Steelers - Titans

People be freaking out, yo! For real, I can't remember so many people losing their minds over one loss. The Post-Gazette sports section reads like the day after a playoff loss. ESPN's website proclaimed that the Titans "dominated" and "manhandled" the Steelers. Maybe, to some extent, there was some manhandling, but I'm not totally convinced. Seemed more like "aggressive shoving" to me. I think it is important to think about 31-14 from the perspective of how we got there, and maybe what we learned in the process.

First, the "manhandling." Allow your minds to bask in the following factual numerical expressions:

First downs: Pittsburgh -- 23. Tennessee -- 16
Total yards: Pittsburgh -- 374. Tennessee -- 323
Pass yards: Pittsburgh -- 303. Tennessee -- 206
Rush yards: Pittsburgh -- 71. Tennessee -- 117
3rd downs : Pittsburgh -- 6/13. Tennessee -- 3/14 (!)
Possession : Pittsburgh -- 30:51. Tennessee -- 29:09

I don't know, brah. Doesn't seem like a "manhandling" to me.

The offensive line was particularly bad. They're typically no good, but they got blown off the ball just about every play. It seemed like every time Parker got the ball he was having to dodge at least one Titan who was already two yards behind the line of scrimmage. The defense, who have been amazing all year long at tackling, especially in the open field, couldn't wrap up anyone. I was amazed to see Ike Taylor get juked into next year by Chris Johnson on Tennessee's 4th and 1 touchdown run in the third quarter. That's a tackle Ike (and everyone else) has been making all season.

There is just no way Ben has a game that bad again this year. Four fumbles (two lost) two interceptions. When he wasn't fucking around getting sacked and throwing picks, he was brilliant (26-40, 331, 2TD). He's a high risk player, but the risks he takes lead to more good than bad. Yesterday was one of those days where every time he tried to make something happen, disaster struck. But this is what you get with Roethlisberger. Some weeks he scrambles around, dives for first downs, avoids blitzes and makes plays happen that win the Steelers games. Sometimes everything goes wrong. Still, there isn't anyone I would rather have.

The number of missed opportunities blow my mind. Ben's fumble on third and goal in the first quarter (3 points). Reed's missed field goal (3 points, and you could make a realistic case that Tomlin's tragically inept clock management at the end of that half had as much to do with that. There's no reason they didn't have at least one shot at the end zone there). The muffed punt by Chris Carr early in the third quarter that the Steelers couldn't come up with. The inexplicable decision by someone on the defensive line to simulate the cadence during the Titans' field-goal attempt late in the third quarter. That penalty wasted a great stand by the defense and cost them four more points. That's 10 points, also known as the exact amount they were losing by when they got the ball back late in the fourth quarter.

At some point I am left believing that they were simply out of gas. Their schedule has been brutal and heavily backweighted. They pulled off three consecutive wins prior to this week's shitshow that were absolutely championship quality. The defense played a solid game, but didn't make any big plays. Only one sack, and no other really memorable plays. Kerry Collins isn't that good, it was just that for the first time this year the Steelers weren't able to put pressure on the quarterback. Don't get me wrong, Tennessee is a good team with an exceptional offensive line, but the Kerry Collins Justin Gage combo isn't nearly as good as Cassel-Moss or Romo-Owens. But it's easy to look good when Silverback and Woodley can't get off the edge. I think they were just exhausted after having to bail out the offense three weeks in a row to win the division.

So, in a way I am glad they lost. This means next week's game doesn't mean anything, so they can work on getting some people healthy and getting some rest. They have three weeks to regroup and get pissed off at themselves just in time for the playoffs. I love it.

The only thing that I am really concerned about is their inability to run the ball. They're absolutely horrible at it. It is mindblowing that a team that good can be quite so bad at gaining yards on the ground. If they can't get it together in three weeks, it's going to kill them. The defense is too balls out to be on the field 30 minutes per game. It's up to the offense to move the ball on the ground to keep the clock running and let the defense rest. And if they get late into the game with a lead, it's crucial that they consume the clock. It's gonna be too cold in January to be throwing the ball 40 times per game.