When it comes to starting fast, the Pittsburgh Steelers are like the race horse that stumbles out of the gate. Sometimes, they recover with a strong closing kick and get to the wire first. Sometimes, they come up short.
Such has been the case for much of the season, and it certainly held true the last time the Steelers were in the postseason and playing an underdog at home.
While the Steelers don’t like to be reminded of how they trailed by 21 points twice in their 45-42 playoff exit in the 2017 division round to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they can carry a lesson from that performance as well as others from 2020 into their game Sunday night against the Cleveland Browns in the AFC wild-card round.
“We had a couple games this year where we didn’t start fast and the defense was saving our (butt),” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said Wednesday. “It’s something we have to take into account. It’s an elimination game. There’s no room for error or missed communication or missed plays or missed assignments. This is something where you get it done, you get it right and you move on.”
That didn’t happen three years ago when Jacksonville visited Heinz Field for a second time that season. Despite getting a 30-9 win in the regular season, the Jaguars were a big underdog in the rematch against the No. 2-seeded Steelers, who were coming off a bye week. The Jaguars jumped to 21-0 and 28-7 leads in the first half and never trailed in the upset victory.
Even though the Steelers didn’t earn a bye this year, four of their star players didn’t make the trip to Cleveland for the regular-season finale and essentially had a full week of rest.
The goal, of course, will be for the Steelers to avoid the same hole that swallowed them in 2017.
“You can say trap, but it’s the playoffs,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “There is no such thing as someone’s favored, someone’s not favored. I don’t believe in all of that. That is the postseason where every team wants it as bad as the next team.”
What the Steelers do believe is they need to start quicker than they have in nearly half of their games this season. The Steelers finished the season ranked No. 24 among the 32 teams in points scored in the first quarter with 62. The only team that ranked lower and made the 14-team postseason was Washington, which finished 7-9 while ranking No. 31 with 50 first-quarter points. The Browns finished just above the Steelers with 63 points in the opening quarter.
The inability to get points early has been a sticking point during a stretch run in which the Steelers lost four of their final five games. In racing to an 11-0 start, the Steelers scored in the first quarter on nine occasions. They have been shut out in the opening quarter in each of the past five games.
In the past four games, the Steelers’ slow start contributed to them trailing by double digits in the second half. They trailed by 16 points at Buffalo, 17 at Cincinnati, 17 against Indianapolis and 15 at Cleveland.
“It would be a lot nicer,” guard David DeCastro said when asked about the comforts of having an early lead. “Especially for our jobs. As an offensive lineman, when you’re passing every time when you are down is not a fun situation to be in. You’d like to give your defense a chance to rush the passer and not be on the other side of the coin.
“Starting fast always has been the word, but we have to make it happen now.”
Four times this season, the Steelers have shown they are capable of overcoming a double-digit deficit.
• In Week 3 against Houston, the Steelers trailed 14-3 in the second quarter before rallying for a 28-21 victory.
• In Week 8 at Baltimore, the Steelers trailed 17-7 at halftime and wound up with a 28-24 win.
• In Week 9 at Dallas, the deficit was 13-0 in the second quarter and 19-9 in the quarter before a late finishing kick results in a 24-19 win.
• In Week 16 against Indianapolis, the Steelers were down 24-7 in the third quarter before scoring three unanswered touchdowns for a 28-24 victory. Had the Steelers not completed that rally, they would be entering the postseason as a wild-card team riding a five-game losing streak.
“I don’t think we’ve shown our full potential on the offensive side of the ball. I think we can do a lot more, like starting fast,” Smith-Schuster said. For the most part, the urgency is going to have to be there. This time last year, I was having exit meetings and going home. … Next week, we can be on our couch watching someone else play. This week, you can’t take it for granted.”
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL
"Shut" - Google News
January 07, 2021 at 04:55AM
https://ift.tt/38hJXYJ
After being shut out in 1st quarter for past 5 games, Steelers seek hot start to open playoffs - TribLIVE
"Shut" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d35Me0
https://ift.tt/2WkO13c
Bagikan Berita Ini
dewalotto adalah Situs Judi Online Resmi Terkemuka dan Terpercaya di ASIA yang memberikan tempat bertaruh secara fair play untuk para penjudi dari indonesia.
ReplyDeleteDengan menerapkan teknologi terbaru dari situs ini,
cukup hanya menggunakan satu akun saja anda dapat langsung bermain berbagai taruhan terbaik .
Apa saja yang dapat dimainkan ?
Berawal dari Judi Bola Online, Live Casino, Slot Game ataupun Poker ,
dan masih banyak terdapat jenis game menarik lain semua dapat anda nikmati dengan merasa aman dan nyaman bersama dewalotto
Untuk Info selengkapnya Hubungi kami di :
WA : +855 888765575
Kami Siap Melayani anda 24 jam Nonstop