Month: November 2024

Winners and losers from Week 12

The Steelers’ loss to the Browns is hard to swallow after they mounted a comeback and let it slip away. Now at 8-3, the Steelers have a mini-bye week to prepare for a trip to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. Before then, though, let’s dive into the winners and losers from Week 12.

Varsity

QB Russell Wilson

Russ played well. He wasn’t perfect, taking multiple sacks that were more on him than the offensive line, but he was nearly flawless through the air. He went 21-of-28 for 270 and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to Calvin Austin. He had four completions of 20 or more yards downfield and consistently hit Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens for sizable gains. The problem was the Steelers didn’t lean into the passing game more than the run game, which came back to bite them as the Browns (and everyone else in the building) knew the Steelers were running on every first and second down. Regardless, Wilson played well.

QB Justin Fields

Well, there’s a first – two quarterbacks highlighted in the same game. Fields provided the Steelers a spark in the second half. After going down 18-6, Fields had a 30-yard run and helped the Steelers get inside the five before Jaylen Warren capped the drive off with a score. I liked how Fields was more involved in the offense and I’d expect to see more of this going forward.

RB Jaylen Warren

Warren was the only back finding success on the ground, averaging over four yards per carry and a touchdown. For some reason, though, the Steelers refused to just lean into his success and kept feeding Najee Harris for carries that went nowhere. Warren has played incredibly well over the last month since getting over his injuries and should continue getting more touches.

S DeShon Elliott

Elliott has been the Steelers’ best defender this season and he had another big game on Thursday. He forced a fumble on the Browns’ first drive of the second half and finished with six tackles.

CB Donte Jackson

Jackson recovered the Elliott forced fumble and had an interception late in the game that could have helped seal a comeback win for the Steelers. Unfortunately, a drive that stalled out followed by a bad punt did the Steelers in.

EDGE Nick Herbig

Herbig had a strip sack that set up the Steelers’ go-ahead score from Calvin Austin. He finished the night with five tackles.

Junior-Varsity

TE Connor Heyward

Multiple missed blocks and chips, plus a penalty in the first half. Why is he still getting offensive snaps when Ben Skowronek was playing that role well against the Ravens? If his last name wasn’t Heyward, he likely wouldn’t.

Offensive line

Zero run game and Myles Garrett did whatever he wanted, finishing with three sacks. This was a rough outing.

Pass rush

This was the most pathetic performance from the Steelers’ pass rush in a long while. Facing a depleted Browns offensive line, they mustered a mere one sack on Jameis Winston, who had all day to do whatever he pleased. T.J. Watt was nonexistent. Nick Herbig made the splash play, but he really should have been able to do more. Inexcusable performance.

CB Joey Porter Jr

Jerry Jeudy had his way with Porter, including converting multiple crucial third and fourth downs. After bouncing back from a bad week against the Commanders in Week 11 vs. the Ravens, Porter had another dip in production.

OC Arthur Smith

Easily his worst-called game as a Steeler. No creativity on first and second down, just constant running into the teeth of the Browns’ defense for minimal gains. The Steelers had 16 third downs(!) because of it. And even though they converted at a near 50 percent clip on third down, the amount of times they faced third down made that number mean a whole lot less. They also went 0-for-5 on third/fourth and two or shorter prior to the final drive of the game. A lot needs addressed from an early-down attack perspective.

HC Mike Tomlin

There were multiple instances against the Browns that made fans put their heads in their palms. Letting the Browns tick down the clock by taking the field on fourth down at the end of the first half, accepting a penalty that would have set up fourth down if declined. The Steelers are 0-3 in their last three games against teams 2-8 or worse – that’s a coaching issue. And while this isn’t me calling for Tomlin’s job, it is a clear pattern that is incredibly frustrating to watch.

The Steelers lost to the Browns 24-19 in Week 12 to drop to 8-3. Check out their complete schedule and results for the 2024 season. All times are Eastern Time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-3 through Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season. They are still in first place in the AFC North. The Steelers lost to the Browns 24-19 on Thursday.

Takeaways, overreactions, and random musings from the Steelers’ Thursday night loss.

The Steelers fell to 8-3 after an ugly road loss on Thursday Night Football to the rival Cleveland Browns. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had.

