Obviously, the defense is an easy target, but I won't beat up on them too much, because I think their play is a reflection of their talent, especially being down 3 starters. The offense is another story. There is enough talent there, and they are leaving too many points on the field. Lot's of goats here today. Pouncey's penalty was a killer. You just can't have a mental mistake like that at that point of the game. Without those 5 yards, we likely get a first down, and run out the clock. Awful play. Antonio Brown dropping the fleaflicker was another killer. The pass was perfect, and he short armed it. He didn't need to dive or stretch out, just extend his arms another 2 inches. Ben missed some wide open guys as well, especially Number 11 on a sideline pass that would have gotten big yardage, as well as a bomb where Brown had his man beat for a td. Another dumb thing they did was spiking the ball on 2nd and 6, with plenty of time left late in the first half. Teams do the spike play way too much if you ask me. The spike play should only be done after a big gain, or when time is really running down. Ben had the team lined up with about 35 seconds left. Why not run a play? Spiking the ball left them in a third and long, and the resulting sack cost them 3 crucial points. There is way too much hot dogging with this team, and Tomlin really needs to put his foot down here.
Every time we turn the ball over early, it seems to affect the whole game. You allow yourself to be down 10 points to a team that had 15 yards of total offense. Losing teams will quit when you get them down early. We gave them hope, and they stuck around the whole game.
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