Position Tiers: Steelers vs. Eagles

Well, that sucked.

Without three key starters against one of the league’s best teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared overwhelmed from the opening whistle and had no real answer, either schematically or physically, against the Philadelphia Eagles. That resulted in a frustrating 27-13 loss that dropped the Steelers to 10-4 on the season, in a game marred by a series of questionable refereeing decisions that had an impact on the outcome.

The Eagles nearly doubled the Steelers’ time of possession on Sunday and limited the Steelers to just 11 plays in the second half, resulting in a thorough defeat in the Pennsylvania State Championship game.

Luckily for the Steelers, it’s a short week. Let’s get to some notes and then we’re at Baltimore.

QB – C

It was always going to be very difficult without George Pickens against a great Eagles secondary, but on Sunday it was even more difficult than expected. Russell Wilson couldn’t do much in the passing game and was under a lot of pressure.

Wilson completed 14 of 22 passes for just 128 yards, although he did throw a touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth that brought the Steelers back into the game in the first half.

It was a good ball for Freiermuth because Wilson threw it with forethought and fit it into a tight window. He also had a big 31-yard throw to Calvin Austin III on a flea flicker that sparked the Steelers before a murderous turnover in the second half.

But on some of the good throws Wilson made, he suffered a bad sack late in the first half on a play where he should have had an internal clock.

Luckily, Wilson showed what he could do at times throughout the game, which was a positive sign. He went for a big first down on a 3rd-and-2 in the first half and later added an 8-yard run to set up Freiermuth’s touchdown.

Justin Fields played just one snap and gained 8 yards on a run, drawing a 15-yard penalty on Eagles S Reed Blankenship for an unnecessary roughness. He then left the game with an abdominal injury, which will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.

RB-D

The rushing numbers were pretty ugly as the Eagles consistently played a five-man front and consistently won the one-on-one duels.

It didn’t help at all that Najee Harris fumbled on a throw and changed the game in an instant. Before the fumble, it looked like the Steelers were finding their footing offensively and hoping for a chance to tie the game.

Along with the fumble, Harris only had six carries for 14 yards. He also had just one reception for 7 yards, on the play in which Darnell Washington’s block on Darius Slay sparked a melee in the back of the end zone.

Jaylen Warren also did nothing, finishing the game with four carries for 12 yards and one reception for four yards. The Steelers also tried to get Cordarrelle Patterson involved, but he finished the game with just nine yards on two carries and one reception for -1 yards.

Bad night. Time to regroup.

WR-D+

It was nice to see Calvin Austin III take on a bigger role and make some plays, but it’s never reassuring when Austin is your No. 1 receiver in a game. No disrespect to him either. He finished the game with five receptions for 65 yards, including a huge 31-yard gain off Wilson’s flea flicker. It gave the Steelers a spark, but that spark quickly faded.

Ben Skowronek made a big play in the second quarter with a 17-yard catch-and-run to give the Steelers their first first down of the game, and Mike Williams had a 15-yard catch on one of just two scores. Puzzling use for the de facto WR1 without Pickens.

Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson combined for just three goals after productive games in Week 14 against the Browns.

TE – C+

A nice evening in an overall terrible game for Pat Freiermuth. He made a strong catch on Wilson’s 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter. After taking the lead, he showed off his route-running skills and strong hands and wrestled the ball away from a defender for the score.

He finished the game with three balls for 22 yards on six scores. On the final drive of the first half, he suffered a key loss that left the Steelers somewhat off-balance.

Darnell Washington had a great block on the Harris catch that led to a scuffle. He blocked the whistle and dominated the game. He did what you were taught. He kicked Slay out of the club. But after that flag, Washington wasn’t himself as a blocker and didn’t have much of an impact.

OL – C-

Going into the match, it was expected that the running game would be difficult to handle due to the Eagles’ strong defensive front. But it wasn’t expected to be as bad as what the Steelers showcased in the run game.

Pittsburgh managed just 3.3 yards per carry and gained 56 yards on 17 carries. Harris and Warren were in the corner, and most of the success the Steelers had on the ground came courtesy of a tackle from Wilson and a run designed by Fields.

The offensive line went into turmoil in the running game.

The pass protection was slightly better, although Broderick Jones gave up an ugly sack late in the first half and Dan Moore Jr. was called for holding in the first half as the Steelers couldn’t get out of their way. There was also a terrible trip against rookie center Zach Frazier, which was a continuation of poor officiating throughout the game.

