Tag Archives: Van Jefferson

Cordarrelle Patterson Cut. Did Arthur Smith Bring “False Friends” to the Steelers?

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When news broke that the Steelers cut Cordarrelle Patterson earlier this week observers the reaction of many was, “What took them so long?”

Cordarelle Patterson, Steelers vs Colts

Cordarrelle Patterson runs against the Colts. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Michael Conroy

They may be right – I think the Steelers were probably wise to bring him to camp, but my conclusions track in a different direction. Namely that the Cordarrelle Patterson experiment highlights the dangers of “False Friends” in NFL roster building.

Let’s clarify something important here: Using “False Friends” to describe Cordarrelle Patterson or the other players soon to be mentioned, says nothing about their character, work ethnic or presence in the locker room.

  • Rather, “False Friends” in this context is a concept borrowed from second language acquisition.

Take the words “assist” and “asistir” in English and Spanish. In my first week living in Buenos Aires, Mari my Argentine “aunt” asked me, “Te vas a asistir la clase de Jose Luis hoy?”

Although I was planning to make an appearance at my friend Jose Luis’ English class that afternoon, I responded, “No. Si voy, pero no voy a asistir.” thinking she was asking me if I was planning on helping her son teach the class.

This thoroughly confused Mari, who spoke no English and had many, many virtues — none of which was patience, because “asistir” in Spanish means “attend.” There’s a strong chance I further confounded her by saying something like, “Si. Voy a attender us clase, pero no voy a asistir.” (“Attender” in Spanish sort of means to “help” someone, but I was using it completely out of context.)

The concept of “False Friends” applies here due to Patterson’s relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Patterson played for Smith, and he was one of the more notable free agent signings in the 2024 off season.

The Steelers also signed Van Jefferson and MyCole Pruitt, two other players with a productive history from their time playing under Arthur Smith.

Pruitt almost certainly cost Connor Heyward snaps, but failed to deliver much on the field. Van Jefferson was not only a substandard NFL WR No. 2 by today’s standards, he was badly outclassed by other lackluster Steelers WR No 2’s from yesteryear such as Charles Lockett and Derek Hill. (Dwight Stone looked like a Pro Bowler compared to Jefferson.)

  • The Steelers signed Patterson due to his kick-returning prowess.

However, the Steelers got no spark from their kick return game in 2024, despite the rule changes and despite Patterson’s pedigree. Bringing Patterson to camp still made sense to this scribe, given how well he ran during limited duty against the Raiders and Colts.

But he got injured at Indianapolis and never got back on track. Giving him one last chance seemed to be a no brainer, low-risk risk high-reward move.

When a coach arrives at a new team, the idea of bringing some of his former players into the fold to recapture old magic can often be irresistible. Sometimes, as then rookie coach Mike Tomlin found out with Allen Rossum and Sean Mahan in 2007 they don’t always work out.

But there’s a flip side to this story:

A year later the Steelers signed Mewelde Moore who was the Unsung Hero of the 2008 season and delivered a critical block freeing Ben Roethlisberger to find Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII.

Fortunately, former players don’t always turn out to be “False Friends.”

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Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Wide Receiver – Moderate

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You’d have never guessed it, but two second round picks started at wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.

George Pickens played up to his pedigree, albeit with a giant asterisk. But just how bad was Van Jefferson? Our free agent profile on Van Jefferson detailed that, but we’ll jump to the point here: We compared Van Jefferson to several historically underwhelming Steelers WR No. 2’s (Charles Lockett, Derek Hill and Dwight Stone) let’s just say that Van Jefferson suffered by comparison.

But the Steelers already used this year’s 2nd round pick to bring yet another 2nd round pick, D.K. Metcalf to Pittsburgh, so how does that impact their situation going into the 2025 NFL Draft?

