For the first time this season, the offense looked formidable. The Steelers matched the Bengals blow for blow in the first half, and even went to the locker room at halftime with a three-point lead.
However, the success the offense had in the first 30 minutes disappeared in the second half, as Steelers fell to the Bengals, 37-30, Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, dropping to 3-7 on the season.
"Disappointing football game," Mike Tomlin said after the game. "Just wasn't able to get the type of rhythm that we needed in an effort to control the game in the manner which we did in the first half."
The offense witnessed in the first half was the first sign of a unit that was creative, versatile, talented and, most of all, productive. While the defense struggled to contain Tee Higgins or pressure Joe Burrow, it was the offense's turn to keep the team in the game. And, unlike what we've seen in other weeks, it didn't require any limitation of the playbook to make the offense one-dimensional, asking Kenny Pickett to throw his arm off.
At the risk of what most fans like to think is being too predictable, Matt Canada wasn't afraid to run on first down with Najee Harris. The Steelers were determined to use the run game to open things up for the rest of the offense. And, Harris and the offensive line answered the call.
After the Bengals and Steelers traded punts to start the game, the Bengals had three straight drives that produced a field goal and two touchdowns, respectively. The Steelers' offense answered on each subsequent drive, with a field goal and two touchdowns, respectively.
On those three scoring drives from the Steelers' offense, Harris had six carries for 25 yards on first downs, a respectable average of 4.2 yards per carry. Conversely, Pickett went 1 for 4 for 8 yards on first downs during those three drives, and the one completion came after a holding penalty on Dan Moore Jr., which, you guessed it, resulted in an incomplete pass.
Averaging over four yards per carry on first down opens up so many things for what the offense can do on second and third down. Especially when Harris is running like this:
That run came on a second down, after Pickett threw an incomplete pass to Pat Freiermuth.
But, this isn't an indictment on Pickett. As we've established many times, Pickett is a rookie. It's going to take him time to work out the kinks, to read defenses quicker, to get more comfortable when the pocket is breaking down.
And, he's shown the ability to do those things in small doses. And, it's no accident that on drives that are engineered with a productive rushing attack, we tend to see more plays like this being made:
Pickett stands strong in the pocket, seeing a blitzer coming with a full head of steam, and still delivers a strike to the open receiver for an easy touchdown.
After the Steelers matched the Bengals on three straight drives, the defense came through with an interception, giving the offense an opportunity to take the lead before heading to the locker room and receiving the second half kickoff. Even with only :31 on the clock, the offense was able to move into comfortable field goal range and take advantage of the takeaway, with credit to Tomlin for holding onto all three of his timeouts.
So, when the offense took the field to start the second half, you'd think we'd see more of Harris and the run game, right?
Here's the first play of the second half, resulting in one measly yard:
They ran with Harris on second down, but resulted in no gain. An incomplete pass on third down squandered a golden opportunity to extend the lead to six or even 10 points.
The next drive began with a Harris run for three yards. It's a modest gain, but it opened up possibilities for second and third down. The Steelers had third and 4, which is a manageable down, but Pickett couldn't connect with Freiermuth, and completely missed an open George Pickens.
Rookie mistakes. There will be lumps to take with a rookie quarterback under center.
The drive after that began with a jet sweep to Steven Sims, which lost three yards. Two incomplete passes from Pickett led to another three-and-out.
Three drives, three three-and-outs. Meanwhile, the Bengals took the lead on a touchdown reception by Trenton Irwin -- a practice squad callup.
Of the nine plays from those three drives, Harris only had two carries -- after he averaged 5.1 yards per carry in the first half.
Quick side note: I'd argue the run on second and long is more predictable than a run on first down. After a play has failed on first down, the thinking behind running the ball on second down is to salvage some yards to make third down much more manageable. Even if only three yards are gained, third and 7 is easier to convert than third and 10. So, handing off to Harris after the screen to Dionate Johnson failed is not proper utilization of the running game.
But, here's what's alarming about what happened in this game.
Remember back to a couple months ago when I said the Steelers found their blueprint for success then abandoned it? In case you don't, I'll remind you. The Steelers engineered two touchdown drives in the first half of the Week 3 loss to the Browns, in which the running game played a crucial role in moving the ball down the field. They also went into the locker room with a lead at halftime.
Now, scroll back up and watch the first play of the second half of tonight's game. Then, watch the Steelers' first offensive play from Week 3:
What did Tomlin say again? "Just wasn't able to get the type of rhythm that we needed in an effort to control the game in the manner which we did in the first half."
Having a successful running game is a great way to control the game. It's a great way to allow your rookie quarterback to grow without asking too much of him. Because he can make some great plays happen -- sometimes when the Steelers really, really need them:
Pickett read the single-high safety and knew right away he wanted to give Pickens a chance one-on-one down the field. The Steelers were trailing, 27-23, at the time, and they needed something to breathe life into an offense that was dying.
What immediately followed is all the proof anyone needs that Sunday's failure in the second half does not solely rest on Tomlin or Canada:
The offensive line worsened as the game went on, and it didn't help that Mason Cole went down with a foot injury and did not return to the game.
