Heading into halftime of Sunday night’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers were rolling on offense.
They had just capped off a drive with a 2-yard strike from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver DK Metcalf to take a 16-7 lead, and in the process, had really started to establish a great run game with running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell.
At the half with a nine-point lead, the Steelers had rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries, averaging a healthy 5.4 yards per carry.
But then in the second half, that run game disappeared, largely due to play calling. Coming out of the half, the Steelers got the ball and promptly went incomplete pass, 2-yard pass to Pat Freiermuth, incomplete pass (which should have been offsides on the Packers) and punt.
The Packers answered with a touchdown, and still the Steelers didn’t go back to the run game consistently. The next drive was a Warren run for four yards, then a 24-yard pass to DK Metcalf, 11-yard pass to Warren, sack, completion for no gain to Calvin Austin III, incomplete pass, 56-yard Chris Boswell field goal.
The Steelers really didn’t get back to the run game consistently until it was a 29-19 game in the fourth quarter. For former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex, that was failure by the coaching staff.
“One of the things that I can’t stand is that when we have the lead that we have, when we’re built the way that we’re built, and Isaac [Seumalo] was hurt at that point, so we did have to change some things, but we should have a very good, strong power running game installed in that week’s game plan versus this team,” Essex said of the decision to get away from the run game in the second half, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “And we didn’t go to it all for Jaylen Warren to only have one touch, one running touch, in the third quarter — in the entire third quarter. And we had to lead the entire third quarter. That’s a failure through coaching.
“That’s through a failure through game planning. We came out through three straight passes to start the third quarter and that’s not winning football for with the team that we have.”
Holding a two-score lead and getting the ball out of the half, on top of the success the Steelers had running the football in the first half, one would think they’d have come out trying to continue to run the football, drain the clock and wear down the Packers.
Granted, the Isaac Seumalo injury did take away the opportunity for the jumbo package with Spencer Anderson, considering he stepped in at left guard for the veteran. But the Steelers still could have continued to run the football, protect the offensive line, and stuck with what was working.
Instead, they came out throwing with Rodgers, trying to get him going in the matchup, and it played right into the Packers’ hands.
The Steelers in the second half went three-and-out, field goal, three-and-out, three-and-out, and a two-play drive with a fumble in the second half before scoring a late touchdown with the game all but over.
Pittsburgh ran the football three times in the second half. Three times! During a game in which they were leading by two scores and had possession of the football to open the second half. That’s unacceptable, and it falls on coaching, plain and simple.
The Steelers talk all the time about having an identity and wanting to be a hard-nosed, physical football team. But when they had the opportunity to do it Sunday night, they abandoned it.
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