Tim Benz: The ‘new normal’ stinks, especially as a way to describe the Steelers’ rotten offense
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Like everyone else, Steelers fans are enduring everyday existence with the “new normal:” face coverings, closed businesses, social distancing and Zoom holiday functions.
Now the “new normal” is a way to describe their favorite NFL team. And it’s annoying in those terms, too.
Because, for as much as I struggle with the image of Rudolph’s red nose being covered up by a mask, I’m having a much harder time looking at quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggling to push a ball 15 yards down the field.
Unfortunately, though, what you saw from the Steelers offense Sunday night in Buffalo is the “new normal” for what you will be watching the rest of the year.
That’s right. All 224 yards of it, en route to a 26-15 defeat.
That’s in a full game, by the way. Not a half. As a frame of reference, the woeful 0-13 New York Jets are the only team averaging under 300 yards per game in the NFL (269 yards per contest).
Esteemed company, eh?
This isn’t something “new,” at all. Actually, it’s been going on for over a month now. And there should be nothing normal about our willingness to accept it.
Between Nov. 8 and Dec. 2, the Steelers’ plodding, disjointed offense managed to win four games, including a 36-10 trouncing of the Cincinnati Bengals.
But in the other three results they grinded through thanks to a good defense, a soft schedule and some crazy covid-19 scenarios. Those victories merely delayed the inevitable fall from the franchise’s 11-0 mountain, down to a two-game losing streak. Now there is nothing but a bleak forecast for the future beyond what should be a one-week respite against those 2-10-1 Bengals in a “Monday Night Football” matchup this week.
Not counting that Nov. 15 win over Cincinnati, the Steelers are averaging 20.4 points per game since the start of Week 9. That would pace them to be 27th in the NFL on a season-long average this year.
Keep in mind that three of those games occurred against the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington. All of those teams are under .500. Plus, one of the opponents was a junior varsity edition of the Baltimore Ravens roster, thanks to covid-19 absences.
Even the Buffalo Bills defense normally allows 24.7 points per contest. The Steelers managed only 15 on Sunday night.
So for those thinking that the loss at home to Washington on Dec. 7 was a “wake-up call” of some sort, maybe it’s you that needs to go back to sleep. The Steelers offense was never going to be shocked back into reality.
This is reality.
The Steelers don’t need to “get woke.” The Steelers are just “broke.” The team’s offense has nothing.
The running game stinks. At 89.1 yards per game on the ground, the club is 31st in the NFL.
The wide receivers have (by a conservative count) 19 drops over the last three weeks. The team is third in the league in pass attempts (525). But coordinator Randy Fichtner’s offense is just 16th in the league in passing yards (3,204). That average of 6.3 yards per attempt is 28th in the NFL. Its 9.2 yards per completion is also 28th.
That’s dreadful inefficiency.
For the first seven games of the season, the Steelers passing attack was worthy of praise. Short, precise throws replaced a questionable run game and kept Roethlisberger from getting hit. Roethlisberger was barely getting touched because he was only holding onto the ball for 2.2 seconds per throw and the team was 7-0.
But as time has gone along, opposing defenses have caught up to the reasons why Fichtner, Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin are doing what they are doing.
• It’s not just that the Steelers don’t want to run. They can’t run when they try, either. Their linemen aren’t adept at run blocking, and they don’t have a star running back.
• Roethlisberger isn’t throwing the ball underneath so often because that’s how he wants to quarterback. That’s rarely been his style. It’s because he can’t hit the intermediate and deep shots like he used to do regularly.
• All those quick throws aren’t the be-all and end-all of the passing game because that’s what Fichtner prefers. Rather he needs the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands because he knows that his quarterback can’t avoid the rush like he used to and that his injury-tattered offensive line can’t hold rushers off him as it had in years past.
Suddenly, the Steelers have become remarkably easy to defend. Given Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame credentials and tape catalog, I just think it took opposing coaching staffs eight weeks to truly figure out what they were watching.
The Steelers weren’t attempting to run a New England-esque Tom Brady offense because they had a change of heart.
No, they had a change of priorities. Like how to preserve their 38-year-old, $34 million quarterback.
But it’s hard to throw when you are in bubble wrap and when your elbow is being held together with Scotch tape. And your knees are creaking more and more as the season is going along.
So don’t worry about the run if you are a defensive lineman. Push upfield for a two-count, then throw up your arms. Defend a 15-yard box behind the pass rush. And tackle the catch. It ain’t that hard.
Maybe even the Bengals will figure it out.
OK. Let’s not get crazy. The Steelers will win Monday. But after that, don’t be surprised if they drop the next two against the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns to finish out the regular season.
That’s the “new normal” with this Steelers offense. And I don’t like the football version of that phrase either.