Tag Archives: Steelers vs. Chargers

Steelers Report Card for Loss to Chargers: Pessimistic Teacher Edition

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Taken from the notebook of an increasingly pessimistic teacher, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the loss to the 2025 Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

Ladd McConky, Jalen Ramsey, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers. SNF

Jalen Ramsey can’t stop Ladd McConky. Photo Credit: IMAGN Images, via Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers had a bad night. His overall numbers of 16-31-1-2 for 161 are pretty putrid to begin with – and that’s with garbage time glory included. Rodgers was off all night. When he wasn’t overthrowing open receivers and or underthrowing covered receivers he was throwing passes that were too high or too low. Grade: FSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren had 70 yards on 14 carries adding 21 yards on two catches from the air. Kaleb Johnson had 3 yards on two carries. Steelers running backs were OK when they needed them to be special. Grade: C

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 3 catches, Darnell Washington had 1 and Jonnu Smith and one more plus another that was reverted on replay. Its no coincidence that the one drive where the Steelers feigned a smidgen of rhythm two tight ends caught passes. Still, the Steelers deployed the Jumbo Package and the blocking wasn’t quite there. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf had 3 catches for 35 yards and two end zone targets – one that was a gimmie touchdown and another on a ball he had next to no chance of catching. Roman Wilson had 3 catches including another garbage time touchdown. Calvin Anderson had 2 catches for 14 yards, but he also let an easy catch bounce off his hands for an interception that effectively killed any chance for a comeback. Rodgers was off target early and often, but it is also clear that this group of receivers struggles to “get open.” Grade: D

Offensive Line
It is starting to look like Isaac Seumalo is the critical member of this unti, as it was not the same without him. Run blocking was OK at times, but the Steelers needed it to be exceptional. More worrisome was the pass blocking. Rodgers was hit 5 times and sacked three times including one for a safety. And Broderick Jones looked bewildered and jinxed all night. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Keeanu Benton with 7 tackles, a sack and another for a loss. Cam Heyward had 6 a tackle for a loss, and a deflected pass. Kimani Vidal actually had a respectable night for the Chargers, but he never came close to disrupting the game the way other running backs have. Grade: B

Linebackers
Two weeks after plenty of talking heads wanted him traded or at least benched Alex Highsmith posted his second consecutive 2 sack game. Patrick Queen led the team and the group with 12 tackles. Malik Harrison had a tackle for a loss and was a force in stopping the run. Nick Herbig had a sack, tackle for a loss and 2 QB hit. T.J. Watt “only” a sack, tackle for a loss, deflected a pass and 3 QB hits. The linebackers played well enough to win. Grade: B+

Secondary
Justin Herbert is one of the better young quarterbacks in the game, yet the Steelers limited him to 220 yards per game, despite Herbert enjoying an overwhelming time of possession advantage. Moving Jalen Ramsey to safety appears to be helping and Kyle Dugger is playing well. Still, Joey Porter Jr. let an interception slip through his hands and the secondary did give up a long run after Rodgers’ first interception. The Steelers needed spectacular secondary play, not good* performance. Grade: B-

Special Teams
We forgot this now, but T.J. Watt actually answered Donte Jackson’s interception with a punt-forcing sack 3 plays later. Unfortunately, Ke’Shawn Williams when the Steelers theoretically could have still made a comeback. Chris Boswell knocked in a 59 yarder only to miss a 45er. Yeah, it was that kinda night. Grade: F

Coaching
A week ago Teryl Austin’s unit shut down a Colts offense that had been galloping through other NFL defenses. They did it with a heavy dose of turnovers. Against the Chargers they went out against one of the league’s rising young quarterbacks and, although they did give up a long play, they played well enough to win, albeit while leaving turnovers on the field. So far so good.

  • Alas, Arthur Smith’s offense is a mess.

Throughout the season his unit hasn’t been effective in establishing a rhythm, has faltered too much on possession downs and their time of possession has been atrocious. Despite that Smith has more often than not found ways to make it work.

Steelers offense for example has capitalized on turnovers, converted the Red Zone and otherwise gotten far enough into opponent’s territory to allow Chris Boswell to knock in enough field goals so that the Steelers score when they need to.

It is clear after watching the Chargers game that the key component to this was Aaron Rodgers making just enough of the critical throws make all this happen.

Rodgers failed to do this against the Chargers and, in tandem, rest of the offense failed to pick up the slack.

How much of that is due to scheme and how much of that is tied to personnel decisions remains an open question. But as  Mike Tomlin has a clear voice in both, he shoulders the blame. Grade: D

James Pierre, Derius Davis, Steelers vs Chargers

Body Slam! Photo Credit: NFL.com

Unsung Hero Award
He was a former starter who got benched, was allowed to leave in free agency, got cut by his new team, returned, was resigned, then cut, then signed to the practice squad then quickly activated. A concussion thrust him into the starting role and batted away two passes while delivering a WWF (or WWE) style body slam tackle, and for that James Pierre wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

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Aaron Rodgers Struggles, Steelers Lose 25-10 to Chargers on SNF

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Once upon a time, the Pittsburgh Steelers owned the night.

While Thursday nights were always tricky, starting with the Cowher Era if you scheduled the Steelers for Sunday Night or Monday Night, Pittsburgh would probably win.

  • The Steelers lost 25-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

The loss marked their third defeat in their last four games, with each losing effort coming at night.

In the first two nighttime losses, the Steelers defense was responsible for its demise. Against the Chargers the offense was the prime offender as the defense held its own, and the Steelers inability to get both units playing well at the same time threatens to become the story of the season.

