Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers were whipped by the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia for the 10th straight time dating back to 1965. In all facets of the game, the Steelers were dominated. From coaching to quarterback play, to defense, you name it. The Steelers lost. The only thing they beat Philadelphia in was the field goal kicking game. And that's only because the Eagles weren't forced to kick any because they were too busy scoring touchdowns.
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It seems like the 8th straight week the Steelers weren't able to get the run game going. Oh, you mean it is the 8th straight week without a run game? Najee Harris managed 32 yards on 8 carries with 18 of those yards coming on his longest run of the season. In 2022, Harris has failed to rush for more than 74 yards in a single game, and 5 times, he's been held under 50 yards. Having zero run game to pair with a shaky quarterback position is not a recipe for success.
While a lot of the blame for the poor rush game has to land squarely on the former 1st round pick's head, some of it can be placed elsewhere. The offensive line has been better than expected against the pass, but it's been just as bad as expected against the run. Rarely opening holes and taking penalties that end drives before they get started. But when they do open holes, Harris has missed them.
“I’ve never had a stat like that before,” Harris visibly upset continued. “I can’t make a hole. I can’t do everything. I try to control what I can control. I don’t know what more I can do other than just vocalize it. At the end of the day, everybody has to do their job.”
first offensive play of the game. Najee Harris bounces outside even though there's a huge hole for him to run through up the middle. pic.twitter.com/2XZzbZ2HUj
— Devin Engle (Here We Go Show) (@theherewegoshow) September 21, 2022
For weeks now, it's been the same song and dance from many of the Steelers players and coaches. But maybe Sunday a little more of the truth surfaced. Speaking to the media following the Steelers 6th loss of the season, Harris called out a variety of issues that continue to linger.
"We lack a lot of stuff. We lack a lot of experience, lack a lot of discipline, accountability. We lack a lot. We can’t go forward without correcting the little things that are affecting us. That is stuff we talk about every week."
We say linger because as Harris noted, they talk about the same things in the locker room each week.
“Ain’t that crazy? You see what’s happening now? We said the same stuff last week. And the week before that," Harris said.
It's crazy to hear that there is an accountability issue inside of a Steelers locker room. A locker room that holds Cameron Heyward, TJ Watt, and.. and.. Minkah Fitzpatrick? While Fitzpatrick is a stud on the field, he's quieter by nature. On the offensive side, there are no leaders. The days of Alan Faneca, Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, and Maurkice Pouncey are gone. So maybe it isn't surprising that an offensive whose highest paid player is Diontae Johnson has no accountability.
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There isn't an answer for the Steelers' lack of experience. They're young, and it's apparent each and every time they take the field. There isn't anything anyone can do about their lack of experience on the offensive side of the ball. But the discipline and holding one another to a higher standard has to enter back into the room. That needs to come from Harris, Pat Freiermuth, James Daniels, and most importantly, Kenny Pickett.
And truthfully, the same needs to be said for the defense. Ahkello Witherspoon isn't a rookie, yet he was out there getting toasted multiple times for touchdowns in the first half. He eventually had to be benched for James Pierre. Heyward and the other veterans must get louder.
"It will be a good time to take a step back and look at ourselves and what we lack," Harris said. "It will be a good reflection time."
And in those reflections will determine if the Steelers lay down the rest of the season or fight. If a single one of these players isn't mad when they look back at how this season has unfolded, then there won't be any worth in reflecting. No more excuses when Watt presumably returns on November 13th.
