The Steelers’ offense has two quarterbacks… and a whole host of unanswered questions
CLEVELAND – As flakes fell from the night sky, turning Huntington Bank Field into a snow globe, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson retreated and let him fly.
The expectantly thrown pass found receiver Calvin Austin III in time and on target in the end zone for the go-ahead, a 23-yard touchdown. After failing to score a touchdown for more than seven consecutive quarters in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh had scored two in less than two minutes to take a one-point lead over the Cleveland Browns with 6:15 to go.
.@DangeRussWilson ➡️ @CalvinAustin III for six!!!!
📲 Streaming on NFL+: pic.twitter.com/ucLP4kE2cM
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 22, 2024
It was a miraculous comeback. Until it wasn’t anymore.
“The game isn’t won until you get on the bus,” Austin said after the game. “So it was definitely an emotional moment (after the touchdown). We were all hype and stuff. But we knew we had an inspired team that was about to get the ball back.”
As it turned out, the Browns got the ball back not once, but twice.
The Steelers defense did its job the first time, forcing backup quarterback Jameis Winston into an errant pass that cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted with 4:22 to go. But after Pittsburgh went three-and-out — with Justin Fields quarterbacking second and third in place of Wilson — and Corliss Waitman punted for the first time as a Steeler, the defense couldn’t get off the field.
Cleveland got the ball back with 3:22 to go and drove 45 yards in nine plays. The Browns closed the series with a 2-yard Nick Chubb touchdown with 57 seconds left, then knocked down Wilson’s Hail Mary as time expired to stun the Steelers, 24-19.
GO DEEPER
Browns stun Steelers 24-19 in snow as Chubb scores late TD: Takeaways
A team that made a statement by beating the Baltimore Ravens just four days earlier fell to 8-3, leaving the door open in the competitive AFC North.
“Missed opportunities,” said defensive co-captain Cameron Hayward. ‘We have to eat it. At the end they played even more. About some of those things we might wonder what was there to see. Just take it, move on. I know everyone is pretty pissed about the loss.
The momentous moments at the end of the game loom: coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to accept an illegal touching penalty that gave the Browns a second chance at third down on the final drive, after which they spent a timeout that would be needed later; the coverage on the subsequent third and sixth conversions; the decision to tackle Chubb at the 2-yard line with more than 90 seconds left instead of letting him score to save time and get the ball back.
But the reality is that this game was lost much earlier, on the other side of the ball.
“We beat ourselves with a lot of mistakes,” Austin said. “That means all eleven of us have to look in the mirror and just keep pushing details. They are a good team. I have to give them credit. But ultimately we just have to perform better.”
Two weeks ago, when Wilson erased a 10-point second-half deficit against the Commanders, it looked like the offense was finally catching on after years of instability and inconsistency. At the time, the veteran signal caller had led the Steelers to 31.7 points and 382 yards per game through three starts. If the offense continued on the same trajectory, it was fair to consider the Steelers as legitimate Super Bowl contenders who could take on Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen.
But it didn’t happen.
While those first three games showcased the explosive upside of Wilson’s moonball, his veteran presence and his ability to make checks at the line of scrimmage, the past two have exposed many of the Steelers’ offensive warts.
It’s certainly not just Wilson’s fault. However, sacks become problematic, putting the offense behind the chains. This was an obvious concern at the time the Steelers signed Wilson, as he led the NFL in sacks in two of the previous five seasons. When he took over for Fields in Week 7, the Steelers initially did well enough to protect Wilson that it wasn’t a major red flag.
However, in the first half on Thursday alone, Wilson was sacked four times as the Browns kept the Steelers’ offensive line off balance with stunts and plays up front. Three of those sacks came from Myles Garrett, including a strip sack that put the Browns on a short field.
