It is often said that football (among other sports) is a tale of two halves. Part of this saying relies on teams making adjustments at halftime to position themselves to take control of the game in the remaining thirty minutes. For some teams, attrition also plays a role, as they may rely on their big thumpers to wear down opposing defenses. 

I cannot think of an NFL team for whom the phrase “a tale of two halves” is more accurate than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps that may be biased, and perhaps I am only looking at it from the perspective of teams who tend to play worse after the break. The Steelers have a point differential of +49 in the first half of games this year, while they maintain a dismal -52 difference in the second half. 

It could be worse. Sure, it could be better, but it could be worse. While the Steelers have a cumulative -3 point differential, they sit at 7-6 after their 27-22 victory on the road in Baltimore yesterday. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans have a -156 point differential and have just two victories on the year. 

The rivalry game against the Ravens followed a similar script to what we have become accustomed to seeing this year. The Steelers were up eight at halftime and were outscored by three in the second half. After forcing punts or turnovers on three of the Ravens’ first four drives, the Steelers’ defense allowed four-consecutive scoring drives, and probably should have allowed a fifth if not for a controversial call that wiped away a touchdown catch for Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely. 

The offense scored on three of its four drives in the first half (excluding the kneel down on the last play), but punted on three of its five drives in the second half. 

One thing that did inspire hope, however, was the deep passing game. Look at Aaron Rodgers’ passing chart from yesterday. 

The Steelers completed zero passes in the month of November of 20+ air yards. Yesterday alone, Rodgers completed four such passes. 

DK Metcalf had his best game as a Steeler, catching seven-of-twelve targets for 148 yards, including three of those 20+ air-yard throws. It is possible that the offense unlocked something in the passing game, but what the hell took so long? It is week 14 for God’s sake!

Going back to the tale of two halves narrative, the Steelers played more conservatively in the second half. Up five and needing a third-down conversion to salt the game away, they decided to throw a pass five yards short of the line-to-gain. Of course, why would we expect anything less from a coaching staff that preaches about “not living in our fears” while simultaneously doing exactly that?

Just once, I would like to see this organization string together sixty minutes of good football. Is that too much to ask? Can they do it Monday night in Miami? I doubt it, but we will see. A win is a win, especially in a divisional rivalry.