Aaron Rodgers safety, Khalil Mack, Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers SNF,

Khalil Mack sacks Aaron Rogers for a safety. Photo Credit: IMAGN Images, via Tribune-Review

Deceptive Night for Steelers Defense

“Steelers vs the Chargers” conjures up images of Air Coryell vs. the Steel Curtain, shootouts and otherwise high-scoring affairs. That’s part of the tradition between these two franchises, but there’s more.

Through time both franchises have proved that they can hash it out in the trenches. There are several examples, but perhaps the 2008 Steelers 11-10 win over the Chargers serves best.

So, if I had told you going into the game that…

You’d have probably thought this game was a slugfest, where the story was found in the trenches.

And if I’d showed you James Pierre’s would make this vintage WWF (or WWE of you prefer) body slam tackle:

James Pierre, Derius Davis, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers SNF

James Pierre body slams Derius Davis. Photo Credit: Nick Smith, Steelers.com

…you’d certainly have concluded that that the Steelers defense turned in an ass-kicking performance that paved the way for a return to the franchise’s winning ways on night games.

  • Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen.

The Steelers defense played a good game. Several Steelers defenders made multiple great plays. Ironically, they made too many of them. Had they made a few less, we might be calling this a great game for the defense.

Alas, time stole greatness away as the defense was on the field for nearly 15 minutes more than the offense was.

Don’t Let the Rest of the Offense Off the Hook…

The focus for the offense’s failure against the Chargers firmly falls on Aaron Rodgers. As it should.

But that doesn’t let the rest of the offense off the hook. Pass protection was poor, particularly early on, leading to a safety. Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson had some good runs during the early going, but the line never quite opened the holes needed to sustain drives. At other times penalties were at issue.

Arguably the Steelers smoothest drive outside of garbage time came at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second, as Warren ran well, while Rodgers threw to D.K. Metcalf, Darnell Washington and  Pat Freiermuth only to have end with a missed Chris Boswell field goal.

One of the under the radar stories coming out of the Bengals and Packers debacles were that the Steelers running game seemed to be gaining steam. Its sputtering got lost in the glow of the win over Indianapolis.

Isaac Seumalo played hurt and then left the Colts game and missed the game against the Chargers. Arthur Smith started Andrus Peat in his place, allowing Spencer Anderson to play in the Jumbo Package.

Against the Chargers at least, the Jumbo package didn’t deliver the punch the Steelers needed it to.

Story of the Game Comes Down to Aaron Rodgers’ Struggles

Father time remains undefeated against athletes. His victory is inevitable.

  • Yet, how he gains his victory fascinates us.

Some athletes age gracefully – Jerome Bettis offers a perfect example. Other times the fall off happens fast. Had the Steelers won Super Bowl XLV, Hines Ward likely would have been the MVP. Yet, that next December Bruce Arians was scripting shovel passes to pull Ward across the 1000 catch mark.

  • Then there are the athletes who fall somewhere in between.

Going into the Chargers game, Aaron Rodgers had been everything the Steelers could have hoped for. NO, he wasn’t the Aaron Rodgers who beat them in the Super Bowl. But he sure was exponentially better than anyone else who’d played quarterback for the Steelers since Ben Roethlisberger retired.

  • Aaron Rodgers had a bad night in Los Angeles.

He had D.K. Metcalf wide open for an easy touchdown on Pittsburgh’s second possession – yet he over threw by a full stride. Later he tried to force it to Metcalf into double coverage in the end zone, but threw a poorly placed ball. Jonnu Smith needed every bit of his 38 inch vertical leap to get hands on Rodgers 19 yard pass to him at the 10 — and then he couldn’t hold on to it.

  • An ugly interception of his in the first half set up the Chargers first touchdown.

He didn’t always get a lot of help from his receivers – He hit Calvin Austin right in the numbers only to have Austin deflect the ball to Donte Jackson. But on so many other occasions, his passes were too short, too high, or just off target. Until deep into the 4th quarter, the Steelers were 0-9 on third downs – and several of those were quite manageable.

This doesn’t mean that Aaron Rodgers is done, although when you turn in a game like that in your 40’s, people will rush to that conclusion.

Nick Herbig, Justin Herbert, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers SNF

Nick Herbig sacks Justin Herbert. Photo Credit: IMAGN Images, Steelers.com

But given how well the defense was playing, had Rodgers been able to perform at even an average level, the Steelers could have won.

Alas, Rodgers was far below average against the Chargers.

Looking Very Different in November

The Steelers opened October with a three game winning streak, a 4-1 record and a lengthy lead in the AFC North. Then their defense faltered in losses to the Bengals and Packers. It bounced back against the Colts in a big way, and continued to play above the line football against the Chargers, only to have the offense falter.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is back and the Ravens have won three straight and word is that Joe Burrow has begun practicing.

Mike Tomlin needs to find away to get both his units playing their best ball at once. And Mike must do this fast.

 

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Chargers: Memories Yesteryear’s Star Pupils Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who just watched a performance that’s reminding him of star students from yesteryear, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 home opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium.

