PITTSBURGH STEELERS

STOCK RISING/FALLING AFTER DISAPPOINTING LOSS TO CHARGERS

The Pittsburgh Steelers had just lost to one AFC West opponent last week in crushing fashion before coming home to face the Chargers. The team wanted to show up on Sunday night football in front of the home crowd.

For the first half of the game, it looked as though it would be tough to find any falling stock this week. That changed in the second half quickly as they blew a 23-7 halftime lead to lose 33-30.

The Steelers came out in the beginning and scored quickly. The game looked to be headed toward a big Steelers win but the Chargers had different ideas.

While many fans will blame the blown calls from the officiating, the Steelers also did not help themselves whatsoever. The offense stalled in the second half and the defense failed to adjust to the Chargers attack.

The game had two different feels to it and was definitely a tale of two halves. The stock is all over the place but I am here to sort it out.

BEN ROETHLISBERGER: STOCK – DOWN

When judging Big Ben’s game just looking at the stat-line, you could believe he had an alright game. He went 29/45 with 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with an 87.4 passer rating.

At first glance, those numbers don’t look awful. However, if you watched the game, you know that line does not tell how bad of a game he actually had.

The timing of the pick he threw was catastrophic to a promising Steelers drive. They were just outside the redzone amidst a 14 play drive lasting five and a half minutes when it occurred.

The throw itself was not a good one and Derwin James took it back for a lengthy return. The Steelers squandered away an opportunity for at least a shot at three, which was the difference in the game.

Big Ben also missed a wide open Justin Hunter for a touchdown. He left a lot to be desired all game and it played a big role in a devastating loss for the second week in a row.

ANTONIO BROWN: STOCK – UP

Antonio Brown is now above 1,000 yards for the sixth straight year. He is also 19 receptions away from his sixth straight 100-plus reception season.

These are both due to his big game Sunday catching 10 passes for 154 yards and a score. He now has 12 touchdowns on the year, one-off from tying his career best.

Brown is having a “down season” by his standards but is still on pace for 108 receptions 1371 yards and 16 touchdowns which is still great for a wide receiver in the NFL.

Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are now the only wide receiver duo to both be over 1,000-yards. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are the other pair of teammates to do it.

TEAM DEFENSE: STOCK – DOWN

The Steelers defense has rankings in the top 10 in both passing and rushing as well as total defense. They are also currently 16th in the league in scoring defense.

The defense really let the team down in the second half. What I cannot decide on is whether to blame the players or the coach.

I tend to lean toward the coach, specifically Keith Butler. His lack of adjustment after Phillip Rivers exploited the team having linebackers on Keenan Allen was baffling and I cannot decide why no one on the Steelers didn’t put him in his place for such a poor strategy in guarding the opponent’s number one weapon.

The defense held strong in the first half allowing just seven points up to half time. That all went by the wayside when they watched Los Angeles kick the game winning field goal.

The defense has talented players and I believe they could have done better Sunday. I realize Cameron Sutton and Morgan Burnett being down affected personnel and sub packages but when Butler had  poor Jonathan Bostic on Allen in a crucial situation I was left scratching my head.

This team’s defense has had its ups and downs but I think a lot of the downs are more due to lack of adjustments and that comes from the coaches. The talent is there and the coaches need to do a better job of utilizing it.

SPECIAL TEAMS: STOCK – WAY DOWN

Coach Danny Smith ought to be on thin ice if he already hasn’t had one leg breakthrough it. His unit has been a big source of the penalty problem the Steelers have faced this year.

I do not have any concrete numbers for how many penalties have been on special teams but I do know Pittsburgh is currently third in the league in penalties. They have committed 90 as a team for 823 yards.

It seems to me every time we have a kickoff, punt, or a return there is yellow laundry on the field. The Steelers special teams are usually the culprit and it is severely hindering the team.

Three offside penalties in a row happened to the field goal block unit to end Sunday’s game. Granted, the Chargers long snapper may have drawn them off, but to fall for that three times in a row is borderline unacceptable. I understand the ball moved but they had to have known this guy does this a lot.

Special teams need to improve drastically over the next four weeks. If it does not, Tomlin should begin to think about looking elsewhere for a special teams coach.

L.J. FORT: STOCK UP

Fort has been a big help in trying to fill Ryan Shazier‘s shoes at inside linebacker. He is faster than Vince Williams or Bostic so he does better in coverage.

His ability to play inside in a sub package has given Pittsburgh better match-ups on passing downs for their linebackers. He has stepped in and done a great job racking up 35 total tackles, three QB hits, one sack and one fumble recovery playing sparingly.

Fort gives this team much more flexibility in what personnel they have to work with in any given situation. However, just because he is better doesn’t mean we should have him covering receivers, right? (I am most definitely looking at YOU Keith Butler)

With the way he has played all year, he should begin to carve out a larger role in the defense. He is also a key contributor on special teams as he had a blocked punt on Sunday as well.

The Steelers need to increase their production and decrease the mental errors. With Baltimore right on their heels, they need to go to Oakland and take care of business before back to back games against the Patriots at home and New Orleans on the road.