Steelers' "Eyesore" Offense Is Legitimate, But Their Impressive Comebacks Are Planned Says Peter Schrager

The Pittsburgh Steelers came from behind to beat the Los Angeles Rams during their Week 7 match-up on the West Coast. The Steelers were behind through the first three quarters of the game and then miraculously scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. This gave them a 24-17 win. Was this come from behind thing part of their master plan, or is it just luck?

All three AFC North teams that played in Week 7 won including the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. The Cincinnati Bengals were on a bye. The division was predicted to be one of the toughest in the league this year with analysts battling during preseason over which team would dominate. One common theme was that most of them counted out the Steelers and that appears to be a mistake.  

During the Rams game, fans were going crazy about how terrible the offense was early on, saying that quarterback Kenny Pickett was not able to lead the team and that Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada was inept. However, one NFL Network analyst believes that this come-from-behind mentality is all part of their offensive scheme and thinks that because of that, they will be the team that is the biggest threat to the division, including the Ravens, down the road. 

During a recent episode of Good Morning Football, co-host Peter Schrager said that he doesn't believe the Steelers are just getting lucky or stumbling upon these late-game comebacks, he thinks this is intentional. He also sees them as the biggest threat to the Ravens, who looked unbeatable during their game against the Detroit Lions, winning 38-6 on Sunday.

"This Baltimore Ravens defense, they were awesome, they were the best team in football yesterday and yet I came away watching that Steelers-Rams game thinking, 'Dang, these Steelers have a way about them, don't they? They will just find a way to hang around and then in the fourth quarter, things just magically happen," said Schrager.

This is the second time in six games that the Steelers have had an incredible late-game comeback to win. During the first three quarters of the game against Los Angeles, it felt that they were just self-destructing. They could not seem to get anything going on offense, no rhythm at all. 

Fortunately, the Steelers defense has been mostly incredible all season and they did all they could to keep them in the game. Edge rusher extraordinaire, T.J. Watt had another interception, and Larry Ogunjobi and Nick Herbig both had sacks (with Herbig picking up his first one as a pro).  

"I'm beginning to think it's not just coincidence. It's like they have a formula in how they do this, where they're losing at halftime - every game - they have no offense, everyone wants to fire Matt Canada 57 minutes into the game, then the final three minutes, it's like wait a second."

There is definitely some kind of magic happening in the waning moments of the game. After nothing but stress-filled three and outs, they managed to get the offense going. Both running backs, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren picked up rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. 

Pickett had 230 yards passing and ran for a touchdown himself early in the game after Watt's interception. There were plenty of Rams fans who felt that Pittsburgh won based on a bad call by the ref. During a 4th-and-1 attempt in the waning minutes of the game, the refs gave Pickett the conversion. It was prior to the two-minute warning and Rams Head Coach Sean McVay had used all of the team's timeouts, unable to challenge.   

"The Steelers are 4-2, they've beaten the Rams in L.A., they've beaten the Ravens, they've beaten the Browns, they are legitimate. And last night, as much as you want to blame the refs and the spot, they outplayed the Rams when it mattered most."

Schrager added that the Rams did make a ton of mistakes, but the Steelers defense was able to capitalize upon those mistakes. Much like Head Coach Mike Tomlin always says, they don't need to apologize for winning. he said that whatever this new method is, it is working and he thinks going to make them a threat this season.   

"I'm beginning to think it's not a coincidence that they win every single game this way, that there is almost a formula and a method to this madness. That's how they're gonna win games and they're doing it. They're 4-2 in a season where it feels like you're watching the Steelers and they're an eyesore to watch on offense and yet they continuously win, consistently win, despite being down at the half."

While no team wants to be the team that always has to come from behind, have the Steelers done it effectively? Is this something they are planning, or a group of plays they intend to utilize? Schrager seems to think that is the case and it directly contradicts a comment made earlier this season by Canada. 

Are The Steelers Actually A Come From Behind Team?

Recently Canada took a lot of heat for making a comment following the demoralizing Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans, that the Steelers are not meant to be a come-from-behind team. He later said that his comments were grossly misinterpreted and he was simply saying they don't want to be in a hole as they were Week 1 and Week 4. 

Regardless of whether it is the plan or not, the team is clearly capable of coming from behind, which is contrary to that comment by Canada. Schrager thinks that the Steelers have some kind of offensive scheme that helps them recover when down and come from behind to win. 

Most fans would probably appreciate it if they put that plan into place a bit sooner. It does seem like it is a much harder road to always come from behind. The Steelers need to take that magical pixie dust and sprinkle some across the plays for quarters one through three. 

Do you agree with Schrager even a little bit? Click to comment below.

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