PITTSBURGH STEELERS

5 THINGS WE LEARNED IN LOSS TO CHIEFS

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a close game. These are the 5 things we learned from the loss.

The Steelers played a strong Chiefs squad in Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon. After falling behind by three touchdowns the Steelers came back and tied it up by halftime. They fell behind again after the half. Though they once again rallied, they didn’t have enough and lost 42-37.

HERE’S WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE GAME:

THE LE’VEON BELL SITUATION MIGHT RUIN THE SEASON

We can, and we will below, go over a number of problems that lead to the Steelers starting 0-1-1. Unfortunately, we can’t blame Todd Haley anymore. We chased him out of town, to Cleveland, where he put together an offense that tied us. We can still blame Roethlisberger, but not today. Some Steelers fans are ready to call for Tomlin’s firing if they stub their toe or the sun goes down.

But the reason the Steelers have started far more poorly than they should have is primarily the Le’Veon Bell contract situation. The Steelers front office certainly deserve some blame. But ultimately, Le’Veon Bell is tanking the season.

He’s not doing it on accident. That is his goal. Le’Veon Bell and his agent have set up a situation where, in their minds, the worse the Steelers do, the better off Le’Veon Bell is. The subtraction of Bell’s skills is harmful, but Bell has spent much of his career injured or suspended for drug use. They’ve succeeded without him before. It’s the addition of the drama and uncertainty that has infected the team. It’s a dark cloud. They need a psychological umbrella.

CHRIS BOSWELL IS STRUGGLING

Speaking of Bell. A decent chunk of the money the Steelers were prepared to give him ended up with Chris Boswell. The Steelers have a tough time finding kickers. The wind at Heinz field is some kicker curse you need someone able to navigate. When Shaun Suisham got injured the Steelers ran through multiple kickers before finding Boswell.

But he has been struggling this year. There are many examples of players getting their payday and being less motivated. Shaun Alexander from 05 to 06 for example. It could also be that the money has put more pressure on Boswell. It could even be changes in how he works out. Whatever the reason, he’s missed both his field goal attempts and an extra point. He struggling.

SHAZIER’S ABSENCE IS A BIG PROBLEM

So the best player on the Steelers defense is going to be out indefinitely. The Steelers knew this, and yet, almost predictably, they did essentially nothing to resolve this situation. The response was to adapt the defense to lean far more heavily on the secondary.

Obviously, it’s still early days with this defense but 42 points is bad by any standard. There are some occasional bright spots, but it can be struggle to find it. This isn’t the worst defensive performance ever. But there were bad matchups, missed tackles, and no pressure. The defense needs an identity and a leader.

ROETHLISBERGER IS BACK

Ok, let’s find something positive about this game. The previous game was a disaster for Roethlisberger. This game, he fixed it. Sometimes you have an off game. That’s what it was for Ben in Week 1. The proof? 452 yards and 3 touchdowns, including another touchdown on the ground.

Bell is not here. Brown is off to somewhat of a slow start. The offensive line is struggling a bit. But as many strengths as the Steelers have on offense, Roethlisberger is the most important part. And if we can take anything positive from this game, it’s that Ben is not out of gas yet. He’s still got some juice left for this season.

JUJU AND JESSE JAMES

We can point out the offense is still struggling with third downs, but happy thoughts. Focus on the bright side. And Jesse and Juju have been that. With the Killer Bs struggling or at home tweeting and rapping, another letter has stepped up. The letter is J. Juju Smith-Schuster ended up with 121 yards and a touchdown. Jesse James caught 138 yards and a touchdown.

They also had strong performances last week. With all the drama and negativity around this season, it’s nice that we get to see these two young players continue to grow and evolve. As Tomlin always says, the standard is the standard. These two players, not alone but in particular, are doing a lot to try to maintain the standard. Maybe they can play on defense too?

So that’s what I learned. Next stop, the Buccaneers. All I can do is hope for the best.