1. The season isn’t over

Pittsburgh’s performance against the Browns was so laughably incompetent at times that I’m less annoyed than usual at the expected “fire Tomlin/Smith/everyone and everything” crowd following the loss. Thursday’s game was an absolutely brutal watch.

However, it’s entertaining to watch the same fanbase that wisely predicted this exact outcome prior to the game be the same ones to react incredulously to the loss. Yeah, it was worse than most expected, but most figured a short week, bad weather, and rivalry matchup would result in a sloppy game. It’s the Thursday Night Football M.O.

Pittsburgh is still 8-3 following the loss, and in the exact same spot in the AFC North and AFC as a whole that they were going into the week — and that won’t change following the rest of Week 12’s games. Good teams losing the occasional stupid game they shouldn’t is hardly a rarity in the NFL, and it’s hard to find a more stupid game than what happened Thursday night.

Pittsburgh had plenty of self-inflicted wounds on Sunday, but some things you just have to chalk up to weather being the great equalizer. On the play that set up the Browns’ game-winning touchdown, Minkah Fitzpatrick had a chance to make a play on the ball but looked like he was learning how to ice skate. You can’t draw too many dire conclusions from a game that served as the unofficial Ice Age 6.

The Steelers were on a five-game winning streak entering Week 12. They were bound to lose eventually, and this was one of the better times to do so. Their playoff position hasn’t changed a bit, and there’s a mini-bye afterwards to recuperate.

Objectively though, it’s kind of hilarious that Pittsburgh has gone 2-1 following the bye week, with wins over the 7-2 Commanders and 8-3 Ravens but a loss to the 2-8 Browns. The NFL is a weird place, man.

But don’t forget, this is still that exact Steelers team that beat the Commanders and Ravens, and if we’re throwing all the current playoff teams in there, the Chargers, Broncos, and Falcons as well. The problems that the Steelers had against the Browns haven’t defined the season, or otherwise there wouldn’t be so many wins over postseason-caliber teams. There are plenty of issues to dive into, and we will, but let’s not hit the panic button just yet.

2. The loss falls on the coaching

My seven-paragraph caveat above doesn’t mean that the Steelers’ Thursday performance was excusable. Pittsburgh’s loss would’ve been bad enough if the game had ended the same way it was played through the first three quarters. But instead, the Steelers managed to gain the lead and control of the game late in the fourth just to lose it all in an even more heartbreaking fashion.

That fumble falls squarely on the coaching staff. Largely, head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The list of mishaps is a long one: multiple must-have short yardage plays that went absolutely nowhere (my favorite being a two-point conversion attempt that was a… fade to running back Cordarrelle Patterson?), Tomlin choosing a Browns’ third-and-seven over a possibly game-ending fourth-and-two, and of course, botched time management at the end of both halves that left the Steelers with either not enough time or not enough timeouts. Just inarguably bad management.

Then, of course, there’s the decision to put Justin Fields at quarterback on a must-have third down late in the game, just to have him throw a 50/50 ball deep into a snowstorm. I’ve been a proponent of using Fields and still am, and I even see the logic — the element of surprise as Fields generally runs, Pickens is a contested catch wizard, etc. — but that’s a reckless play-call in such a pivotal moment.

If you have to throw deep, keep the guy on the field who’s excelled at that all year. But Fields wasn’t the main issue there — it’s calling such a low-percentage play when only a handful of yards are needed with the game on the line.

The Steelers were penalty-ridden, unprepared, and bafflingly illogical on Thursday. Pittsburgh fell short on nearly every play that mattered. Tomlin has been a good coach this year, but he and Smith had a horrible day against Cleveland.

3. The pass-rush disappeared

OK, Nick Herbig had an impactful strip sack that temporarily gave the Steelers momentum in the fourth quarter. That was cool.

But nearly every other defensive snap on Thursday was a disappointment for the Steelers pass-rush. Jameis Winston had all day to throw for much of the game, only being sacked once on the night.

Don’t forget, the Browns were down their top two left tackles — even without Alex Highsmith, this was a great matchup for the Steelers. Instead, there were hardly any pressures, barely any blitz calls, and T.J. Watt was largely shut down as a rusher. For a team that’s built around its pass-rush, that’s a death knell for the defense.

I was predicting Pittsburgh to struggle a bit in this game, but if you had told me Cleveland would score their second-most points this season against this Steelers defense in horrible weather conditions, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

The Steelers needed to get pressure on Winston to win the game. Instead, the Browns, averaging 16.2 points per game, put up 24 on the scoreboard.

