Steelers Fall 28-21 in Season Opener: Game Analysis

Steelers Fall 28-21 in Season Opener: Game Analysis

By: Bradley Stewart

            Make no mistake, I'm a Steelers fan for life, but I did not expect us to win this football game.  Pittsburgh lost to the defending- champion  New England Patriots, 28-21.  Keep in mind that the Steelers were missing three major pieces in Le'veon Bell, Martavis Bryant, and Maurkice Pouncey.  Even while those three pieces were lost, the Steelers are already seeming to start to fit in pieces to the Super Bowl puzzle together. Bell, Pouncey, and Bryant are all out for Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers (0-0).

Offense:

        

  Even while missing the standout wide receiver and the all-pro runningback and center, the Steelers still picked up a total of 464 yards of offense in the Week one loss.  With a healthy Roethlisbeger and Antonio Brown, the question mark of the Steelers' offense was on the running side of the ball.  With Le'veon Bell out for the first two games of the season, people wondered who and how the Steelers would gain rushing yards.  Pittsburgh's new signed veteran DeAngelo Williams took the lead and did not disappoint.  Finding holes that the offensive-line easily provided for him, Williams gained127 of the Steelers' 134 rushing yards.  New England played a lot of man-to-man coverage against the Pittsburgh receiving core, which greatly benefits speed.  It just so happens that suspended receiver, Martavis Bryant, has a rare combination of  speed and height that would have posed deadly against the weak New England secondary.  This offense looked magnificent as they seemed to drive down the field easily.  I can't wait to see how this offense will look full strength.

Defense:

   Coming into the game, the one weak point of this Steelers team was the defense.  I'm not going to spend much time describing Pittsburgh's poor defensive effort, because I don't want to cry myself to bed tonight.  The Steelers' defense came into this game like a piece of a new china glass.  And by the end of the game, the cup was in thousands of pieces from Gronk spiking it every twenty minutes.  

    Anyone who watched the game could clearly see the secondary's failure to play the game of football.  What annoyed me the most was not the big plays, but that New England just continually threw eight to fifteen yard passed across the middle of the field with ease.  Shockingly, the Steelers had over 100 more total yards than New England.  I am optimistic that Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin can fix the defense in the next ten days leading up to an important Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, if the defense allows Colin Kaepernick to throw all over them like he is the greatest person to ever pick up a football in the history of mankind, than there is going to be a huge issue.  

Special Teams:

        Newly acquired Steelers kicker Josh Scobee missed two 40-45 yard field goals in Thursday night's loss to New England.  Not one, but two field goals missed inside forty-five yards.  Heck, my high-school kicker nailed a 44-yarder straight through the uprights, and my school has never had a consistent and powerful leg kicker field goals for us.  I guess you could say he made up for it by hitting a chip shot and a 44-yarder, but what else can you expect for the third kicker on your team in three weeks.  Hopefully, the Steelers will not need to rely on the shaky veteran's leg from here on out, but don't expect any 'chip' shots from Scobee this season.

Overall:

            I can not wait for the rest of this season.  This Steelers offense was terrific on Thursday night 

without three important pieces.  In order for the Steelers to even make the playoffs, they can not let opposing Tight Ends score four touchdowns a game.  Overall, I was very pleased with the way the Steelers played.  If they only get better, I have no doubt that the no team in the country will want to face this team in January.