Calvin Austin, Steelers vs Chargers

Calvin Austin scores a 4th quarter touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
This was Justin Fields third start and his best one so far. While he did throw an interception, his passing was on the mark, he made several critical throws and made the correct read in a Run Option in the end zone. His 25-32-245-1-1 numbers might be a bit inflated, but he clearly took a step forward. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
It was tough going against the NFL’s number 3 rush defense as Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren struggled to gain yards. But by the end of the day Harris and third-stringer Cordarrelle Patterson were ripping off double-digit runs. On the day Harris had 18 carries for 70 yards while Patterson had 4 for 33 yards. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had a consistent day catching 4 passes for 33 yards although he did have one costly drop. Connor Heyward had one catch for 2 yards. Darnell Washington didn’t have a catch, but served as a decoy on the first rushing touchdown. The tight ends blocked well against a stout defense. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
The Chargers did their damndest to shut down George Pickens, but he still caught 5 of 7 passes for 57 yards. The bigger start of the game was Calvin Austin. He’s 55-yard catch and run sealed the game, but he also had a critical 25 yard catch on a 3rd and 14 that set up the Steelers go ahead score. Scotty Miller only had 2 catches for 31 yards but made both of them count, one as a third-down conversion that set up the Steelers first touchdown, and another 11 yarder that sustain the go-ahead scoring drive. Cordarrelle Patterson also lined up as a wide out and caught 3 passes for 15 yards on the day. Grade: B

Offensive Line
The offensive line was in the bullseye this week as injuries continued to take their toll. The early going was rough, as the Steelers struggled to make positive yardage. But the offensive line kept their chin straps buckled, and won the battle of attribution. By the end of the day, the Chargers knew the run was coming, but the Steelers imposed their will. Grade: B

Defensive Line
The Chargers came to Pittsburgh with the number NFL’s leading running back and 1 rushing offense and they left Acrisure with the 7th best rushing offense. And their start running back, J.K. Dobbins, who has played extremely well against the Steelers, couldn’t even break the three yards a carry threshold. That starts with the defensive line. Grade: A-

Linebackers
How good was this unit? Nick Herbig was up against an All Pro and made as strip sacks almost as soon as he came in the game. T.J. Watt wrecked another drive with a sack and is now a half sack short of 100. And neither of those were the best plays by the linebackers. Elandon Roberts earned that honor with his sack of Justin Herbert immediately after the interception. Patrick Queen led the team in tackles proving that he’s both fast and hits hard. Grade: A

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. bit early and gave up a touchdown, but he made up for it later by stopping J.K. Dobbins for a 4 yard loss. Both DeShon Elliot and Donte Jackson had strong games. Minkah Fitzpatrick stat sheet might look thin, but he tipped a Hail Mary at the end of the first half and saved a touchdown in the process. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Calvin Austin had a solid day returning kicks. The Steelers punt coverage was solid as was their kick coverage as the Chargers tried to return 2 kicks and got nothing. Corliss Waitman had a solid day punting. Chris Boswell did miss one, but it was from 62 yards out. Grade: B

Coaching
Three games in, Arthur Smith’s offense doesn’t look terribly different from Matt Canada’s, when judged by a number of metrics. Ah, but while numbers don’t lie, statistics can certainly deceive.

While no one would confuse the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers offense for either one of Ron Erhardt’s NY Giants Super Bowl winning units, let alone the greatest show on turf, Smith’s offense is improving each week. With each outing the Steelers are scoring more points and doing more to control games. And unlike the last two weeks, no one can question the quality of opposition.

There’s something curious about Teryl Austin’s defenses. Each week has started with the Steelers defense holding its own, while giving up a touchdown drive that looked a tad bit too easily. But then, the Steelers defense has gone into shut down mode.

That happened this week as the Steelers dominated the Chargers for the entire 30 minutes. One play after the first turnover of the Steelers offense and Los Angles was worse off than before.

September has become a strange month in the NFL. Thanks to the fact that more and more teams play their starters less and less in what remains of preseason, inconsistency is rank in the NFL during September.

Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Taylor Heinicke, Steelers vs Chargers

Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt finish off the Chargers. Literally. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers have certainly had their rough edges this September,  but they have consistently improved, and that’s a tremendous credit to head coach Mike Tomlin.

Unsung Hero Award
On his first play he stepped up to stop the NFL’s leading rusher for no gain. Later, on the same drive he’d stuff him for a loss, helping force a field goal. His final play when he sacked Taylor Heinicke for a 10 yard loss on third down sending the Chargers offense to the showers for good. For those exploits, Cam Heyward wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Chargers at Acrisure.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to Chargers: Few A’s for Effort Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher impressed by his students enthusiasm in the face of adversity but nonetheless not inclined to give many “A’s” for effort, here is the Steelers Report Card for the 2021 loss to the Chargers.

Chase Claypool, Asante Samuel, Steelers vs Chargers

Asante Samuel Jr. shuts down Chase Claypool. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Quarterback
It happened again. Ben Roethlisberger missed the entire week on the COVID-19 list, cleared protocols, flew out on a private jet, and promptly played his best game of the season going 28-44-278 with 3 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions. If this were a series or movie franchise we’d have to admonish the writers for recycling plot lines. But its not so instead we’ll admonish any Steelers fan who doesn’t fully appreciate just how special Ben is. Grade: A-

Running Backs
Not a good day for the running game, but the Chargers scoring on their first 5 posessions had a lot to do with that. Najee Harris looked good, given his blocking, but never found a grove but he did find the end zone in earning 39 yards on 12 carries. Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage were respectable in spot duty. Grade: C+Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth and Eric Ebron both caught touchdowns and Zach Gentry made some good blocks. The Steelers tight ends did what was asked of them in the running game, but they’re going ot need to do more as run blockers if this offense is to sustain any momentum. Grade: C

