Blocking and tackling. These are soccer’s core parts. The Steelers did little of both in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Chatting with reporters Tuesday, a number of Steelers’ defensive gamers provided the identical rationale for his or her defeat.
“We type of beat ourselves,” CB Beanie Bishop Jr. stated via the team website Tuesday. “We are able to’t go on the market and play much less bodily than guys. We missed plenty of tackles and issues like that. We received guys to the ball however weren’t making the tackles. Communication is essential. We weren’t speaking in addition to we’ve got been in previous weeks. They type of gave us just a little little bit of tempo and hurry-up.”
Per our Josh Carney, Pittsburgh missed 20 tackles against Philadelphia. Linebackers Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Nick Herbig “led” the best way with three misses apiece. The secondary had their justifiable share, too. A pair from CB Donte Jackson and CB Joey Porter Jr., whereas three others missed as soon as.
It allowed the Eagles to increase drives and management the clock en route to just about possessing the ball for 40 minutes. Twice, RB Kenneth Gainwell escaped tacklers to transform on third down whereas QB Jalen Hurts broke a sort out on an extended 23-yard designed run up the center.
Communication breakdowns are extra difficult to quantify however simply as evident on tape. WR Devonta Smith received open on a crosser for a giant acquire, with Bishop probably having a breakdown in protection. Gainwell additionally received free beneath and practically scored. The Steelers constantly performed a step behind the Eagles.
“It simply comes right down to execution and communication,” rookie LB Payton Wilson stated. “It’s quite simple. Stuff that we thought that we fastened from the start of the season type of confirmed again up.”
Pittsburgh had breakdowns early within the season, most notably in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. The Steelers performed buttoned-up for the previous a number of weeks, and the outcomes adopted. Getting into Week 15, that they had a top-five scoring protection that took a ding after permitting 27 to the Eagles. Had the clock not run out, they might’ve given up extra.
From rookies to veterans, the solutions have been the identical.
“Some errors on our finish,” DT Cam Heyward advised reporters. “Poor tackling. Communication-wise and our execution was simply lower than par.”
The margin of error will probably be slim in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens, a group able to successful in a similar way to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh does have quarterback Lamar Jackson’s quantity, however that doesn’t imply he can’t have a giant recreation or make a matchup-altering play.
The Ravens will get pleasure from being at residence, whereas the Steelers’ protection has been leakier on the street. At Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh is permitting simply 16.8 factors per recreation. On the street, that quantity spikes to 21.5. The Steelers should be under that quantity on Saturday. Blocking, tackling, and speaking will go a good distance towards attaining that.
