DENVER -- Hold the thumb and the forefinger no further apart than to still be able to squeeze a nickel.
That's what Arthur Smith did upon approaching me in the visiting locker room after the Steelers beat the Broncos, 13-6, on this Sunday at Empower Field, and I knew immediately what message was intended. Because Pat Freiermuth had just done likewise a minute earlier. And Dan Moore had expressed a similar sentiment. And later, Calvin Austin did, too.
They're right there. And yet, they didn't get there.
Wait, they did get there once:
Mt. Washington π«‘
β Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 15, 2024
π² Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/If8tOgDbEV
Sweet, huh?
And so complete: The line holds, Jaylen Warren picks up the late pass rush off the edge, MyCole Pruitt runs a little interference on his route, and Darnell Washington winds up with his first NFL touchdown thanks to a pristine touch on the pass by Justin Fields. Elegantly designed by Smith, even more elegantly executed.
βThat's the only formation where he's lined up wide now," Fields would say with a smile of Washington. "But since that play happened, I'm guessing Arthur's going to have him line wide and cook something up that way."
Turning serious, he added, "We've been practicing those since OTAs, so I'm glad that came to fruition and we were able to execute.β
This mountain of a man, who'd send bears scurrying in the woods, turned soft as a cuddly cub once it was done:
"We repped that play all week," Washington would say. "Shout-out to Joey Porter because he was the one on me all week in practice. Shout-out to J-Fields for the throw and to Coach Smith for calling it. It was an amazing feeling. Words can't really explain it. Amazing feeling."
I like it. No, I love it. But, as that country crooner pleads, I also want some more of it.
Because they didn't get there again, meaning this touchdown stands in isolation even amid an otherwise almost fully satisfying 2-0 start. Fields was as accurate as I've ever seen him, the ball was spread to seven different receivers, there again were no turnovers, the balance saw 117 passing yards to 141 on the ground, the middle of the field was used at least a little more, the deep threats remained real ... and they still got over the goal line just that once.
Which left a palpably sour taste with all involved.
To an extent.
"It's not ideal because you want to get there more, you need to get there more," Freiermuth would say. "But if you look at everything else we're doing ... "
I tried to lend a hand here and put forth: Like moving the ball the way they did in the first half, when 189 of the offense's 251 total yards came.
"Like that," he'd respond, "but keeping it going."
Like doing more and different stuff?
"Like that, for sure."
Like being 2-0?
"That's the big thing. Keep learning. Keep improving. Keep stacking the dubs."
I'm with them. All of them, including Smith. Viewing the first half purely from the prism of planning and execution among players at the skill positions, they really were right there.
But three things kept them from finishing:
β’ These referees approached their jobs as if they were being paid by the flag.
No kidding, there were 19 total penalties, 10 on the Steelers, nine on the Broncos, for a combined 202 yards. Two full lengths of the football field were determined by Clete Blakeman's perpetually over-officious crew. And out of all that, an even more remarkable 13 penalties were on holding.
As one of the Steelers' linemen put it, "I held. But everyone does, all the time. Difference was, you won't see another game like this all year."
Ideally not. I'm guessing that not a solitary soul of the 74,215 on hand paid to witness Blakeman turning on his crowd mic every two minutes.
β’ Even in that context, the Steelers still took too damned many real penalties.
So many, I'd say, that this alone cost them points that would've brought a 21-0 halftime lead instead of 10-0, which obviously would've altered the complexion of everything that followed rather than allowing the Broncos to assert themselves defensively and hang around.
A couple whoppers:
β DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) September 16, 2024
I'm sorry, but it's a crime against football to commit a penalty negating that throw-on-the-run by Fields or that catch-on-the-run by Pickens. And yet, there was Broderick Jones being flagged in the backfield for -- what else? -- holding.
β DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) September 16, 2024
That should've been a George Pickens touchdown near the end of the first half, but it was nullified because Van Jefferson was flagged -- fairly -- for offensive pass interference in running his own route. A field goal followed instead.
βI'm not looking for comfort," Mike Tomlin would say to this general subject. "I'm not worried about officiating, messaging and seeking comfort along those lines. Weβve got to play cleaner, and it's as simple as that. We're not going to hope for a change. We're going to do some things to create a change in terms of how we approach the work.β
He was just getting started, then proceeding, "If you get holding penalties, youβve got to drive all the way down in the National Football League. Particularly at this stage of team development, we just don't have enough cohesion to overcome those long yardage circumstances. Really, not a lot of people do."
β’ The line wasn't great, to be kind.
The Denver defense wasn't quite dominant, but there was enough of an edge up front to push Fields from the pocket earlier than hoped, and there was definitely enough to keep the running backs from breaking any carry for more than 11 yards, averaging out to 3.9. And there wasn't much in the way of exceptions: Zach Frazier started out super-strong, then flipped that script 180 degrees in the second half. Spencer Anderson got pushed backward. James Daniels had one of his tougher days since coming to Pittsburgh. Moore killed what would've been a vital third-down conversion late with a flagrant hold after being beaten to the inside.
And Jones ... oh, Jones. Three holding penalties, in tight succession, got him benched. And this after his starting slot for this game had already gone to Troy Fautanu and those two were supposed to rotate throughout.
I asked Jones, as I've had to do way too often this summer, why all the penalties:
"It's just ... " he'd begin, accompanied by the first of several head shakes. "Defenders flop. Refs throw flags. That's the end of that. So, really, not much you can do about it. Just keep going."
That's some accountability there, huh?
Not exactly how Tomlin saw it with this three-syllable gem:
We sure do get it.
Not much that can be done?
I beg to differ: The lone positive exception on the line was Fautanu. Which, by any reckoning, is every bit as wonderful as it is worrying that another first-rounder's being not only benched but also having his effort called into question behind the scenes. So, start Fautanu next week against the Chargers, and stick by him since he's earning it and the player he's replacing isn't. Stress the penalties above all else all week long. Emphasize the positive potential of what the offense did, while also underscoring the damage the penalties did.
Oh, and one other thing: Omar Khan needs to get back on the horn and find a bona fide WR2.
I'm certain this would've been easier to see inside the stadium than on any TV broadcast, but the all-22 film will back me on this once it's out: These other guys aren't getting open. Pickens was. No one else was. And that was a prominent factor in what went awry in the second half, given that Fields was doing more than his share.
When Fields was asked about the Broncos' approach, this was his answer: βThey played a lot of man. We expected what we saw. We saw man. We had a few plays over the middle with George on that slant and a couple more. When it comes to man-to-man coverage, our receivers and tight ends just have to win.β
He's correct, and good for him for stating as much. But what he wouldn't say even if he were convinced of it is that he's being forced to find Pickens, and that won't work through a full season.
Overall, though, to repeat, I'm with them. I like the skill capability, I like the size, I like the smarts. I like what Fields has done to date, I like having two No. 1 backs, I like having an elite WR1, I like having not one but two multifaceted tight ends, and I even like the line from the perspective that an enormous amount of football capital's now been invested in that area.
And maybe best of all, I see shortcomings that appear to be eminently fixable. All of them.
"All of them," Freiermuth repeated back when I'd mentioned that to him. "Every last one of them."
OK, maybe not the refs.
β’ Chris Halicke's here, too, and his Chalk Talk breaks down Fields' accuracy.
β’ Chris also shines his Spotlight on Cory Trice's uplifting comeback.
β’ Much, much more from both of us in our Steelers Feed.
β’ Thanks for reading our football coverage.
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