Quote:
Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19
The defense did what it did all year in that game. Bend don't break. They were dealing with injuries all throughout the front 7. Houston wasn't half of himself, and obviously DJ, Bailey, and Howard were out. Hali wasn't right either I'd guess looking at his snap count. Roethlisberger had been poor on the road for the past 2-3 seasons, and the stats show that. I didn't expect Ben to have a great game.
The offense was also what it had been the entire year. There were no injuries outside of Ehinger, which likely held the running game back a little bit. We were at home, coming off of a bye, facing a defense that was not what anyone would consider to be good. Andy's first 15 play script was a success (much like the Tennessee game), but when it came time to make adjustments, the offense curled into a ball. Just as it did vs. TEN, TB, HOU. Even some of our wins were highlighted a below average offense.
Sure, some of that blame could go around to all. But there is no question where the majority of it goes. I've got NFL Game Pass, and I watch the tape of the games on All-22. Smith left a ton of plays on the field. Specifically in the playoff game, as many have posted on here. Despite what you read on here, Maclin is still a really good WR. He got open a lot last year toward the end of the season. Smith just wasn't throwing him the ball. The same can be said for other receivers as well on certain plays.
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All well and good, just interested in the thought process that watched the game and said 'well, now we have exactly one big identifiable and unchangeable problem to fix.'
I saw a shit ton of work to be done, and a huge blowout narrowly averted by a HAAARIBLE performance by the opposing QB.