Maybe what Mike Tomlin needs is for Steelers alumni to keep piling on. It happened after the loss to the Bengals, and the Steelers responded with a last minute win over the Ravens. Another embarrassing loss to the Vikings ensued, and the Steelers answered with another win. And it again happened against the AFC leader.
Go figure.
The Steelers prevailed in another barn burner, this time beating the Tennessee Titans in a 16-13 contest that only saw Pittsburgh prevail because the Steelers defense had just enough star power to take advantage of the Titans inability to master the most basic football fundamental: Ball security.
Joe Haden recovers a fumble. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
Ask Lambert for a Tongue Lashing?
Did the Steelers simply need a good kick in the pants? After the Vikings loss, the “honor” of delivering the kick fell to Joe Greene.
Greene pulled no punches labeling the first half against the Vikings as “the saddest day that I’ve had” as a Steeler, concluding “That was a poor, poor example of the Black and Gold. It disappointed me.”
Whew. The only thing that could top a tongue lashing from Joe Greene would Jack Lambert coming out of the woods to lay into this group of Steelers. Hum, maybe Art Rooney II should seek out the recluse?
No. That would be a waste of time. Pittsburgh’s problems are tied to talent and/or health. Or lack thereof. And the Titans game illustrated that reality once again.
First Half – Like a Rerun of Bad 70’s Sitcom. But with a Twist….
The 2021 Steelers first half performances are becoming about as rote as a Three’s Company rerun (if you’re too young to remember, don’t bother Googling it take my word for it, its not worth it.) The Steelers punted four times, with Presley Harvin’s punting getting so poor that one has to wonder if it wouldn’t be wiser for Mike Tomlin just to have Ben Roethlisberger pooch it the rest of the way.
To add insult to injury, his 51 yarder got returned 55 yards….
That return set up a Titans touchdown. With 7:41 left to go in the first quarter a 3 or 4 touchdown lead at halftime seemed to be a mere formality. Except that didn’t happen.
Yes, Pittsburgh played pretty haplessly in the first half, save for a few key plays. Arthur Maulet forced a fumble early in the 1st quarter which Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered. The Steelers offense muddled around for 5 plays, but an 11 yard-hookup to Pat Freiermuth was all they needed set Chris Boswell up for a 36 yard field goal.
With the Steelers run defense again AWOL, the Titans proceeded to milk over 10 minutes off of the clock, driving all the way down to the Steelers 4 yard line. A touchdown seemed certain, when T.J. Watt sacked Ryan Tannehill on 3rd down, effectively taking 4 points off the board.
The Steelers couldn’t get into position for Chris Boswell to kick his own field goal, but the first half foreshadowed what was to come.
2nd Half Happy Days Are Here Again? Not Quite
The 2021 Steelers have followed a pretty standard script. Atrocious run defense allows the opponent to wrack up a large lead. Terrible offensive line play keeps the Steelers offense stranded in first gear, until Ben Roethlisberger rallies the team to a dramatic 4th quarter finish.
Steelers-Titans game featured its own dramatic 4th quarter finish, but it followed a new template.
That’s because Roethlisberger and the offense never found their 4th quarter roar. On the Steelers lone touchdown drive, their biggest plays were a 17 yard pass to Zach Gentry an a 15 yard penalty called for a concussion hit on Pat Freiermuth. It took a pass interference penalty on Chase Claypool to get them to the one, then it took 3 tries from Najee Harris and Ben Roethlisberger to get them into the end zone.
If watching the first half of the Titans game was like watching a Three’s Company re-run, the second half was like watching Happy Days. Because, while hardly television excellence, at least Happy Days featured Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Tom Boswell at their best.
T.J. Watt after recovering a Titans fumble. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review
The Steelers 2021 defense is a model of mediocrity, featuring one of the worst defensive lines in franchise history.
But the Steelers defense has a few stars, and when they shine, good things happen. Such was the 2nd half against the Titans which saw:
- T.J. Watt scuttle a promising Titans drive with a 10-yard sack
- Cam Sutton forcing a fumble which Joe Haden recovered
- Taco Charlton deflecting a pass which Joe Schobert intercepted and returned 24 yards
- T.J. Watt recovering a bobbled snap
The Steelers defense forced turnovers on 3 straight drives. Each of those came in Titans territory. And each time the Steelers offense sputtered, leading to Chris Boswell field goals of 28, 46 and 48 yards. Those field goals were enough to give the Steelers a 19-13 point lead, but not enough to close the deal.
In fact, Tennessee tried to close it themselves, moving methodically down the field. On 4th and 7 at the Steelers 16 Ryan Tannehill hit Nick Westbrook-Ikhine about a yard shy of the first down marker. Joe Haden hit him instantly, wrapping to keep him from extending his arms.
- Even a gift spot from the officials wasn’t enough for the first down.
Pittsburgh had prevailed at the wire. Again. The win improved their record to 7-6-1 keeping their playoff hope alive for yet another week.
