Steelers look to begin games better
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-2-1 and tied for last place in the AFC North at the quarter-pole of the season, and head coach Mike Tomlin came to several conclusions about his team after studying what took place during the first four games.
First and foremost, he said, the Steelers have to find ways to start games better. The Steelers have been outscored, 42-6, in the first quarter this season. That can’t continue to happen if the Steelers want to contend for a playoff berth.
“We have to get out of the gates quicker,” Tomlin said. “We can’t spot people points in the NFL. We have to do a better job starting games on both sides of the ball.”
The defense hasn’t held up its end of the bargain. The Ravens and Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first possession against the Steelers, and the Buccaneers scored a touchdown on their second.
But the offense and special teams have contributed to the slow starts too. Not only has the offense failed to score on their first possession in a game, but they had three three-and-outs to begin their first three games. Against the Ravens they committed a turnover in their own territory to make things even worse.
But there’s much more to the offensive woes than slow starts. The Steelers haven’t run the ball with effectiveness in their past three games, and their passing game hit a stumbling block against the Ravens, who have the top-ranked defense in the league.
The biggest issue with the passing game is Antonio Brown’s production. Brown, a perennial All-Pro, has yet to record a 100-yard receiving game and remains well below his career average in yards per game.
“We’ve seen so many things in the last nine years,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s hard to show anything different. I just think I have to play better to get his numbers (up), which in turn help get us wins.”
Tomlin is confident Roethlisberger and Brown will get on the same page soon.
“We missed some opportunities in the (Ravens) game, especially on possession downs,” Tomlin said. “I’ve seen that tandem throughout the years. They’ll smooth it out. They’ll find a rhythm. Over the course of a journey the cream rises. I anticipate that happening. They’ll be the formidable tandem they always are.”
The Steelers have to be much better on defense, too. The Atlanta Falcons visit Heinz Field Sunday and will bring with them one of the NFL’s top passing attacks. They are averaging 29 points per game and throw for 315 yards per game.
All-Pro Julio Jones leads the league with 502 receiving yards, and rookie Calvin Ridley leads the league with six touchdown catches.
“Julio Jones is a load,” Tomlin said. “He’s big, he’s physical and he’s fast. They utilize him in a lot of ways.”
Jones has yet to score a touchdown this season, and Ridley has six. Tomlin said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has seen defenses play similar defenses on Jones that Ben Roethlisberger is seeing for Antonio Brown. They’re getting double-teamed and other players have had to step up.
“We have to work to minimize Ridley,” Tomlin said. “He’s a young, hot hand.”
SERIES HISTORY: 17th regular-season meeting. Steelers lead series, 13-2-1. Three of the past four games in this series have gone to overtime. The Steelers have won the past two games, including a 15-9 overtime win the last time the Falcons visited Heinz Field in 2010. Atlanta’s two wins against the Steelers came in 1970 and 2006. The game in ’06 went to overtime, with the Falcons pulling out a 41-38 victory.