Wide Receivers
Diontae Johnson authored what may have been his finest game as a professional, only falling a few plays short of a dominant performance. He caught 7 passes for 107 yards an a touchdown. Chase Claypool had an “on” night one in what has been an on-and-off season catching 5 passes for 93 yards including a field flipper that set up a score. Ray-Ray McCloud and James Washington had 2 catches for 12 yards. Both Claypool and McCloud ran a few reverses, but made little headway. Grade: A-

Offensive Line
Rushing room was spare – although the Steelers were in catch up mode most of the night. And although Ben Roethlisberger was hit 6 times, he generally had time to throw. Except on the final drive when the offensive line gave up consecutive sacks. Grade: F

Defensive Line
With the injuries to T.J. Watt it was clear that the Steelers defensive line was going to need to step up and it is equally clear that they were not up to the task. Except of course for Cam Heyward who deflected a pass and ran down a ball carrier from about 30 yards downfield. Grade: D

Linebackers
The story of the game was Justin Herbert breaking off and gouging the Steelers. Which shows that the Steelers weren’t able to neither pressure him nor contain him. That’s on the linebackers as much as the defensive line. Taco Charlton was drafted 2 slots earlier, but people still aren’t forgetting he’s not T.J. Watt. Grade: D

Cam Sutton, Cam Sutton interception Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers

Cam Sutton intercepts the ball. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Secondary
That Herbert had to run so many times indicates that he couldn’t find anyone open. And the Chargers were only 7-12 on third downs, a surprising stat. Cam Sutton also delivered what should have been a game-changing interception. Still “no one” had Mike Williams on his 53 yard touchdown pass which cost the Steelers the game. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Ray-Ray McCloud had a few nice punt kick returns and the Steelers punt return coverage was excellent, stopping the Chargers lone attempt for a loss. Chris Boswell was 3-3. And Miles Killebrew’s blocked punt should have been a game changer. Grade: A

Coaching
While it is tempting to point the finger at Matt Canada for only calling 18 runs against the NFL’s worst rushing defense, the Steelers defense simply could NOT stop the Chargers from scoring. The time to rollout a clock-control game is NOT when you’re down 14 points by the first time you touch the ball in the 2nd half.

  • Canada’s offense put 37 points on the board including converting 2 turnovers into touchdowns.

The Steelers defense had one of their worst nights in memory. In his press conference, Mike Tomlin doubled down on taking blame for the breakdowns of schematics. Honestly, there is probably something to that.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs Chargers

Diontae Johnson runs for daylight. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

But no amount of scheming can replace the playmaking ability for T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick or Joe Haden for that matter.

The Steelers were down 17 points the just over 18 minutes left to go, but they continued fighting until the very final gun and almost pulled off a comeback. That reflects well on both them, their coach and the entire organization. Grade: C

Unsung Hero Award
When team leader goes down those who he leads need to step up, and during the game this player had two sacks, both coming in critical situations, both of which helped keep the game from slipping away from the Steelers and for that Alex Highsmith wins the Unsung Hero Award.

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Blocked! Steelers Rally Fizzles as Chargers Win 41-37, while Tomlin’s Remarks were Revealing

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The Steelers-Chargers Sunday Night Game had it all:

  • 41 4th quarter points
  • A blocked punt in the Red Zone that set up a 4th down PI call that set up Najee Harris air mail touchdown
  • A 75 yard Ben Roethlisberger touchdown drive ending with a pass to Eric Ebron
  • A pass deflected by Cam Heyward that set up a Cam Sutton interception in the Red Zone
  • A Ben Roethlisberger touchdown to Pat Freiermuth
  • A defense that stopped NOBODY on the ground, coming up with a stop on 4th and 1
  • A 45 yard Chris Boswell field goal with the clock winding to 3:29

Yes, the game had it everything, but in the end everything was not enough as the Steelers fell to the Chargers 41-37 in their first trip to SoFi Stadium. The Steelers first loss in 41 days drops their record to 5-4-1, while Mike Tomlin’s uncharacteristic response reveals a lot about how he sees the rest of 2021 unfolding.

Miles Killebrew, Steelers vs Chargers 2021, Miles Killebrew blocked punt

Miles Killebrew blocks a punt. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Steelers Can’t Run. Chargers Can, Without Even Trying

The first half ended with a 17-10 advantage for the Chargers. Although a 7-point half time deficit is hardly cause for panic, if it felt like San Diego er um Los Angeles was in charge, its because they were.

On Pittsburgh’s second possession, Chase Claypool had brought the Steelers to the Chargers 5, but Pittsburgh failed to punch it in. An end around by Claypool yielded 3 yards while a rush up the middle by Najee Harris delivered none. Mike Tomlin opted to pass on third and 4th downs and the Steelers misfired on both, getting no points for 73 yards.

  • In contrast, the Chargers responded by going 98 yards and netting a score.

Justin Herbert accounted for 40 of those yards on four unplanned scrambles were just as easy as they looked. The Steelers couldn’t rush the ball while the Chargers could, even when they weren’t trying to.

By the time a Cameron Sutton penalty gave Dustin Hopkins a do over field goal that he converted for 41 yards, the Chargers had a 17 point lead owith just 18 minute left to play.

For all intents and purposes, the game seemed to be over.

Give the Men in Black and Gold Credit for Something

Let’s be blunt. You can talk all you want about professionals football players being paid millions to play a boy’s game. The truth is that a lot of teams facing a 17-point deficit, at night, on the road, with just over a quarter to go would mail it in. The allure of the showers, of getting out of the stadium and on to the plane becomes too strong.

