Full disclosure: I did not watch the entire Steeler game last night. A weather delay that lasts 85 minutes (especially for a primetime game) will do that. As a result, I will only adjudicate on what I did watch and some of what I read on social media. Regardless of what I saw with my own two eyes, the Steelers lost to an undermanned Dallas Cowboys team at home on a touchdown in the dying moments, falling 20-17, with their record dropping to 3-2. 

The disappointment of last night’s game—which ended at 12:59AM Eastern—can be summed up in one tweet from Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. 2 minutes after the conclusion of the game, he posted, “Dallas had 3 turnovers. 11 penalties. 25% in the red zone and Pittsburgh…blocked a FG. And the Steelers still find a way to lose this one.” Bear in mind that the Steelers did not turn the ball over once, except for a fumble on the final play of the game, which was a play where the offense just lateraled the ball incessantly until it hit the turf.

There are plenty of reasons for the loss, despite the apparent incompetence from the Cowboys. Dallas converted 9 of their 14 third-down attempts, just one week after the Colts went 8-for-15 in the same scenarios. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers only gained first-down yardage on three of their twelve third-down attempts throughout the game. The passing threat was virtually non-existent, with Justin Fields only averaging 4.85 yards per attempt on 55.6% accuracy (he did throw two touchdowns, but reports suggest that the negatives outweighed the positives). Najee Harris only averaged three yards per carry against a Dallas defense that entered the game allowing the seventh-most rushing yards per game, and was without two of their top defensive players in Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. 

Let us talk about something that has plagued the team in each of the five games that they have played this season: getting off to slow starts. Through five weeks, the Steelers have 32 first-half points: nine in week 1 against the Falcons (three field goals), ten in week 2 against the Broncos (including their only first quarter touchdown of the season thus far), seven in week 3 against the Chargers, 3 in week 4 against the Colts (against whom they were down 17-3 at the break), and 3 in week 5 against the Cowboys. The Steelers have led at half-time once in their five games this season.

I should have known that yesterday’s game would be no different when the Steelers allowed the opening kickoff to be returned to the 38-yard line and were penalized for illegal formation on top of that, giving Dallas a short field right out of the gate. Bear in mind that the Cowboys have the best kicker from distance in the NFL in Brandon Aubrey, and he was able to crank a 55-yard field goal through the sticks in the miserable Pittsburgh weather just 2:21 into the game. 

The Steelers did counter with a field goal of their own, as Chris Boswell hit from 41 yards, but it just did not have the same feel. Perhaps it was because the play-call immediately before the field goal was a halfback toss on 3rd-and-8? What kind of conservative play-calling is that? You are already in field goal range with one of the most accurate placekickers in the history of the sport—surely, you should try to get more than three points on the board. Simply enough, the coaching staff does not trust the offense—it was evident from that point onwards.

Alan Saunders of PittsburghSteelersNow put it quite well, stating, “The idea that the Steelers are bad on offense because they’re conservative is getting it all backwards. They’re conservative because they’re bad on offense. And they…don’t trust their offense to not screw it up.” I mentioned earlier that the only turnover that the Steelers had was the fumble on the last play of the game. That does not mean there were not other turnover-worthy plays. Before I ultimately turned in for the night, I watched Justin Fields horribly underthrow a pass down the sideline that hit a Cowboys’ defensive back square in his hands. I have since been informed that this was not the only instance where an interception was dropped.

Does that mean that the play-callers should just give up and play conservative football? To me, no. At the end of the day, you were outgained 2:1, and Dallas ran 18 more plays than you. Sure, you scored two touchdowns in the second half. But, in the first half, your QB went 4/9 for 35 yards, you ran the ball 18 times for 70 yards (under 4 yards per carry), and your number one receiver—George Pickens) was targeted twice, hauling in one pass for 8 yards.

A brief interlude about Pickens: I found it strange when I awakened to find out he only played 18 snaps in the passing game, while inferior receivers Van Jefferson (28) and Calvin Austin (25) played significantly more. Head coach Mike Tomlin gave us the usual lip service, making up some bullshit about “snap management” as if the Steelers were relegated to the NBA overnight and George Pickens was Joel Embiid. However, a deeper dive into the bowels of Twitter told the story. There are video compilations of Pickens giving virtually no effort on the majority of his routes, playing the receiver position as though he were out for a Sunday jog. Whether a wideout is discontent with his quarterback’s play or whatever the case may be, he has a contract—show some effort!

Anyways, to return to the Steelers’ inability to start games on time, the Dallas defense had allowed 65 first-half points this season through their first four games—that was when they had Parsons and Lawrence. The Steelers had 3 points at halftime. It is absolutely inexcusable for the offense to only show up for 30 minutes of a game! You simply cannot expect to win a substantial number of games in the National Football League when you only play one half of football.

Fans are decrying Justin Fields’ performance last night. The critiques are valid. Some people want Russell Wilson to start next week, if only to attempt to jumpstart what has been a dormant offense through the first halves of the first five games. Would that be the right decision? I do not know—I must admit, I am up for trying anything to get some points on the board early in games. What I do know, is this: the problem goes beyond the quarterback. Through the end of Big Ben’s career, to Trubisky, to Pickett, to Rudolph, to Fields, the offense has started slowly. It also seems to go beyond the offensive coordinator position. The Arthur Smith scheme does not seem much different than Matt Canada’s, which was worse (albeit not significantly) than Randy Fichtner’s. The issue starts at the top. Coach Tomlin, it is time to take a page out of Pat Narduzzi’s book, wake up and get with the times. Offense wins games now.