watt’s interception, although settling for a field goal there didn’t exactly end the game. The Steelers trailed by only a point. And wouldn’t you know it, after a long kick return, the defense gave up a field goal.
Two series later, the Bengals went 93 yards for a killer touchdown.
Sorry, but the plan this year cannot be to outgun Joe Burrow 40-37. The Steelers have a rookie quarterback and some clear and obvious issues on that side of the ball.
The $100 million defense needed to play way better than that.
The check bounced.