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Effort Prevailed In Pittsburgh

Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

By Brien Hanley on October 9, 2023

With seemingly the entire football world looking to write the Pittsburgh Steelers’ obituary for the 2023 season, Mike Tomlin knew a different level of effort would be necessary for his team to get back on track against the Baltimore Ravens. And a different level of effort is exactly what he got.

“They made a commitment throughout the week,”  Tomlin said of his players after the game. “The things that we talked about leading up to the week, that we had to do better in preparation…I felt an earnest effort in that regard, and there’s football justice.” 

After a tumultuous week filled with frustration, the Black and Gold came up with a gutsy performance in their 17-10 victory over the Ravens. Although it wasn’t pretty, the team found a fight that seemed to be missing last week versus the Houston Texans. Let’s take a look at where that effort and fight shone the brightest.

The Defense Stood Tall

This was an odd game for the defense. In a lot of ways, the Steelers were very fortunate to even be in the mix with the way Baltimore was moving the ball in the first half. With constant three-and-outs by the Pittsburgh offense, the Ravens dominated time of possession and were getting chunk plays at every opportunity. 

Lamar Jackson was on his A game right from the start. His accuracy picked up where he left off last week against Cleveland, but the Ravens couldn’t put Pittsburgh away due to a bad case of the drops: eight total bobbles throughout the game, including two in the endzone that would have put the game nearly out of reach.

Once they settled down, Pittsburgh found a way to start getting off the field on third downs almost through sheer force of will. Despite the Ravens continuing to move the ball, the Steelers seemed to continuously come up with a key sack, tackle for loss, or deflected pass to keep them in the game.

Nothing exemplified the effort that the defense put forth on Sunday quite like this chase-down forced fumble by Larry Ogunjobi. 

If Tomlin needed effort, his defense gave it in spades.

The Special Teams Were Special

Chris Boswell was his usual spectacular self, knocking in all three field goal attempts and not allowing a return on any kickoffs. The last field goal made all the difference after the Steelers’ victory formation blunder gave Baltimore 40 more seconds at the end of the game.

But it was special teams ace Miles Killebrew who would provide the momentum-shifting play of the game. With 11:16 left in the fourth quarter, special teams coach Danny Smith put on a punt block and Killebrew delivered.

It was another show of the effort that Tomlin spoke about. To block a punt when you desperately need it is something extraordinary. Killebrew made sure after the game to let everyone know about the time he has put into the craft.

“I practice it. I don’t think anything happens on accident. It’s something that I actively seek, and I am just thankful to be on a team of guys who do their job and so I am able to count on them so I am able to get it done.”

The Offense Made One Big Play

It was another rough day for the offense, but they hung around and made their biggest play when it mattered most.

Matt Canada didn’t do himself any favors against a stout Ravens defense. Without much imagination to run plays, Baltimore flooded the box with seven and played man to man on the back end. The predictability that Canada started the game with (run,run, pass, punt) on the first two drives brought the boo birds out early.

Najee Harris, who defended the coaching staff this week, struggled as well. While the running lanes were few and far between, his lack of vision and burst have now become a liability. Jaylen Warren, on the other hand, provided both, and the offense was energized by the aggression he ran with.

Warren has earned the right to have more touches moving forward. His running style lines up much better with the offensive line. He hits the inside zone plays much harder than Harris so the negative plays don’t happen as often allowing Pittsburgh to stay on schedule.

Kenny Pickett played much better. He still took a few unnecessary sacks, but he protected the football which allowed the defense to keep Pittsburgh in the game. He was more decisive and allowed guys a chance to make plays for him with more precise accuracy. 

But the star of the game on offense was George Pickens. According to Tomlin, Pickens needed to have a big game.

Time and time again, Pickens beat man coverage to snatch several back shoulder throws, showing his incredible catch radius. Proof he has been working on his craft was on full display as he made a few catches over the middle while taking big hits. 

Pickens was fully engaged as he took full advantage of his size in the run-game blocking down field. 

He obviously saved his best for last with his amazing 41-yard touchdown catch with 1:17 left to play, beating man coverage on one of the elite corners in the league Marlon Humphrey. Pure effort from one of the only real weapons on the field for Pittsburgh at that point. 

It wasn’t a dominant performance. It’s also not a style that is sustainable to win this division. Yet, somehow Pittsburgh still leads the AFC north through five weeks and at least for this week effort was enough to help them get there.

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