"I appreciate the effort," Tomlin said of the offensive line. "We just need a few more plays, particularly in weighty moments and situational circumstances."
At the end of the day, this was another instance where the Steelers had a blueprint for success, and simply didn't give it a chance to play out. If the offense comes out and tries to jam it down the Bengals' throats on the first three drives and gets stuffed, that's one thing.
But, that's not what happened.
After weeks of criticism, Harris has turned in two straight games where he's not only been productive, but a dangerous weapon. And despite falling behind in the second half, Harris still totaled 90 yards on 20 carries.
However, in a loss where many will be asking what happened with the offense at halftime, the abandonment of Harris and the running game has to be near the top of the list.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Even after the sequence where the offense squandered the big pass to Pickens on fourth down, they had a chance to drive down the field and retake the lead. The defense kept the Bengals pinned deep in their own territory, and when they were forced to punt, the Steelers took over at the Cincinnati 47-yard line. And, on the first play of that drive, Harris rattled off a 13-yard run.
Go figure. A productive first-down run.
But then, a cluster of miscommunication and lack of discipline thwarted the surge down the field in a hurry. Freiermuth was called for holding on the next play, backing the offense up to first and 20. Then, when a busted play that was meant to be a handoff resulted in a 7-yard completion to Pickens, the Steelers were penalized for an ineligible man downfield. After all, the offensive line was expecting a run.
Then, 15 yards behind the sticks, Pickett overthrew Harris on first down, was hit as he threw on second down and Canada waived the white flag with a draw on third and 25.
The Steelers knew they missed yet another great opportunity to get back ahead.
"Obviously, that was an important drive of the game because that was a point for us to be up if we would have scored," Harris said. "The penalties were all on us. Can’t blame it on anybody else. Can’t blame it on anybody else but the people that were on the field, and I was part of that. We’ve just got to execute better."
• While it was a tale of two halves for the offense, things weren't much better on the defensive side of the ball. Despite throwing two interceptions, Burrow rattled off 355 yards and four touchdown passes. He hooked up with Higgins early and often, as the Bengals' receiver racked up 148 yards on nine receptions.
While the offense went quiet in the second half, the Bengals continued to move the ball, scoring a touchdown on their second drive of the half to take a 24-20 lead. After an amazing interception by T.J. Watt gifted the offense a field goal to pull within one, the Bengals answered with a field goal of their own to make it a four-point game again.
Then, after the offense failed on the two aforementioned fourth-quarter drives, Cincinnati answered with a 93-yard drive that ended with a touchdown to make it a 34-23 game.
The Bengals had two touchdown drives that exceeded 90 yards, all while Ja'Marr Chase was inactive and Joe Mixon left the game in the first half with a concussion. That didn't stop Samaje Perine from scoring not one, not two, but three touchdowns on passes out of the backfield in Mixon's stead -- two of which were near-identical swing passes.
"We didn’t make them settle for field goals enough," Cam Heyward said. "We didn’t stay glued to our guys. The three touchdowns from the running back [Samaje Perine], mind boggling, receiving out of the backfield. We didn’t hit home enough."
• Perine scoring three touchdowns. When's the last time he did that?
"Probably college," Perine said. "I have no idea."
Yep. A defense that costs $108 million let that guy score three touchdowns.
• Johnson caught four passes for only 21 yards in the game, and was a non-factor in just about every sense of the word. Cincinnati had a clear plan to eliminate Johnson, and it worked. In turn, the Steelers' star receiver was visibly frustrated after the game.
"With the coverage they were playing, I felt like they weren't letting Diontae get singled up," Pickett said. "That's frustrating when he's that good of a player, that talented, and they try and take him out of the game plan. There is some things, maybe move him around more and get him in different spots to try and get him the ball. You know, but when they're playing a two-high shell and they got a safety over the top, it's tough."
• On the other side of the ball, Burrow really enjoyed this win. A lot.
"That was awesome, that was awesome," Burrow said. "One of my favorite wins since I've been here."
This is a team that went to the Super Bowl last year. A win against a 3-6 team is one of his favorites? Sounds to me like Burrow really wants to beat the Steelers any chance he gets.
• If there's anything to take away from this season, the Steelers might have their kick and punt returner for the near future. Sims actually muffed the first punt of the game from Cincinnati, but managed to recover it. After that, he racked up 154 yards on seven kick returns and averaged 8.0 yards per punt return.
Special teams is so crucial in the NFL, and having a guy who can help flip the field more often than not is a wonderful tool at Tomlin's disposal.
• Watt was clearly distraught by the defeat. He obviously doesn't like to lose. But, that was a winnable game, and both sides of the ball had serious errors that led to the loss.
He wants this team to play better, and avoiding frustration can be quite difficult when the team is 3-7. But, he's going to make sure this team remains focused on the task at hand -- winning football games.
"This business is crazy. You have to learn from each experience, whether it's good, whether it's bad, and you have to move forward," Watt said. "We're not where we want to be clearly right now, but sitting here and sulking about it isn't going to do anything. We have to be real with what we put on tape. Can't take everything personally. We have to digest the film and practice hard and then come out next week with a better performance."
• Jaylen Warren left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. I've got a separate piece on the injuries from the game.