4. O-line problems rear their head

To add insult to injury, the Steelers offense responded to a quiet day from T.J. Watt by single-handedly putting Myles Garrett back in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Garrett had three sacks and a forced fumble against Pittsburgh. Russell Wilson was sacked a total of four times and was constantly pressured; the run game was inconsistent and wildly ineffective in short yardage.

Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. was schooled by Garrett, but more concerning was how much the Steelers’ interior offensive line, generally seen as a strength, struggled. The Browns’ defensive line wrecked the game all night, and paired with a few cases of Wilson holding onto the ball too long and some putrid run calls, it was a disaster.

If Pittsburgh continues to lose the line of scrimmage like that, it’ll be hard to win football games.

5. Odds and ends

• One play that’s not being talked about enough is Calvin Austin III’s fourth quarter touchdown catch. He’s a small, speed guy not known for his catch radius, but he made a tough contested catch in adverse conditions during a pivotal moment. Great stuff from the young wide receiver.

• Amazon Prime’s virtual line markers in the snow had the Steelers’ white jerseys looking like checkered PNGs for the last half of the game.
• Russell Wilson didn’t have a perfect game, but it was a bounce back from last week against the Ravens and nearly an impressive comeback. Much has been made of his deep ball, but his veteran leadership and late game heroics are just as key to the Steelers’ success.
• Punter Corliss Waitman has had a great year, but his late-game 15-yard shank really changed the game’s momentum in favor of Cleveland. An average punt there, and Pittsburgh’s winning chances skyrocket.
• Another game with takeaways from Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott. The offseason additions have been the Steelers’ top splash play guys in the secondary.
• Jaylen Warren ran well on Thursday. It was good to see him finally reach the end zone.
• The litmus test for how bad the conditions are is if Najee Harris is having a hard time holding onto the football. He never fumbles, but did once, nearly twice, against the Browns. That football was slick.
• Joey Porter Jr. gave up a lot of completions against the Browns’ receivers. No reason to panic, but it was a rough performance with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase just around the corner.
• Patrick Queen is starting to become a consistent playmaker in the Steelers’ defense. With time, the decision to sign him is looking like a good one.
• Another game with no catches from Mike Williams and a low number of snaps. He may not be his old self, but Pittsburgh did trade a fifth-round pick for him and he caught a game-winning touchdown in his first game as a Steeler — his lack of usage is a bit concerning.
• The Steelers have a chance at revenge in just two weeks when the Browns visit Pittsburgh in Week 14.

It’s a bad loss, but the sky isn’t falling yet. On to Cincinnati.

What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Browns? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join our Behind The Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!

The Steelers’ Thursday night loss was demoralizing, but their season is still very much alive.

The Steelers’ midseason winning streak finally ended on Thursday, with Pittsburgh falling to the Cleveland Browns with a score of 24-19.

It was an ugly game for the Steelers that showcased a number of team weaknesses. But as far as the postseason is concerned, Pittsburgh’s current playoff seed is secure for another week despite the loss. The Steelers entered Week 12 as the top team in the AFC North and the No. 3 team in the AFC, and no matter what happens the rest of the week, that’ll stay the same.

However, with the loss Pittsburgh drops to 8-3, putting them further behind the Chiefs and Bills in the race for the No. 1 seed. Additionally, the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens are now just one game behind the Steelers and in prime position to challenge for the AFC North lead in the coming weeks.

The current AFC standings are listed below. Teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today are marked with an asterisk. Pittsburgh has already recorded wins over the current Nos. 5, 6, and 7 seeds this season.

AFC Standings during Week 12

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)*
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)*
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)*
4. Houston Texans (7-4)*
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)*
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)*
7. Denver Broncos (6-5)*
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
9. Miami Dolphins (4-6)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
11. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
12. New York Jets (3-8)
13. New England Patriots (3-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (2-8)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

Currently, NFL.com gives the Steelers a 94% chance of making the playoffs. It’s a drop from last week’s 98%, but 8-3 Pittsburgh is still incredibly likely to make the postseason.

Steelers odds per FanDuel

To win the AFC North: +125

To make the playoffs: Yes -1050, No +630

To win the AFC Championship: +1300

To win the Super Bowl: +2600

As for the immediate future, Pittsburgh has opened as 2.5-point road underdogs against the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of Week 13.