Pat Freiermuth, Kendrick Green, Steelers vs Chargers

Kendrick Green blocks to set up Pat Freiermuth’s touchdown. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

  • But not Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers responded to the Chargers field goal with one of their own. On the next drive the Steelers defense did something it hadn’t done all night – force the Charger to punt. For the record, Ray-Ray McCloud returned the punt for 12 yards.

Ah, but off setting penalties forced a re-kick, which Miles Killebrew blocked, igniting the Steelers 24-point 4th quarter explosion. (Note, the Steelers also scored 3 points in the 4th prior to the blocked punt.)

Symmetry within the Number 3 Dooms Steelers

That 24-point explosion was entertaining. It would have been something really special had it not been broken up by 14 points scored by the Chargers. Or by Kyler Fackrell and Joey Bosa book ending the 2 minute warning with 8 and 11-yard sacks of Ben Roethlisberger.

  • The Steelers defense made 3 separate stops the Chargers in the 4th quarter.

Those there the only 3 stops the unit had in them. I suppose that’s an odd sort of symmetry for a Steelers defense missing 3 starters in the form of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden and Minkah Fitzpatrick. At the end of the day the Steelers couldn’t get pressure – or containment – of Herbert without Watt.

And if James Pierre did a fine job of filling in for Haden, that forced Tre Norwood out of his slot position and into Minkah’s which is how you get a 53 yard walk off touchdown to Mike Williams with just over 2 minutes remaining.

Factor in Joe Haeg playing for an injured J.C. Hassenauer was in for an injured Kevin Dotson which opened the door to the Chargers final sacks. The Steelers simply didn’t have the players they needed to compete.

Tomlin’s Uncharacteristic Remarks Revealing

Once upon a time, Mike Tomlin would have scoffed at a long injury list with “The Standard Is the Standard.” But after the game he explained, “We have to get back to the drawing board and do a better job of putting them in positions to be successful with the people that we have at our disposal.”

  • Is Tomlin stepping back from “The Standard is the Standard?” Is he, in effect, making excuses?

Don’t bet on it. Mike Tomlin is taking the blame upon himself because he doesn’t want criticism contaminating the spirit and attitude of a promising young crops players.

  • Clearly, he believes that, with a little confidence, this group’s best football lies ahead of it.

The fight they showed in the 4th quarter suggests Tomlin is right. We’ll find out over the next 7 games.

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Chargers – Not Quite Straight A’s, but Close

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who is crossing his fingers n hopes that his student can sustain the momentum they’re taking into spring break, here is the Steelers Report Card for the win over the Chargers.

James Conner, Steelers vs Chargers, Denzel Perryman

James Conner stiff arms Denzel Perryman. Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier, LA Times

Quarterback
The first rule for a backup quarterback is to avoid mistakes that cost his team the game. Devlin Hodges did that in going 15 for 20 for one touchdown. His interception was costly, but fortunately not a difference maker. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
James Conner continues to excel. Although his rushing average might not impress, he ran well and was even more effective catching the ball. Benny Snell saw his first extended action, and put together an tremendous night with 75 yards on 17 carries. Grade: A

Tight Ends
Both Vance McDonald and Nick Vannett caught both passes thrown to them for five yards on their only targets. But the tight ends real contribution came in run blocking, where they really made a difference. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
It was a quiet, quiet night for the Steelers wide outs as Diontae Johnson led the team with 2 catches for 14 yards. Donte Moncrief was next with one catch for 11 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster had one catch for 7 yards. Johnny Holton had one target and failed to come back to the ball allowing for an easy interception. Grade: C

Offensive Line
This is the type of offensive line play that defines Steelers football. The quarterback wasn’t sacked nor was he even hit based on ESPN’s statistics. But more importantly, the Steelers were able to run the ball when they needed to, and the offensive line opened holes for both running backs. Grade: A

Benny Snell, Steelers offensive line

Bell Snell rushing through the holes opened by the Steelers offensive line. Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier

Defensive Line
In a night when the defense dominated at levels not seen in years, the defensive line features a sparse stat sheet. But don’t be fooled. As Jim Wexell pointed out, Stephon Tuitt’s vicious hit of Philip Rivers knocked the quarterback off track for the entire first half. Tyson Alualu tipped a ball that turn into an interception, and Cam Heyward on Javon Hargrave helped stone the Chargers running backs. Grade: A

Linebackers
Anyone still want to second guess that Devin Bush trade? In only his sixth game as a pro, Devin Bush scored the first defensive touchdown of the year and set up the Steelers second score with his second interception in as many weeks. Oh, and he also led in tackles. T.J. Watt had a half sack, batted down a ball, and harassed Philip Rivers all night. Anthony Chickillo returned notching a half sack, and Vince Williams helped keep the Chargers rushers in check. Grade: A

Secondary
Minkah Fitzpatrick batted away a pass and was second in tackles, followed by Terrell Edmunds. Mike Hilton had his hands on a the penultimate pass of the night. The real star of the show was Cam Sutton, who batted away 3 passes and came down with the game sealing interception. Grade: A

Cam Sutton, Cam Sutton onsides kick recovery, Steelers vs Chargers

Cameron Sutton recovers the onside. Photo Credit: Jake Roth, USA Today

Special Teams
The Steelers kick coverage continues to be an issue, but Ryan Switzer had a respectable return. Chris Boswell was perfect on the night. The real stars of the show were Cam Sutton Jordan Berry and Johnny Holton. Cam Sutton made a head-over-heels onsides kick recovery while Berry and Holton who teamed to pin the Chargers down at their one with less than one minute to play.