George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Steelers vs Browns

George Pickens celebrates with Calvin Austin after Austin’s touchdown. Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images, via Yahoo! Sports

Steelers Depth Cart at Wide Receiver: The Starters

The Steelers had hoped and expected to land another wide receiver after trading Diontae Johnson, but that never worked out. This year Omar Khan ensured that did not happen by trading for D.K. Metcalf before the start of free agency.

Just how much of an impact might Metcalf make? As Doug Farrar explained to Jim Wexell for a Steelers Digest feature:

In the abstract, Metcalf gives Arthur Smith and Pittsburgh’s quarterback du jour a big contested-catch winner with an estimable combination of physicality to outmatch defenders at the catch point, and the speed to simply run by them. That’s the plus side, and it shows up quite frequently. It’s the rare receiver who can consistently make NFL cornerbacks look overwhelmed and overmatched, but at his best, Metcalf is perfectly capable of doing so.

While Farrar makes clear that Metcalf’s game has his weaknesses, there’s no denying that he lifts the Steelers wide receivers room to levels not seen since Antonio Brown left.

At present, all signs indicate that George Pickens will return to the Steelers for the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.

George Pickens, Steelers 2022 training camp, Cam Sutton

George Pickens making a catch on the first day @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

George Pickens started turning heads as soon as he arrived on the fields of St. Vincents in the summer of 2022. And he’s continued to turn heads since then, unlike other training camp wonders.

  • Unfortunately, too often he turns heads for the wrong reason.

George Pickens has the talent to be an elite receiver not only in today’s game, but perhaps earn himself a place the history’s conversation about the subject. Whether it’s from causing post-snap penalties, pouting over not getting the ball enough, failing to block for running backs, or cutting off routes, George Pickens cannot get out of his own way.

Word is that the rest of the NFL has wised up to the Steelers dealing off unwanted wide receivers, so unless someone throws a 2nd or 3rd round pick at Khan, expect Pickens to finish his contract in Pittsburgh.

But he’d be wise not to sign anything other than a one-year lease.

Steelers Wide Receiver Depth Chart: The Backups

Calvin Austin heads up the depth chart behind the starters and in his third year he proved he’s an effective 3rd wide receiver. Austin doubled his production from 2023, and proved to be both a deep threat and a receiver capable of making tough catches.

Behind Austin, the Steelers have Roman Wilson, 2024’s 3rd round pick whose season was effectively lost to injury. Omar Khan opted to bring back both Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek, with Skowronek being a special teams ace who has upside as a receiver.
Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs Scale

The Steelers also have 2024 practice squader Brandon Johnson and Lance McCutcheon on their roster.

The Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Wide Receiver

Pittsburgh finds itself in a good place at wide receiver entering the 2025 NFL Draft. The Steelers could and most certainly should boost the talent in their receiver room, but they don’t need to reach.

What the Steelers must do however, is keep an eye open towards the future as both George Pickens and Calvin Austin will be free agents next spring. Therefore, the Pittsburgh Steelers need at wide receiver entering the 2025 NFL Draft must be considered as Moderate.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Free Agent Tracker

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Free Agency started on Monday March 10th at noon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered free agency with as much as much to lose as they do have to gain.

The Steelers have 17 players set to become free agents. Omar Khan has over 60 million dollars in salary cap money to spend, with the ability to increase that quickly and easily with restructures and extensions. Yet, the team has been cautious.

  • If anyone is panicking over the Steelers lack of a quarterback, they’re not on the South Side.

Beyond that, the Steelers have seen far more free agents depart for greener patures than they have extended the welcome mat to.

steelers press conference,

Is Omar Khan stockpiling compensatory picks? That may not be his intent, but thus far that’s the end-product of his approach to free agency as the legal tampering period comes to an end.