DL-C

The goal was primarily to stop the run. Compared to what the Eagles have done over the course of the season, the Steelers have done a pretty good job of accommodating Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts on the floor.

Barkley managed just 65 yards on 19 carries and Hurts only had 45 yards on 15 carries, although he scored a touchdown. Hurts had a big 27-yard run on a QB draw and Barkley had a 22-yard run, but beyond that, the Steelers’ defensive line played strong against the run.

Cameron Heyward had a solid game with five tackles. He also drew an Eagles holding call in the red zone after landing his signature long-arm bull rush.

Dean Lowry made a few appearances in place of Larry Ogunjobi, creating some pressure as the Eagles passed. However, he wasn’t particularly noticeable against the run.

Montravius ​​Adams returned from IR and had two tackles and a tackle for loss, while Keeanu Benton had four tackles and played well at times. Isaiahh Loudermilk also apparently played some snaps. He finished the game with two tackles but didn’t generate much pass rush, which was disappointing.

LB – C-

I liked what I saw from the outside linebackers in this game as TJ Watt had two sacks and forced an early fumble from Hurts on a run, giving the Steelers the football. He played fairly well against Lane Johnson, finishing the game with seven tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.

Hopefully his ankle injury isn’t too serious and he’ll be back on Saturday.

Alex Highsmith was also pretty solid, finishing the game with eight tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. They were both very noticeable. That also applied to Nick Herbig, who drew a holding penalty against Johnson in the loss.

But inside, it was a bit of a mess among the linebackers. Patrick Queen had 11 tackles and some good run fills, but he missed a handful of tackles, even in big spots. The missed tackles have been a problem all season and they were very evident on Sunday.

Payton Wilson had six tackles and a pass breakup in the end zone that he nearly brought down for an interception, which would have been a spectacular play. Elandon Roberts had four tackles. These numbers look solid, but the Eagles went straight to the center backs in the passing game and took advantage of some deficits there, which they did with great success.

It started on the first play when Roberts was beaten in coverage by TE Grant Calcaterra for a 22-yard gain, and it never really slowed down.

DB-D

Missed tackles were a big problem, as was communication and the ability to cover easily. Leading up to the game, there was a lot of talk about the Eagles’ difficulty throwing the football. Hurts then set about troubling the Steelers, throwing for 271 yards on 24 of 31 passes and two touchdowns.

Minkah Fitzpatrick missed a tackle in space on a big gain, as did Donte Jackson on a highlight-reel play by RB Kenneth Gainwell. Communication was poor as DeVonta Smith was left wide open on crossing routes a few times, resulting in big gains.

Without DeShon Elliott as a strong safety, the Steelers simply felt sloppy defensively and had no answer to the Eagles’ passing game. Joey Porter Jr. had a decent comeback game as he was allowed to be more physical and was able to hold his own against AJ Brown at times. But Brown still put up an 8/112/1 line, although not exclusively on Porter.

James Pierre replaced the injured Jackson and played well, making a huge tackle in the open field and forcing a fourth down. He was promoted to the Steelers in just a few moments.

Special Teams – B+

It was nice to see Chris Boswell break his own record for field goals made in a season. He’s been “Mister Automatic” all season, and that continued Sunday as he hit FGs from 37 and 49 yards.

Punter Corliss Waitman did a great job on the 49-yard field goal, intercepting a bad snap from Christian Kuntz and bringing the ball down perfectly for Boswell to shoot it through the uprights. Underrated play from Waitman in the game. Waitman averaged 43.0 yards on five punts, two of which landed inside the 20-yard line.

Mark Robinson had a big hit on Cooper DeJean and forced a fumble on Waitman’s second punt of the game, which was a great splash play for the Steelers. It looked like Connor Heyward also scored a great penalty on Jalen Carter, who hit Heyward in the head on a punt in the fourth quarter. But surprisingly, after the punt, the officials believed that this was clearly not the case.

I thought Cordarrelle Patterson looked strong on kick returns, averaging 32.5 yards on two returns, including a 33-yarder. He looked more explosive than in recent weeks, which is a positive sign.

However, punt coverage outside of the forced fumble was a mess as DeJean had a 23-yard return.

There was also a questionable personal foul penalty against Montravius ​​Adams on a Jake Elliott field goal. Adams was called for roughing the long snapper, even though replay showed he may have been blocked into the long snapper after attacking the A-gap, which is legal.