Myles strips the ball and we get it back 🙌😤 #PITvsCLE | @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/36WalR8R8h
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 22, 2024
Even ignoring the negative plays, Pittsburgh’s offense has become too big or too small. Yes, again, Wilson’s deep shot was a catalyst. He connected with Austin with a bomb from 46 yards down the seam, hit Van Jefferson for a 35-yard gain and found George Pickens for 31 yards. Those big plays helped solidify Wilson’s solid statistical line, as he completed 21 of 28 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for a passer rating of 116.7.
The problem is that when the Steelers aren’t producing touchdowns on these deep shots, they have trouble finishing drives. The problems came to light during the opening stage. On third down, Wilson picked up an 8-yard sack on third-and-2, turning a potential 50-yard field goal attempt into a 58-yard one that the reliable Chris Boswell missed.
The Steelers, who rank 26th in success rate (37.2 percent, per TruMedia) since Wilson took over, tried to use every tool at their disposal to keep the offense going. However, another drive in the first half was halted at the 40-yard line. This time they deployed Fields on a fourth-and-2 QB keeper, failing and turning the ball over on downs. The offense also failed at the 30 (field goal made), its own 46 (failed fourth-and-1 run by Jaylen Warren) and the Cleveland 9-yard line (field goal made).
“We had some really good, explosive plays down the field, throwing the ball with Van (Jefferson) – he made some great catches – and Calvin (Austin),” Wilson said. “And then we got stuck for whatever reason. We have to watch the movie and see what that was. … We needed one or two more plays.”
Complicating matters are the unique quarterback dynamics. After using the Fields package three times against the Ravens on Sunday, the Steelers featured their mobile QB on seven snaps (plus an eighth that didn’t happen due to a false start) on Thursday.
The results were mixed. After falling short on fourth down early in the game, Fields provided a spark in the second half when he kept the ball in a zone and raced 30 yards down the right sideline. That play helped spark the offense, and later in the same drive, the threat of Fields keeping the ball in the zone helped Warren rush into the end zone to snap the Steelers’ touchdownless skid and spark the rally.
Jaylen Warren up for the TD! The @Steelers answer back right away.#PITvsCLE on PrimeVideo
Also streams through #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/aDPce0i8CM—NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2024
Also in a four-minute lead situation, the Steelers put the ball in Fields’ hands. It was a decent time to play the running quarterback, with the Steelers trying to burn the clock. However, on third and fourth, his deep shot sailed incomplete for Pickens, stopping the clock and giving the Browns enough time to score the go-ahead goal.
When asked if he would have wanted to be at the game at that critical moment, Wilson was somewhat transparent.
“Listen, I always want to be there,” he said. “That’s just the competitor in me. But at the same time, we have great confidence in Justin, our team, our coaches and everything we do.”
It’s not the easiest challenge for Fields either. He said after the game that he felt “a little stiff” during his 30-yard run after spending the entire second and third quarters on the sidelines, adding that he felt like he could have during the game score. When asked if it’s difficult to enter the game midway and with virtually no warning, Fields admitted that it is.
“But at the end of the day, that’s my job,” he said. “So you can’t complain. Every time I get the chance to go on the field and help my team, I enjoy doing it.”
When you’re sitting behind a keyboard watching the game from the press box, it’s honestly hard to say what the right balance should be. Fields has often been the Steelers’ best offensive weapon, and his mobility could help them solve their red zone woes. Using both quarterbacks allows the Steelers to adjust on the fly if the offense needs a jolt or if the opponent’s pass rush becomes too much of a factor. On the other hand, it seems that rotating quarterbacks can sometimes disrupt the rhythm and timing of the passers.
Still, it’s important to remember that the Steelers finished at 8-2 thanks to the contributions of both players. If they want to prove that this two-game stretch of offensive woes was just a blip on the radar, and that this offense can in fact provide an edge in the postseason, they will likely have to continue using both.
Finding the right balance and rediscovering a way to finish drives will help determine how far this offense – and the team as a whole – goes.
“We still have a lot of football left,” Wilson said. “We have many opportunities to respond in the highest way, at the highest level. I think everything we want is still ahead of us.”
(Photo by Russell Wilson: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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