The Steelers beat themselves more than the Browns beat them

It’s not that the Steelers lost to the Browns, it’s how they lost – shortcomings on the defensive side of the ball, awful execution in short-yardage situations, and several questionable coaching decisions.

Now, if you read the staff picks, you know I picked the Browns to win. The Steelers had never won a road divisional game on Thursday night games, and they were coming off their toughest test of the season against the Ravens in a hard-fought game. Additionally, they had won five straight and were due for a loss. They weren’t going to run the table, and the circumstances added up to create a recipe for a loss.

However, this is a game in which they beat themselves more than anything. Offensively, the Steelers limped in the first quarter. Russell Wilson took a sack on third down to close out the first drive of the game, which set up a 58-yard field goal that was missed by Chris Boswell. In the windy elements in the early stages of the game, that was a tough ask even for the best kicker in football.

Short-yardage situations haunted the Steelers for the remainder of the game. Prior to the final drive, the Steelers were 0-for-5 on third/fourth down and two or shorter. They turned the ball over on downs on their second drive of the game and on their first drive of the second half. Pittsburgh struggled to run the ball all night. Najee Harris ran for just 45 yards on 11 carries. The few explosives that did come on the ground came mostly from Jaylen Warren, but even so, he finished with just 41 yards on 16 carries. The inclusion of Justin Fields was a welcome one, as he broke a 30-yard run down the sideline that helped set up a Jaylen Warren touchdown to bring the game do 18-13 before a Nick Herbig forced fumble led to a Calvin Austin touchdown gave the Steelers the lead.

Unfortunately when the offense did get going, the defense collapsed in the biggest situations. That’s not to discount the fumble by Herbig and later interception by Donte Jackson, but after the Steelers took the lead, the defense folded on multiple big plays. On a fourth-and-three on Cleveland’s final drive, Jameis Winston hit Jerry Jeudy for a five-yard gain for one of his six catches on the night in which he totaled 85 yards. The Steelers allowed the Browns to go 4-for-4 on fourth downs, and failed to get any sort of pressure on Winston all night. Despite the Browns having a depleted offensive line, the Steelers registered just one sack. Winston had all day to operate, and even on the rare occasion the Steelers did get pressure, Winston broke out of it like he did on his touchdown run to make the game 16-6 prior to the two-point conversion. The Steelers’ defense came up short in the biggest moments, and it ended up being a massive factor in the end result.

Play-calling by Arthur Smith and decisions by Mike Tomlin played just as much, if not more of a factor, though. Smith’s short-yardage play-calling was abysmal and led to the aforementioned struggles on third and fourth-down. Everyone in the building knew the Steelers were going to run on just about first and second down, yet Smith continued to dial up constant inside runs that went nowhere and put the offense behind the sticks, even though the passing game was working. Russell Wilson went 21-of-28 for 270 yards and a touchdown, but the Steelers never fully committed to just throwing the ball. Plus, after the Steelers took the lead, Smith looked at his play sheet and decided that a fade to Cordarrelle Patterson was the best call rather than looking to George Pickens or Pat Freiermuth who had been winning battles in coverage all evening. This was Smith’s worst-called game of the season, and it cost the Steelers’ multiple drives and potential points.

In terms of Tomlin, there were multiple instances that could be pointed to as a lapse. At the end of the first half, he didn’t call a timeout when the Browns trotted their offense onto the field on fourth down only to try a hard count and let time tick off the clock. And at the end of the game, Tomlin accepted a penalty on the Browns that made it third-and-seven rather than fourth-and-two. Even with the defense’s struggles on fourth down, accepting that penalty made no sense. The Browns converted on third down and eventually ended the drive with a Nick Chubb touchdown to win the game.

With all of that said, this isn’t time for doom and gloom. Pittsburgh is still 8-3, in first place in the AFC North, and one of the better teams in the NFL. They were playing a divisional game on a short week and lost. For everyone claiming the sky is falling on the season, just remember the Bengals lost to the Jets who were playing Mike White at quarterback in 2021 – they made it to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs lost to the Matt Ryan-led Colts in 2022- they won the Super Bowl. They are still in a great position to win the division, host a playoff game, and potentially make noise in the postseason – one loss doesn’t change that.