Steelers 2024 Pickups During Free Agency

Jaylen Warren, Running Back
Extended 2nd round Restricted Free Agent Tender
Ryan McCollum, Center
Extended an Exclusive Rights Free Agent tender
D.K. Metcalf
Traded their 2nd round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft for D.K. Metcalf who signed a 4 year extension
Kenneth Gainwell, running back
Signed the former Philadelphia Eagles running back to a 1 year deal.
Malik Harrison, Inside Linebacker
Signs a 2-year, 10 million dollar contract to leave the Baltimore Ravens.
Brandin Echols, Cornerback
Signs with Steelers from the New York Jets, terms undisclosed.
Darius Slay, Cornerback
Signs 1-year, 10 million dollar contract after getting cut from Philadelphia Eagles.
Mason Rudolph, Quarterback
Signs 2-year, 8 million dollar contract.
Scotty Miller, Wide Receiver
Signs 1-year deal, presumptively at the veteran minimum.
Ben Skowronek, Wide Receiver
Signs 2-year deal, 4.5 million dollar contract.
Daniel Ekuale, Defensive End
Signs with Steelers from the New England Patriots
Juan Thornhill, Safety
Signs 1-year deal from the Cleveland Browns
Isaiahh Loudermilk, Defensive line
Signs 1-year deal, presumptively at the veteran minimum.
Esezi Otomewo, defensive lineman
Signs 1-year contract, presumptively at the veteran minimum, from the Jacksonville Jaguars

Steelers 2024 Free Agent Losses


Justin Fields, Quarterback
Signed 2 year, 40 million dollar deal with the New York Jets
Donte Jackson, Cornerback
Signed 2 year, 13 million dollar contract with San Die er um Los Angeles Chargers
Dan Moore, Offensive Tackle
Signed 4 year, 82 million dollar contract with Tennessee Titans
Najee Harris, Running Back
Signs 1 year, 9.25 million dollar contract with Los Angeles Chargers
Elandon Roberts, Inside Linebacker
Signs 1 year, 3 million dollar contract with Las Vegas Raiders
James Daniels, Guard
Signs 3 year 24 million dollar contract with Miami Dolphins
Van Jefferson, Wide Receiver
Signs 1 year, 2.5 million dollar contract with Tennessee Titans
Mike Williams, Wide Receiver
Signs 1 year, 7 million dollar contract to return to the Los Angeles Chargers
Nate Herbig, Guard/Center
Signs 1 year deal with Washington Commanders

Steelers 2024 Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents

Russell Wilson, Quarterback
Cam Sutton, Cornerback
MyCole Pruitt, Tight End
Kyle Allen, Quarterback
Tyler Matakevich, Inside Linebacker/Special Teams
Damontae Kazee, Safety

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Jeremiah Moon, Outside Linebacker

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Even a Theoretical Van Jefferson Return to the Steelers Is Hard to See

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New coaches bringing players from their old teams is a time-honored tradition in sports. Steve Spurrier loaded Washington with players who’d starred for him at Florida. Rick Pitino brought so many players from Kentucky to Boston that people quipped about them being “The Boston Wildcats.”

  • Several players that Arthur Smith had worked with in Atlanta followed him to Pittsburgh.

Van Jefferson was the biggest name. Now that his one year deal is almost up, the Steelers need to decide whether there’s anything they saw that gives them a hint of a reason to ask him back.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Profile of Van Jefferson’s Steelers Career

Omar Khan signed Van Jefferson with the hope was that the Steelers would either sign, draft or trade for a wide receiver to replace Diontae Johnson, whom they’d traded 3 days before. Those hopes never came to fruition.

That opened the door for Van Jefferson to realize the potential he’d shown while catching passes as a starting wideout for the 2021 Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. After all, someone had to take advantage of the double teams that George Pickens was going to draw.

Right?

Van Jefferson started 17 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2024 season. He caught 24 passes on 40 targets and 2 touchdowns totaling 276 yards.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Van Jefferson

OK. This one’s rough. Even if this is a theoretical exercise.

2024 was a tough year for the Steelers offense. The unit experienced a lot of growing pains in several different spots on the depth chart. Van Jefferson might not have proven himself to be a true number NFL number 2 wideout, but he could be a real asset as a number 3 or 4 receiver.

After all, Jefferson posted the highest catch rate of his career. …Didn’t he?