These players were exactly what the Steelers needed. Grade: A

Coaching
The deck seemed to be stacked against the Steelers. They were playing on the West Coast. Not only was their starting quarterback injured, but so where his two offensive counterparts from the 2017 NFL Draft. The Steelers were also down one starting inside linebacker and a cornerback who has quietly authored a dominating season.

  • Yet, Mike Tomlin got his team to tune out the noise and the Steelers turned out their best performance of the season.

On offense, Randy Fichtner adhered to the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid, and in doing so he set his rookie, 4th string quarterback up to win his first start. Whether it was by design or necessity Shaun Sarrett finally got the offensive line run blocking going.

On defense, Keith Butler continued to do what he has quietly done for the past several games: Deploy a defense that is playing dominant football.

  • Sure, as injuries mounted in the second half things got closer than one would like to see. But the Steelers defense closed the deal, all you can ask.

One quibble against the coaches is the intercepted deep pass. The Chargers were on the ropes before that, and that play got them back into it. Ultimately, that will be a footnote on this season’s history, but it does nudge the grade down. Grade: A-

Unsung Hero Award
He arrived in Pittsburgh as both a second choice and a surprise, but made a respectable debut. Then, in his second season he began to struggle when he should have soared. Things went downhill from there, as he lost his starting job to a player who, a year later, is out of football. Then he found himself on the bench altogether.

He saw his first action in months against the Chargers. He could have been picked on and exploited as an easy target. Yet, his name was not often heard and he was by no means the weak link in a very strong Steelers defense, and for that Artie Burns wins the Unsung Hero Award for the win over the Chargers.

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Steelers 24-17 Win over Chargers Yields Building Blocks to Take into Bye Week

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled in 2019. Injuries have struck key players. Players have turned over the ball at inopportune moments. Several Steelers have stepped up to make spectacular individual plays, but something has always conspired to keep Pittsburgh from bring it altogether.

  • In the Steelers 24-17 win over the Chargers, Pittsburgh finally brought it together.

Not only did the Steelers bring it together, but they added key elements to their game which had been missing and those ended up being the difference makers.

Devin Bush, Devin Bush touchdown, Steelers vs Chargers

Devin Bush dives for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Steelers Defense Dominates Early and Often

Perhaps critics can be forgiven for failing to see it amidst the wreckage of a 1-4 start, but the Steelers defense has been getting better. This isn’t about simply avoiding the sieve-like quality that has too often bedeviled them since injuries to Joe Haden and Ryan Shazier derailed a promising rise in mid-2017.

  • No, the Steelers defense has been signaling that it can go beyond that, that it can dominate.

And against the Chargers, Keith Butler’s boys dominated. Devin Bush led the charge early on when the rookie made yet another heads up play, by scooping up a failed lateral to put the Steelers ahead 7 to nothing.

  • On the very next series, Tyson Alualu tipped a pass, and again Devin Bush delivered with an interception.

That set up the Steelers 2nd score, which made the game 14-0, with 4 minutes left to play in the 1st quarter. The Steelers defense kept the pedal to the metal through the rest of the first half. The stat sheet says that Anthony Chickillo and T.J. Watt shared the lone sack of Philip Rivers. But what the stat sheet fails to show is that the Steelers defense harassed him through the first half.

More would be required of them later on, but Steelers defense played its best half of football since October 2017, when it completely shut down the then-NFL leading Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Road Grading Returns to Pittsburgh’s Offense

The Steelers offensive line has been saddled with a glass half-full, half-empty syndrome in 2019. On the one hand, the offensive line has done a masterful job of keeping Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges clean.

Forced to find a spark, Randy Fichtner had to turn to the Wildcat to get the offense moving. An innovative move to be sure, but one that worked against the Bengals and failed miserably vs the Ravens. Whispers began:

  • Was the offensive line missing Mike Munchak?
  • Was the unit’s collective age creeping up on it?

Against the Chargers, the Steelers defense silenced those whispers with authority and decisiveness. It is one thing run against NFL defenses trying to protect against the pass. It is another thing to establish the run when the opposing team knows you’re going to run the ball.

  • The Chargers knew the Steelers were going to run the ball.
  • The Steeler ran it and dared Los Angeles to stop them.

Los Angeles tried, and failed. James Conner’s first touchdown run required some hustle on the part of the running back, but it was made possible by road-grading quality blocking by Vance McDonald and Alejandro Villanueva.

The Steelers offense authored two drives, one in the 2nd quarter and the other to begin the 3rd quarter, which burned 9:09 and 6:48 off the clock and added 10 points to the score board. With 19 minutes remaining to play, Steelers had effectively imposed their will on the Chargers.

Sutton, Special Teams Stamp Out Chargers New Signs of Life

Credit the Steelers coaches for many things going into this game, but the Devlin Hodges attempt to hook up keep with Johnny Holton is not one of those. The Chargers weren’t fooled, and the interception injected new life into a team that looked like it was really ready for the showers.

  • Instead, Philip Rivers did what Hall of Fame quarterbacks do when you give them a 2nd chance, he rallied his team to two touchdowns.

And Philip Rivers might have succeeded in rallying for a third, had it not been for one 3rd round pick and an Aussie punter. Cam Sutton has tantalized Steelers Nation since Pittsburgh drafted him in 2017. He got activated off of injured reserve and immediately pressed Artie Burns and Coty Sensabaugh for playing time late in his rookie year.

However, Cam Sutton disappeared shortly thereafter, but began flashing again during preseason, and asserted himself at points during the 2019 campaign. But Cam Sutton asserted himself to close out the Chargers game in stunning fashion, defending multiple passes and making a spectacular head over heels on-sides kick recovery.

