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The Pittsburgh Steelers are having lots of problems covering and pass-blocking. Veterans on both sides of the ball have some explanations for those issues.
We also have injury news from Cincinnati as they prepare to visit Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. Plus, a former Steelers’ first-round pick is joining a different AFC playoff team.
All that in this Friday’s “Football Footnotes.”
• Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick gave a specific answer as to what types of formations have been bothering the Steelers’ defense of late.
“Teams are scheming us. They know we’re having some issues with motions and stacks and bunches and stuff like that,” Fitzpatrick said. “If you look at the stuff that we’ve been beaten on, or when guys are running open, it’s stuff that each team kind of got from the last two.”
Highlighting Fitzpatrick’s point, there are numerous examples of scoring plays from the Steelers’ three-game losing streak when such plays have given the Steelers headaches.
In Philadelphia, DeVonta Smith motioned wide at the top of the formation, then ran a pattern back into traffic and caught a well-placed ball from Jalen Hurts. James Pierre couldn’t get to Smith in time after switching off of Jahan Dotson.
The connection gave Philadelphia a 17-3 advantage.
It's Smitty's turn ????@DeVontaSmith_6 | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/AhyiOWtCHA
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 15, 2024
The next week in Baltimore, tight end Isaiah Likely emerged from an overload of three eligibles on the right side of the formation, with two men tight near the line. Derrick Henry occupied Fitzpatrick’s eyes, leaking out of the backfield late.
That left Likely wide open for Baltimore’s first touchdown of the game.
LIKELY 6 ????
Tune in on FOX! pic.twitter.com/TZ4iv25dyt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 21, 2024
Later that afternoon, the Ravens took a 24-17 lead when Zay Flowers motioned from left to right so that he and Mark Andrews broke out of a three-man cluster with Rashod Bateman. You can see Fitzpatrick and Pierre still communicating and pointing as the ball is being snapped.
.@Lj_era8 to @Mandrews_81. Like clockwork.
????: #PITvsBAL on FOX
????: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6i102n1SKj
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2024
On Christmas Day, Kareem Hunt got into the end zone on a running play for the Kansas City Chiefs with some orbit motion from Xavier Worthy.
TRAVIS WITH THE BLOCK, HUNT WITH THE SCORE ???? pic.twitter.com/NoDbylBLdr
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 25, 2024
Justin Watson also scored on a play when Worthy went in motion.
CHRISTMAS DAY HOMECOMING FOR J WAT ???? pic.twitter.com/xbL8MfaxGt
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 25, 2024
So Fitzpatrick seems to be onto something. Now, how do the Steelers stop it?
“We’ve made a big emphasis this week on those styles of plays — and even plays that could stem off from (them) — working on communication, everybody being on the same page,” Fitzpatrick said.
That sounds good in theory. Making it happen in reality is another matter altogether — especially against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals offense.
• Tim Benz: It’s time for George Pickens to ‘get on the same page,’ or the Steelers need to turn the page
• 5 weeks after allowing 38 points to Bengals, struggling Steelers defense taking rematch ‘personal’
• As CFP run continues, Penn State aims to bounce back from season high in penalties during Fiesta Bowl
• Another problem lately for the Steelers has been the pass protection for quarterback Russell Wilson. He was sacked five times versus the Chiefs and has had to scramble numerous other times to avoid pressure.
The Steelers’ QB has gone down 10 times in three losses.
“I know the sack number was high, which is obviously not great,” guard Isaac Seumalo said Thursday. “But I thought up front, we actually protected kind of decently and ran the ball fairly well (145 combined yards for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren). It’s just once you get down on a team like that, you have to throw the ball.”
Seumalo says the offensive line is well aware of Wilson’s tendency to hold onto the ball for a long time, so it needs to maintain its pass blocks longer for the Steelers’ offense to work.
”Russ, being the guy that he is, he’s always going to try to make a play. That means, up front, you kind of have to block a little bit longer,” Seumalo acknowledged. “That’s just the give and take that you get with a QB that can make a lot of big-time plays but maybe will hold on to the ball for a little bit longer. But I’d rather have that than the opposite — guys not making plays, but we might look good up front.”
Wilson’s average time to throw is 2.9 seconds, 30th in the NFL, according to NextGen Stats. The past two weeks he has been at 3.09. Pro Football Focus also has him at 18 scrambles, 21st in the NFL, without having played the first six weeks.
• Former Steelers first-round draft choice Terrell Edmunds has been signed by the Los Angeles Chargers.
we’ve signed S Terrell Edmunds to the practice squad and released S Emany Johnson from the practice squad
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 2, 2025
This is Edmunds’ third team this season. The Virginia Tech alum began the season on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad. He then came back to the Steelers in September, joining their practice squad — eventually playing in five games. Edmunds recorded seven tackles (five solo).
The Steelers released Edmunds before the club played the Washington Commanders in Week 10.
• The Bengals issued their final injury report in advance of their trip to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
.@KetteringHealth Injury Report for #CINvsPIT pic.twitter.com/LOWxWzJUEo
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 2, 2025
Some notes on those listings: Running back Chase Brown and tight end Drew Sample didn’t practice at all this week; receivers Tee Higgins and Charlie Jones were limited every day; Mims was downgraded from a limited participant to being out of practice on Thursday; and defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt popped up with an ankle injury for the first time on Thursday.
The likes of Joe Burrow, Trey Hendrickson, Tanner Hudson, Kris Jenkins Jr. and Orlando Brown were all upgraded to full participants after being limited in previous practices.
Donte Jackson is the only Steelers injury of significance. He is dealing with a back problem that has him questionable for the game.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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