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Van Jefferson

24 pass receptions in 17 starts.

When it was clear early in 2024 that the Steelers wide receivers would struggle all season long, this Steelers scribe mused about “longing for the days of Charles Lockett, Dwight Stone and Derek Hill.”

IF only we had been so lucky. Number don’t lie. And remember, these stats came from an offense that was hard-wired to run first:

  • In 5 starts for the 1988 Steelers, Lockett hauled in 22 catches and 1 touchdown
  • In 8 starts on the NFL’s worst offense, Hill logged 28 passes for the 1989 Steelers
  • Dwight Stone managed 41 catches starting 15 games for the 1993 Steelers

And it was that 1993 campaign that led coaches to conclude that Stone really wasn’t a viable NFL wide receiver (he caught 8 more passes in the next 7 seasons.)

And unlike those players, Van Jefferson had the benefit of an 11th overall draft pick in Justin Fields and a Super Bowl winner in Russell Wilson throwing to him. Yet he only managed to catch 24 passes. Lockett, Hill and Stone were catching their passes from the likes of Mark Malone, Bubby Brister, Todd Blackledge, Steve Bono and Neil O’Donnell.

There is no reason for Van Jefferson ever to don a Black and Gold uniform again. Period.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Van Jefferson

It’s not Van Jefferson’s fault that the Steelers never found a legit number 2 to take heat off of George Pickens, but the experiment certainly gave them a large enough sample size to know that Jefferson is not part of the answer at wideout, even at the veteran minimum.

  • Perhaps he can be another team’s number 3 or 4 pass grabber.

But after what we saw from Van Jefferson in 2024, it is obvious that the Steelers would be better suited using his roster spot to an undrafted rookie free agent who might, say, turn into the next Nate Washington or, dare we say, the next Dwight Stone.

Either would be an upgrade on what they had from Van Jefferson in 2024.

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Time for Steelers to Send MyCole Pruitt to Pasture

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In 2024 the Pittsburgh Steelers cut against the grain of conventional wisdom and went with four tight ends. As expected they kept Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward.

MyCole Pruitt held down the extra spot at tight end. Did he do enough to earn an extended stay in Pittsburgh?

MyCole Pruitt, Steelers vs Lions preseason

MyCole Pruitt goes for 22 yards. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Capsule Profile of MyCole Pruitt’s Career with the Steelers

Like Van Jefferson, MyCole Pruitt came to Pittsburgh after having played with Arthur Smith. Pruitt had experience with Smith both in Tennessee and in Atlanta. As expected Puritt made the 53 man roster and appeared in 12 games.

His stat line was pretty sparse, as he caught 6 passes on 10 targets for 40 yards accounting for 2 first downs and one touchdown in the December 21st regular season loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Pruitt logged 34% of the offensive snaps for the Steelers.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning MyCole Pruitt

MyCole Pruitt knows Arthur Smith’s system and he’s clearly someone that Smith is comfortable with. He’s got 121 games under his belt with 44 starts and, as they say, “there’s no substitute for experience.”

Or something like that.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning MyCole Pruitt

With the Steelers fielding a J.V. wide receiver corps behind George Pickens (OK, Calvin Austin isn’t J.V.), the tight ends were supposed to help pick up the slack.

It is impossible to even make a theoretical argument that MyCole Pruitt contributed anything towards that objective. He’s never had more than 21 targets in a season, and at age 33 he has no upside.

And while I don’t pretend to be able to evaluate Pruitt’s run-blocking technique, given that he played in 34% of the snaps the “Eye Test” suggests he was hardly a difference maker as a run blocker.

Finally, with Pruitt on the roster, Connor Heyward’s snap count dropped from 38% in 2023 to 18% in 2024. Even if we control for sentimental bias, Heyward still has a legitimate “upside.” To repeat: Pruitt does not.

Neither did he contribute on special teams, only appearing in 5% of those saps.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and MyCole Pruitt

While the Steelers made a worthwhile decision in taking a flyer on MyCole Pruitt, there’s no reason to extend this one year experiment.