Cam Sutton recovers an on sides kick in the Steelers 24-17 win over Chargers. Photo Credit: Jake Roth, USA Today via The Athletic

The Chargers had all three of their time outs after the on-sides kick, and the Steelers offense couldn’t make a first down, forcing a punt. Jordan Berry boomed off a punt which pinned the Chargers down at their one.

Throwing from his own end zone, Philip Rivers first pass bounced off of Mike Hilton’s hands. Cam Sutton grabbed his second one, which sealed victory for the Steelers.

Steelers Take 2-4, Building Blocks into Bye Week

A 2-4 record is nothing to be of proud of, but it sure beats 1-5. But beyond doubling their total in the win column, the victory over the Chargers gives the Steelers something they can build on heading into the bye week.

  • The Steelers first win over the Bengals, however satisfying, was gimmicky

In contrast, the Steelers defeated the Chargers by out executing San Diego, er um, Los Angeles, the fundamentals. And that gives Pittsburgh a sustainable strategy the can follow over the next ten games to come.

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NFL Concussion Protocol be Dammed Steelers Should Sit Mason Rudolph vs Chargers

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Twitter can be addictive. Which is why I don’t neither stay logged into it on my desktop nor my mobile devices. But yesterday afternoon a retweet caught me by surprise.

mason rudolph, mason rudolph nlf concussion protocol

Mason Rudolph practices while in Step 4 of NFL Concussion Protocol. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post-Gazette via Twitter

The original tweet was from Matt Freed, a photograph from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It does of course show Mason Rudolph throwing the football at the Steelers practice facility on the South Side.

The fact that Mason Rudolph is able to go out and throw a football a few days after suffering a hit that knocked him unconscious is a welcome sign. The sight of Mason Rudolph laying there motionless as JuJu Smith-Schuster signaled frantically for the medical staff to take the field was harrowing.

  • Early word was that Mason was doing well, but was not talking to the press as he was in the NFL’s Concussion protocol.

Can players practice while in the NFL’s Concussion Protocol? Well, according to the NFL’s 5 step guidelines, they can. After a player has rested and proceeded through the light exercise phases of the protocol, he entered Step Four: Step Four: Football Specific Activities.

Per Joe Ruttner’s reporting in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mason Rudolph not only threw, but was running reps with the scount team, which would put him in Step Five of the NFL’s Concussion Protocol which Step Five: Full Football Activity/Clearance.

In pure football terms this means that if Mason Rudolph can make it through a week’s practice without showing signs of a concussion, he and not Devlin Hodges could actually start for the Steelers on Sunday Night against the LA Chargers.

Given that the Steelers will take the field without Jaylen Samuels and James Washington and with other key starters such as Vance McDonald and James Conner already having missed portions of games with injuries, this is a welcome sign in pure football terms.

  • But football is not the only concern here.

Mason Rudolph’s long-term health is. I do not pretend to be an expert on concussions, but everything we know indicates that if a player has suffered one concussion they’re more susceptible to other concussions and this is at its highest immediately after a concussion has been suffered.

  • NFL Concussion Protocol be dammed, the Steelers should sit Mason Rudolph for the Chargers game no matter what.

Sit him out for a week. Give him the bye week off, and give him 3 full weeks before he’s exposed to the risk of another concussion. Mike Tomlin has always deferred to his medical staff when it comes to clearing an injured player to return. That is as it should be.

But concussions are different. Isaac Redman once admitted he lied while in the concussion protocol to return to play. Hines Ward once lashed out at Ben Roethlisberger for NOT lying about having headaches so that he’d be able to play. After retiring, Troy Polamalu admitted to having suffered far more concussions than had ever been publicly diagnosed.

One would hope that Mason Rudolph would be smart enough NOT to do that, but one never knows, which is exactly why the decision should be taken out of his hands.

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The LA Chargers Have More of a Legit Incentive to “Help” Steelers Make Playoffs Than You Think

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Why would the Los Angeles Chargers, an AFC team with Super Bowl aspirations, want to help the Steelers, a conference foe with that same goal, make the postseason, as the title of this article suggests?

Is it because the Chargers defeated Pittsburgh, 33-30, in a Week 13 match-up at Heinz Field and think they’d be able to prevail again in a postseason rematch?

 

Terrell Edmunds, Keenan Allen, Steelers vs Chargers

Terrell Edmunds fails to stop Keenan Allen on a 2 point conversion. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.com

Could it be because the Ravens, Los Angeles’ opponent this Saturday night, are only a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North and would be a much tougher out in a playoff rematch? 

  • Scenario number one is plausible, that is, of course, if Los Angeles didn’t escape with the aforementioned victory over the Steelers after trailing, 23-7, at halftime.

The theory on scenario number two would also hold water, if not for the fact that Lamar Jackson, a rookie, would start at quarterback for Baltimore in any hypothetical playoff rematch against accomplished veteran Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

  • No, the real reason the Chargers want the Steelers in the playoffs has nothing to do with Pittsburgh and everything to do with Los Angeles.

You see, the Chargers (11-3) are tied with the Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC. Los Angeles and Kansas City also play in the same division–the AFC West–and the runner-up would be relegated to the fifth seed and the very real prospect of not only having to play three postseason games to get to the Super Bowl, but playing all three games away from home.

It’s one thing to get to the final few weeks of the regular season knowing that, because of your record, your playoff journey will begin on Wildcard Weekend, regardless of whether you’re a division winner or just an at large wildcard team–such is the fate for the Steelers (8-5-1) and/or Ravens (8-6). It’s quite another to have a chance at the top seed and all the trapping s that go with it–including homefield advantage and a bye– only to drop all the way down to an at-large wildcard team. 

