After thinking about that game for a while, here's what I learned:


  • If you split the NFL up into five tiers, we're in the second tier. Good enough to beat most teams most of the time, but not good enough to take the top teams with confidence.
  • We can hang with and even defeat top tier teams in the league, but we need to be healthy and not make any errors. Harris's fumble was the turning point. If he doesn't lose that ball, we have a chance to go up by three points and its a completely different game headed into the fourth quarter.
  • We are even more desperate for a second WR than I previously thought.
  • Steelers are winning more on individual effort than on team play. That was never more clear to me than in this loss.
  • Coaches are making good half time adjustments on defense. They allowed one TD in the second half and a field goal, the field goal coming off of a turnover.
  • Coaches need to give up on the bludgeoning run attack to open up the game. We do not (yet) have the line for it and end up just bludgeoning ourselves and putting the team in a hole.
  • Along those same lines, the offensive scheming is a ton better than last year, but it still has a long way to go. Almost all WR routes are static or leave no room to run unless they're the equivalent of a screen.


It may be that if we picked up a true number 1 receiver, several of these issues might be fixed, especially scheming. But that won't help us now.