Expect the Steelers to move on this spring, and for Pruitt to either eek another year or two of NFL existence as a veteran minimum roster bubble player or being his “Life’s Work.”

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Steelers Report Card for 2024 Season – Tired of Grading Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who is tired of grading, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 season.

Russell Wilson, Steelers vs Chiefs, Chiefs sack Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is sacked. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Justin Fields started in led the Steelers to a 4-2 record. He legs proved to be as much if not more of a weapon than his arm. Which is OK, he largely did what the Steelers asked him to do. Russell Wilson took over a 4-2 team and was cooking by the time the team reached 10-3 before the meat girder portion of their schedule. There Russ faltered a bit, but mainly because he tried to do too much. If there’s one player who “left it all on the field” in the playoff debacle against Baltimore, it was Wilson. The Steelers had winning quarterback play in 2024. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris logged his 4th consecutive 1000 yard season, earn his best rushing average. Jaylen Warren had 511 yards and an even better average. Don’t look now, but Cordarrelle Patterson actually had a better average than both of them. And yet, for all of those numbers, the whole of the Steelers rushing game was still less than the sum of its parts. Too often “Sludge Ball” on 1st and 2nd down resulted in 3rd and 8s. The running backs did a respectable job in catching passes, but were never true weapons. The running rarely establish a rhythm. That’s not all on the backs, but the Steelers needed more. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth was easily the offense’s most reliable player, catching 65 passes for 653 yards and 7 touchdowns. Darnell Washington caught 19 passes for 200 yards, but never emerged as a consistent threat. MyCole Pruitt didn’t add much and Connor Heyward seemed to be the odd man out. Pat Freiermuth lifts the group grade, but the Steelers needed more from the tight ends in 2024. Grade: B-

Wide Receivers
George Pickens displayed his incredible athletic talent on the field on several occasions, but his immaturity with pointless penalties cost the team on many others. And his production dropped year-by-year. Calvin Austin had a nice second season and flashed playmaking potential at times, but he wasn’t able to do so consistently. Van Jefferson showed he might have it to be an NFL WR No. 4 or maybe even a No. 3. But he’s no No. 2. Mike Williams flashed at times, but wasn’t able to pick up the slack when Pickens was out. Ben Skowronek only saw spot duty, but he did quite well there. Scotty Miller was a non-factor. The Steelers clearly didn’t have the wide outs needed for a playoff run, let alone a championship run. Grade: D

Offensive Line
Injuries scrambled the line’s continuity early in the year, and it showed. By mid-season the line appeared to be making progress – then things fell apart as the weather got cold, rookie walls got hit, and from there on out “Sludge Ball” and sacks characterized the line play. Given the investment of free agent dollars an draft picks, this was a failing performance. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward bounced back after an injury plagued 2023. He was not only the best player on the line, if there is any football justice in the world, Heyward should have punched his card to Canton. His 8 sacks, 11 passes defensed an 12 tackles for losses don’t do justice to the ass kicker he was. Keeanu Benton had his moments, but really didn’t make second year leap, and Larry Ogunjobi likely set himelf up to be a cap casualty. Grade: B-

T.J. Watt, Joe Burrow, T.J. Watt strip sack Joe Burrow, Steelers vs Bengals

T.J. Watt strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: X.com

Linebackers
T.J. Watt was voted team MVP, and he did some through with several splash plays that swung or sealed games. Yet, he was hot and cold and not effective late in the year. Alex Highsmith had a strong year over coming injury, and Nick Herbig made things happen. Rookie Peyton Wilson shown at times, but also appears to have it the “rookie wall.” Patrick Queen led the unit in tackles, while Elandon Roberts proved himself to be a “tooth chipper.” Grade: B

