Rudolph shines as the Steelers lose to Seahawks; fall to 0-2
Teams that start a season 0-2 have a 12% chance of making the playoffs. That's how the Steelers have started their season for the first time since 2013 when Pittsburgh went 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs.
Nothing seemed to go right for the Steelers when they opened up their season in New England. It was much better this week, but there was still a lot of things that went wrong. There were mental mistakes, bad penalties, and they even got burned by the new ability to challenge pass interference.
The biggest news from this game was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger going out of the game with an elbow injury just before halftime. Mike Tomlin had no further details on the severity the injury.
Mason Rudolph stepped in and played very well. His second pass of the game hit off of Donte Moncrief's hands and was intercepted, which led to Seattle taking a lead which they never let go of for the rest of the game.
After that, Rudolph bounced back and helped lead the Steelers down the field for a field goal and a touchdown on two consecutive drives. After the defense forced a fumble deep in Seattle territory, Rudolph connected with Vance McDonald for the second time, giving the Steelers life.
Unfortunately, the defense was not able to make another stop and Seattle held on to win the game. Rudolph finished 12-for-19 for 112 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
The Steelers lost several players to injuries in this game. Along with Big Ben and Vince Williams, James Conner went down with a knee injury. A few other players were injured as well. We don't know the significance of these injuries yet, but this could seriously affect the efficiency of an offense that struggled for half of a game.
Here are three things that stuck out in this game and what it means for the Steelers loving forward.
The defense: A tale of two halves
The Steelers' defense was very impressive in the first half. They sacked Russell Wilson four times, Stephon Tuitt recording 2.5 of them. T.J. Watt forced a fumble early on that led to the first score of the game for either team when James Conner subsequently scored from one yard out.
The defense gave up some big plays in the passing game, but they were able to limit the run game and force Seattle to settle for a field goal on their best drive of the first half. A personal foul penalty on Daniel McCullers gave Seattle a first down and they scored a touchdown on the following play.
The second half was a totally different defense. Seattle adjusted their game plan and began to attack the middle of the Steelers' defense. After only allowing seven points in the first half, Pittsburgh allowed Seattle to score three touchdowns in the second half. One of which was on a short field after the interception off of Moncrief's drop.
One of the bright spots on the defense were Stephon Tuitt, who was a monster in the first half. The other bright spot was Steven Nelson, who was matched up with D.K. Metcalf most of the game and did a good job of limiting him. Terrell Edmunds was in coverage on Metcalf's touchdown.
Devin Bush, who recovered Chris Carson's second fumble of the game, struggled in pass coverage. The tight end for Seattle, Will Dissly, had a productive game. He caught five passes for 50 yards along with two touchdowns.
Vince Williams left the game early with a hamstring injury and did not return.
Moving forward: The Steelers' inconsistency on defense continues. This was an issue in 2018 and it seems to still be an issue early this season. There were still times coverages were blown or certain players were caught covering players they shouldn't (Terrell Edmunds on D.K. Metcalf).
The defensive front shows they've got the ability to get to the quarterback. The lack of in-game adjustments was still apparent. Until they fix this issue, the defense will continue to struggle to maintain a high level of play for 60 minutes.
Donte "Concrete"
Donte Moncrief saw only one target in this game. It bounced off his hands and was intercepted. He did not see the field again.
Moncrief's confidence has to be at an all-time low. After a game in which he dropped four passes, he provides a tip drill on his one target the following week. With the Steelers starting 0-2, the consideration for feelings has to be set aside. The Steelers' playoff chances are significantly low and other receivers are showing they can be reliable.
Diontae Johnson did drop a pass, but made a phenomenal third down catch in a crucial spot. James Washington also made two nice intermediate catches. JuJu Smith-Schuster was the team's leading receiver again and was very reliable for Mason Rudolph.
Moving forward: There is no way Moncrief should be sniffing the field over Washington or Johnson any time soon. Things might already be shaky if Ben Roethlisberger has to miss any significant time. Mason Rudolph was very good today, but the coaching staff will have to do everything they can to support Rudolph if he has to play. Having reliable receivers is a huge part of that.
The offense struggled...again
Pittsburgh mustered only 261 yards of offense. They failed to establish the run game against Seattle's defensive front and the Steelers did not complete a pass to a receiver until 5 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.
That's two games in a row the offense failed to execute their game plan. After failing to move the ball through the air, they tried too hard to establish the run game and put themselves in third-and-long situations.
The offensive line didn't play up to par. Seattle was rushing only four men a lot early on and were still getting to the quarterback. When Ben did have time to throw, receivers weren't getting open.
The offense opened up a little bit in the second half and Rudolph was very good in a lot of ways. He made good decisions and spread the ball around. He even converted a third-and-five with his legs.
Moving forward: Obviously, the health of Ben Roethlisberger and James Conner will have a huge impact on how the offense looks going into San Francisco next week. The 49ers are 2-0 after blowing out the Bengals 41-17. They are a team on the rise and will provide many challenges for the Steelers going forward.
The Steelers have to figure out better ways to run the ball. I think it's gotten to the point where the passing game has to set up the run game. When the Steelers commit to the run, they don't disguise it well and make it too predictable for the opposing defense. This has put the Steelers in too many third-and-long situations, which is one of the reasons they are struggling on third down so far.
For next week, they need to come up with a game plan that makes Mason Rudolph very comfortable if Ben cannot go in Week 3. It might have to center around short-to-intermediate passes that get him into a rhythm early on.