  • NFL history is littered with really good teams who were victims of playing in the same division as other really good teams.
  • More often than not, the former doesn’t make it to the Super Bowl.

Recent history includes the 2008 Colts, who won their last nine regular season games to finish with a 12-4 mark but lost out on the AFC South title to the Titans before falling to the 8-8 Chargers  in the wildcard round; the 2010 Saints, who finished with an 11-5 regular season record but lost the AFC south to the Falcons and had to travel to Seattle where they lost to a 7-9 Seahawks squad; and, of course, the 2011 Steelers, who finished 12-4 but lost the AFC North title (and a bye) to the Ravens before losing the wildcard game against Tim Tebow and the 8-8 Broncos. 

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Steelers Report Card for Meltdown to Chargers – Tripping Instead of Leaning In Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher depressed to see his students tripping instead of leaning in as the finish line approaches, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the meltdown against the Chargers.

Ben Roethlisberger, Justin Jones, Joey Bose, Steelers vs Chargers

Justin Jones & Joey Bose sack Ben Roethlisberger. Photo Credit: Mike Nowak, Chargers.com

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger’s stat line of 19-45 for 281 for 2 TD’s and 1 pick looks respectable. And the Steelers signal caller looked sharp at times. Yet his interception was costly and likely took points off the board. He also failed to connect with an open WR, although the WR may be responsible, nonetheless that also took points off the board. That brings Ben below the line. Grade: D

Running Backs
James Conner had two touchdowns and 60 yards on 15 carries including a long run and a key 4th down conversion. Roosevelt Nix looked strong blocking. Jaylen Samuels had two carries for 5 yards and looked good scoring Pittsburgh’s last touchdown through the air. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Tight Ends
Vance McDonald might not be Pittsburgh’s Gronk, but he can catch tough passes over the middle, more importantly, he can move DB’s to gain extra yards. Jesse James had one catch for 7 yards and blocked well. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
The WiFi was on as Antonio Brown looked every bit the Steelers number one wide receiver as he caught 10 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.  JuJu Smith-Schuster had a quieter night, going 6 for 49. Ryan Switzer had two catches for 9 yards and Justin Hunter got open for a sure TD that he either under ran or Roethlisberger over threw. Grade: C+

Offensive Line
Running backs had room to run. Ben Roethlisberger had a ridiculous amount of time to throw on many occasions. The Los Angeles Chargers only sacked Ben Roethlisberger once and only touched him 2 other times. But on the first series of the 4th quarter a holding call put the Steelers back, followed by a sack, which in turn set up a punt return for a touchdown. On this page, grades are earned based on performance and results. Grade: C-

Defensive Line
Javon Hargrave got the only pressure of the second half with his sack of Philip Rivers. Stephon Tuitt deflected a pass forcing a punt early on. Cam Heyward got pressure in the first half. However, the pressure was absent in the 2nd half, and Justin Jackson broke through to the second level too many times during the meltdown. Grade: D

Bud Dupree, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward, L.J. Fort, Steelers vs Chargers

Bud Dupree, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward and L.J. Fort gang tackle. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Linebackers
L.J. Fort played for most of the night and led the team in tackles. Vince Williams was next. T.J. Watt got some good pressure in the first half. Bud Dupree played injured, splitting time with Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi. The linebackers had a lot of responsibility and to their credit the Chargers got very few after catch yards. They made some strong plays in the first half, but couldn’t come up with a big play in the second half. Grade: C-

Secondary
Philip Rivers is as hot as a quarterback can be right now, and the defense contained him in the first half, not so much in the second half. Terrell Edmunds had some nice plays and made the only splash play of the night for the defense. Joe Haden would have had an interception in the end zone but got KOed by Sean Davis instead. That could have been the difference in this game. Again, the Steelers defense needed a take away in the 2nd half and didn’t get one. Grade: D

Special Teams
Sure, the Steelers had a partially blocked punt that was nice. Jordan Berry boomed off some nice punts. But Chris Boswell missed another extra point. And the Steelers special teams seemed to commit penalties on each return.  Again.

  • And of course there’s the punt returned for a touchdown.

YES, it should have been called back and wasn’t. But that one illegal block in the back didn’t prevent the other 10 guys from not touching the returner. Grade: F

Coaching

Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers vs Chargers

Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Whenever a team suffers such a catastrophic 2nd half meltdown, the easy out is to point the finger at the coach for allowing complacency to set in.

  • The Steelers however, showed no lack of hustle or focus in the 2nd half.

No one can be accused of mailing it in. And nor can Mike Tomlin be faulted for the critical plays where officiating wasn’t at the issue. Tomlin didn’t throw the pick, miss the PAT or collide with his fellow defensive back to break up an interception.

With that said, Ben Roethlisberger has now attempted over 45 passes or more in 4 of his last 5 games. While the results are not universally bad, a more balanced approach would be welcome, particularly because the Steelers have shown they can run the ball.

  • Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin need to take a long look at a run defense that suddenly seems to be gouged with double-digit yard runs with alarming regularity.

However, perhaps these last several games have revealed the truth that the 2018 Steelers defense is a unit that is capable of playing well for stretches, but one that simply doesn’t have the talent to do all it needs to do during a 60 minute football game. Grade: D

Unsung Hero Award
Had the Steelers won, this space would consider several candidates for the award. But critical failures in all three phases contributed to the second half meltdown and trying to award an Unsung Hero Award feels a little bit too much like the pro version of giving out a participation trophy so we won’t do it here.

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