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. had some sophomore struggles and must learn to avoid costly penalties. Donte Jackson had 5 interceptions, although if Pro Football Focus ratings are to be believed – and perhaps they are not, he struggled in coverage. Minkah Fitzpatrick led the team in tackles, but the big play “Minkah Magic” was missing. Beanie Bishop looks to be like a nice find as an undrafted rookie free agent. The secondary had a solid year in at lot of ways, but it faltered against elite QB’s down the stretch. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell had a otherworldly season, accounting for all of the team’s scoring in two games. Corliss Waitman started the year strong in relief of injured Cameron Johnston, but his performance leveled off as the trees grew bare. The Steelers punt coverage was strong, kick return coverage could have been better. The Steelers got little out of their kick return game, but Calvin Austin did a fair job as a returner. And the Steelers had several blocks early in the season. Grade: B

Coaching
Where to start?

Arthur Smith had his hands full – his offensive line was injured early and often, he never got a legit WR No. 2, and his starting quarterback was out for the first six weeks. Yet he found ways to make things work for the bulk of the season’s first 13 weeks.

But his offensive line began to falter at the same moment that he lost his starting wide receiver, and the unit struggled through December football.

Teryl Austin’s followed a similar arc. It might not have dominated during the season’s first 13 weeks, but the only truly worrisome performance came in the loss to Dallas, and he rectified that in short order. The defense was able to produce turnovers, and succeeded in making Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry look human when they came to Acrisure.

But the brutal reality is that his defense went into 5-star matchups on Christmas against the Chiefs and in the playoffs against Baltimore at full health and came up Choto on both occasions. (Choto is Argentine slang for coming up short – it carries both practical and anatomical implications.)

Arthur Smith, Mike Tomlin, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Arthur Smith confers with Mike Tomlin. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

And finally, that brings us to Mike Tomlin.

Dispassionate analysts who focus on calling things as they see them as opposed to catering to angry fans to generate clicks, have argued that a sober analysis of this roster shows it to be an 8 or 9 win team. In that light, Tomlin should be credited for bringing out the best in what is a middle-of-the-road roster.

That may be true.

But here is something else that is true: In 2023 the Steelers finished 10-7 with weaker quarterback play, and were within a touchdown of trying the Buffalo Bills with 10:32 remaining in the 4th quarter in the playoffs. In 2024 they finished 10-7 and then Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them in the playoffs.

The objective of the Pittsburgh Steelers football club is to win a Super Bowl, and the franchise regressed in 2024. And that is on Mike Tomlin. Grade: F

Front Office
It is tempting to point a finger at the front offense for the failure of the line to step up, but the unit is young.

And clearly, Omar Khan executed addition by subtraction by dealing Diontae Johnson for Donte Jackson. Nonetheless, no “Khan Artist” plan to land a true number 2 wideout ever materialized. And that clearly hurt the offense, if for no other reason than it allowed defenses to crowd the box.

Deshon Elliott, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Colts

DeShon Elliot. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

The defense did not deliver on bang for its salary cap buck, but the only major contract given on that side of the ball this off season was to Patrick Queen, who played pretty well. Grade: C

Unsung Hero Award
Fans have always salivated over free agent signings, in large part because the Steelers seldom make big ticket moves. The ones that the franchise has historically excelled at are the under the radar ones. And this year the Steelers made one in the secondary, and his number seemed to show up on the field where ever it was needed and for that DeShon Elloitt wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 season.

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Ravens Ridicule Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card, Extend Pittsburgh’s Playoff Losing Streak

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomlin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything new about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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Ravens Beat Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card at M&T Bank Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything news about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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Steelers Report Card for Playoff Loss to Ravens: Tired of Failing Final Exams Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher who is tired of seeing students fail final exams, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 Playoff Loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Lamar Jackson, Patrick Queen, Steelers vs Ravens

