Slow starts hurting Steelers
OAKLAND, Calif. – One of the best ways to have success on the road is to jump out to an early lead and take the home crowd out of the game.
This season, however, the Steelers seem intent on giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about as they settle into their seats.
Pittsburgh’s loss Sunday to the Oakland Raiders was case and point. Not only did the Steelers allow a 93-yard run by Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor on the game’s first offensive play, their own offense again failed to produce a first down on its first two possessions. The Steelers fell behind 14-0 before the first quarter reached its midway point.
It’s been a recurring theme in the Steelers’ 2-5 start to the season.
“We can’t choose to defer a kickoff and allow them to explode, spotting them seven on the first play of the game,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who chose to kick off to the Raiders despite winning the coin flip.
“We had a partially blocked punt. We had other opportunities in the kicking game to keep the ball in the first half. The ball rolled around on the ground, and we weren’t able to (grab) it. Obviously, we weren’t able to establish enough rhythm offensively to sustain drives.”
That last part has been one of the Steelers’ biggest issues.
Pittsburgh’s offense has yet to score on its opening possession of game and has generated only six first downs, three of which came in the opener against Tennessee. The Steelers have gained 59 yards on their opening drive in six games.
That’s putting a lot of pressure on the defense to hold opponents in check until the offense gets going.
Team leaders, both on offense and defense, feel the slows starts need to be addressed.
“We’ve got to come out of the locker room ready to play,” said defense end Brett Keisel. “We can’t ease into football games. When the national anthem goes, you’ve got to be ready to go. So far, we’ve struggled in that area. We’ve got to step into stadiums ready to go.
“It’s going to be addressed. It’ll be addressed. I might address it. It’ll just be something where I’ll talk to the team. We’ve got to be better in that area. I want everyone to understand that.”
It’s something the players should understand. After all, the Steelers have been outscored 54-19 in the first quarter and 94-54 in the first half.
“We’ve got to do a better job of starting fast, getting after people early and putting points on the board,” said wide receiver Antonio Brown.
The Steelers are 2-5 for the first time since 2006, when they were 2-6. Pittsburgh won six of its final eight games that year to finish 8-8. … The last team to make the playoffs after a 2-5 start was the 2002 New York Jets, who finished 9-7. … A fourth-quarter turnover by the Steelers was originally credited as a fumble by Brown and was recovered by cornerback Tracy Porter. It was later changed to an interception. … The Steelers are tied for 30th in the NFL in sacks with 10. Only Chicago (9) has fewer.