2 Winners, 6 Losers From Steelers Blowout By Bills
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BUFFALO -- Week 5 was as ugly as it's gotten for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and still, we managed to walk away with some winners.
Losing 38-3 against the Buffalo Bills seemed to be a tipping point for a team that will head back home 1-4 with almost nothing to look forward to. With a loss like this, it's hard to find anything positive, and even if it was way worse than anyone expected, there were a few goods that were shown.
Winners
George Pickens
The Steelers offense did virtually nothing, but for a second-straight game, George Pickens showed he's got plenty of potential.
The second-round rookie is Kenny Pickett's favorite target through six quarters. The offense needs to score points before it means anything, but finishing with six receptions for 83 yards isn't too bad.
Pickens seems to be able to catch pretty much anything thrown his way. It's a great sign that a rookie quarterback will have a reliable teammate for the next few years. For right now, though, it's tough to acknowledge how well they play together until the team starts winning games.
We'll say Pickens is a winner in this one.
Jaylen Warren
If Najee Harris is going to miss some time while the Steelers try to actually heal him, Jaylen Warren looks capable. He didn't do most of his damage until garbage time, but the rookie keeps impressing, so that's a win.
Warren has the strength, burst and motivation to be a quality running back in Pittsburgh. If the offense can get things rolling, we'll probably see even better results from the UDFA.
Right now, 65 total yards against the Bills is as good as anyone is getting for the Steelers.
Losers
Matt Canada
Running the ball down 35 points seems like an odd choice for an offense. Trying to get the run game going was what Matt Canada tried to do all afternoon, and all afternoon, they couldn't find success. And then, before you knew it, the Steelers were down big.
Canada has been an issue for the Steelers the last two seasons. At no point has he shown capable offensive play-calling ability, using the quarterback as the scapegoat for a year and a half.
Now, the Steelers are out of excuses. Kenny Pickett didn't play well, but he certainly didn't play poorly. And Najee Harris struggled heavily, but it took three quarters for the Steelers to move away from him. So, at that point, you blame the OC.
It's hitting the point of starring the worst offense in the NFL in the eyes for Pittsburgh. They don't have the talent to make this unit great, but you certainly have enough going on to be successful.
The gameplan just isn't good.
Levi Wallace
Levi Wallace's reunion game was rough. He's dealing with a foot injury, and that can't be overlooked when you watched his play, but it's not an excuse big enough to struggle like he did.
After giving up a 98-yard touchdown to Gabe Davis on the third offensive play of the game, he came back and intercepted a pass in the endzone.
Then, he was beat on a 62-yard touchdown to Davis, again. Some of which was on Minkah Fitzpatrick. Not all, though.
The Steelers' lack of athleticism is killing them against the firepower of the NFL's receivers. With Ahkello Witherspoon on the field, it helps the situation. Right now, if Wallace, Sutton and Witherspoon are out moving forward, Pittsburgh is in trouble.
Robert Spillane
There's no reason for the Steelers to keep Robert Spillane on the field during passing downs. And while it's not his fault that they continue to do so, it's his fault he continues to get beat.
There aren't certain plays to look at because it's almost every one that he's targeted on. And even those that fall incomplete, like a pass to Quinten Morris in the endzone, was not because of Spillane.
The Steelers' inside linebackers have played average to this point, and at some point Mark Robinson has to take over those Spillane reps.
Najee Harris
There's no way Najee Harris is healthy, but if he's going to play through it, you have to put blame on his lack of success.
It's somewhat his feet injuries that are holding him back from making explosive plays or bursting through the line of scrimmage. However, it's not his injuries stopping his from being able to read holes or making the right decisions on cuts.
The Steelers will let players fight through injury. Once those injuries start to stop those players from doing anything productive, they pull those players. In Week 5, Harris got pulled - and we'll see what that means next week.
Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson got a lot of criticism he didn't deserve last season, but this season, he deserves it all. Each week that passes and Johnson misses an open pass, his $13 million value decreases. It's not the quarterback's fault, it's his.
Johnson finished the game with five receptions for 60 yards. He nearly forced another interception for his quarterback when a ball bounced off his hands in the middle of the field.
It's just not the production he should be having this season. And the drops are adding up early.
Mike Tomlin
It's time for Mike Tomlin to stop holding himself about the rest of his coaching staff and actually practice what he preaches.
"Living in your fears" seems to be something Tomlin does much more often than he claims not to. And being down 24-3 facing a 4th and 5 on Buffalo's 15-yard line was a perfect way to not live in your fears. Instead, they kicked it, missed, and started a theme that lasted all afternoon.
The Steelers kicked three field goals and missed two of them. Both of the missed shouldn't have been attempted.
After the game, Tomlin made it known he's open to changes on defense and with his coaching staff. He's going to look at himself first, and rightfully so. At this point, there's a big part of the blame that needs to be directed at him.
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