Lamar Jackson throws a touchdown to Justin Hill. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Russell Wilson was 20 of 29 for 270 yards two touchdowns, no interceptions and no fumbles. He was however sacked 4 times. What stands out more than his numbers was his leadership. The Steelers easily could have folded, but Wilson led them on two touchdown drives and kinda-sorta made a go of it in the 2nd half. Justin Fields threw one incompletion. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris ran for 17 yards on 6 carries and caught 3 passes for 41 yards. Jaylen Warren ran for 6 yards on 2 carries an caught 4 passes for 19 yards. The Steelers needed more from their running backs. A lot more. Grade: F

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth dropped the game’s first pass and failed to convert a third down twice when the Steelers needed it. Darnell Washington had one catch for 9 yards on 3 targets. The Steelers needed more from their tight ends. Grade: F

Wide Receivers
Led the unit with 5 catches for 87 yards, but his PI penalty was brutal. Calvin Austin had one impressive catch for 25 yards. Mike Williams had a catch for 37 yards and Van Jefferson had 2 for 37 including a touchdown. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Russell Wilson was sacked 4 times – yes some of those were coverage sacks, but line needed to give him more time. The sample size for their rushing effort is pretty spare, but clearly the line wasn’t pushing Ravens defenders off the ball. Grade: F

Defensive Line
The Ravens had 299 yards rushing. Grade: F

Linebackers
Alex Highsmith can say he sacked Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. It was the only time he was touched all night. Not sure if one of the other LB’s was supposed to be spying Jackson. If he was, he didn’t do his job. Derrick Henry had 186 yards rushing. Grade: F

Secondary
Lmarr Jackson “Only” threw for 21 passes. He completed all but 5 of those. 2 were touchdowns. And he was missing his number one wide receiver. Grade: F

Special Teams
Chris Boswell made all of his kicks preventing any returns – not easy to do on a cold Baltimore night. Steelers punt return coverage was strong. And their return game was respectable. Grade: C

Coaching
Credit Arthur Smith for one thing: His offense may have gone down in flames, but at least he didn’t go down in flames trying to “pound” the rock against a brick wall.

Nonetheless, his offense was completely ineffective until thee second half. And, when Steelers had a shot at making a it a one score game with more than a quarter to go, he could protect his quarterback and they couldn’t convert.

I suppose in some form or fashion the idea of yielding some rushing yards to Lamar Jackson to selling out to stop Derrick Henry made sense. But for it work, the Teryl Austin’s defense had to stop Henry. The defense did 5 tackles for losses (not all against Henry).

  • But when it wasn’t doing that, Henry was running at will.

In hindsight, perhaps some day we’ll look back and say that Mike Tomlin deserves to be credited for managing a 10-7 season with this roster, the way Chuck Noll should have been credited with his playoff appearances of the early 80s.

Cam Heyward, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Queen, Larry OgunjobiSteelers vs Ravens

Cam Heyward was a bright stop for the Steelers. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

But that day is not today, and Mike Tomlin now has 5 one and done playoff appearances since his last win. Grade: F

Unsung Hero Award
IF there is one player who clearly carried his weight, shook of injury and authored a winning performance with 2 tackles for losses and 10 tackles total, it is Cam Heyward and for that he wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 playoff loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Steelers Report Card for the Season-Ending Loss to the Bengals

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher disillusioned four times over, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 season-ending loss to the Bengals at Acrisure.

Beanie Bishop, Patrick Queen, Beanie Bishop interception Bengals, Steelers vs Bengals

Beanie Bishop intercepts a pass just before the half. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Russell Wilson was 17 of 31 for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Wilson played well on the Steelers two touchdown drives. But his decision to tuck it and run on the final drive cost the team precious seconds. Likewise, his missed Pickens who was open on the sideline. Wilson doesn’t deserve to be scapegoated for those two plays, but they reveal that the Steelers needed more. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
No one will fault Arthur Smith for shying away from “pounding the rock.” But against the Bengals it was also like pounding a head against a brick wall. Najee Harris totaled 36 yards, Jaylen Warren 21 yards and Cordarrelle Patterson 1. The running backs might not have gotten any help from the offensive line, but they neither did themselves, nor the team any favors. Grade: F

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth was easily the team’s only viable receiving threat with 8 catches on 11 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown, although he did let Wilson’s final pass slip through his fingers. Darnell Washington drew a crucial pass interference penalty on 3rd down in the end zone that set up the first touchdown. Grade: C

Wide Receivers
Mike Williams made a highlight reel worthy toe tap catch to convert the team’s first 3rd down.  Van Jefferson and 3 catches for 18 yards, but had another 3rd down conversion batted away. Calvin Austin also dropped a pass on a possession down. George Pickens had 6 targets and 1 catch for zero yards and at least three drops. Grade: F

Offensive Line
Regardless of what decisions Mike Tomlin (or Art Rooney II) make about the coaching staff a week from now, the Steelers had better hope that the regression we’re seeing from the line is due more to the proverbial “rookie wall.” Because the offensive line has been regressing since midseason. The Steelers want to be a team that imposes its will. Yet it can’t earn a yard when given two tries. Nor can it protect Russell Wilson. Wilson was sacked 4 times and hit another 8 times. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward battled down 3 pass. Put in other terms, he accounted for 25% of Joe Burrow’s incompletions. Keeanu Benton had a tackle for a loss and recorded his first sack of the season when it was urgently needed. Grade: B

Linebackers
T.J. Watt did not register a tackle, but he did have a strip sack negated by a penalty, and he did pressure Joe Burrow. Patrick Queen, Nick Herbig and Preston Smith all had sacks at critical moments. Payton Wilson led the linebackers in tackles, with Alex Highsmith coming in second. Grade: B+

Secondary
Beanie Bishop made an incredible heads up play to secure an interception before the half. Cory Trice got thrown into the fire, but held up through the night. Joey Porter Jr. had a passed defense. Joe Burrow’s ability to complete “rhythm” passes helped secure their lopsided time of possession advantage. A big part of that’s on the secondary. However, the Bengals never saw the end zone outside of the first quarter and went 1 of 4 in the red zone. That is to the secondary’s credit. Grade: C+

Connor Heyward, Steelers vs Bengals

Connor Heyward recovers a muffed punt. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Special Teams
Chris Boswell hit on his only field goal attempt and was perfect on PATs. Calvin Austin fumbled a punt, but Connor Heyward recovered a muffed Bengals punt. The Steelers did give up more than you’d like to see on kick and punt coverage. Grade: C-

Coaching
Was George Pickens as bad in practice during the week as he was in the game? One would like to think so. Did Arthur Smith over-think things, speculating that “OK, Russell Wilson passed for near-career high yardage last time, so this time we’re gonna surprise them by pounding the rock.” Again, that would be comforting.

The Steelers couldn’t run and couldn’t pass unless the intended receiver was Pat Freiermuth.

Clearly the Steelers Junior Varsity offense has some talent/some talent that needs to mature issues. However, one month ago, Arthur Smith appeared to be putting things together.

  • A month later, they’ve completely fallen apart.

Worse yet, there’s zero indication that Humpty Dumpty can be put back together before the playoffs.

A week ago the Kansas City Chiefs offense humiliated Teryl Austin’s defense. The Steelers looked like frauds. Joe Burrow and the Bengals don’t quite have KC’s pedigree, but they did finish the year as the NFL’s hottest units. And the Steelers defense played them well enough to win.

The loss to the Bengals extends the Steelers losing streak to 4 games, which marks the longest-season ending losing streak since the 1998 Steelers lost their last 5. As head coach Mike Tomlin’s job is to short-circuit these streaks before they occur. He’s failing at that before our very eyes. Grade: F

Unsung Hero Award
Because of him Cincinnati’s first play from scrimmage went for no gain. He helped force a field goal by limiting a pass to no gain. He also had another tackle for a loss on another drive that reached the Red Zone and ended in a field goal. As he has all year long, DeShon Elliott came through with bread and butter plays when the Steelers needed them the most, and for that he wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers season-ending defeat to the Bengals a Acrisure.

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