In this week’s “3-&-Out” column, we examine how Philadelphia exposed Pittsburgh’s major flaws in a 27-13 Eagles’ victory.

The Steelers entered their contest in Philadelphia on Sunday bearing the weight of history. They had lost ten straight in the City of Brotherly Love, dating back to 1965. To break that streak, they’d need to play a complete football game against a red-hot Eagles team.

They did not. The Eagles won, 27-13, to move to 12-2 on the season and extend their mastery of Pittsburgh in Philadelphia. The loss didn’t devastate the Steelers in the standings. They retain a one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North and can win the division with a victory in Baltimore next Saturday. And, by virtue of Indianapolis’s loss in Denver, they clinched a playoff berth. However, it did expose Pittsburgh’s most telling flaws, which are certain to haunt them come playoff time if they can’t find a solution.

Here are the three most glaring:

1. Wide receiver depth

When the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers last off-season, many anticipated a replacement of Johnson’s caliber was forthcoming. Johnson had been Pittsburgh’s top receiver for several years before being supplanted in that role last season by George Pickens. It stood to reason they would acquire a player who could command an equal role.

The Steelers kicked the tires on some marquee names at the position, including Brandon Aiyuk and Davonte Adams, before ultimately deciding on a “receiver-by-committee” approach. This included Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and eventually Mike Williams. They successfully navigated the first three quarters of their schedule with that group, but the plan was challenged when Pickens went down with an injury before last weekend’s Cleveland game. The Steelers muddled through that one, winning 27-14. Against Philly’s elite defense, with its talented secondary operating coordinator Vic Fangio’s cover-two scheme, it was a different story.

I attended the game in person, and watching from our seats in the end zone, which provided a great view as plays developed, it was clear the Steelers could not separate from Philly’s defenders. Fangio’s zone scheme created tight windows into which Russell Wilson was required to throw, and no Steeler had the burst or route-running skill to expand those windows. The safeties were able to squat on crossing routes because they did not fear anyone running by them, and the corners were physical and able to disrupt Pittsburgh’s releases. When Philly chose to plan man coverage, they stuck to the receivers like glue. Wilson simply had nowhere to go with the football.

Without Pickens in the lineup, there was no one the Eagles feared or paid particular attention to. That’s a problem for a Pittsburgh offense that could be without Pickens for the next two games. We can lament the team’s failure to acquire an adequate replacement for Johnson after the season. In the games that remain, let’s hope it’s not their undoing.

2. Maintaining a consistent run game

It’s tempting to suggest the first problem and the second go hand-in-hand. By not fearing the passing game, Philadelphia was able to load up against the run, limiting Pittsburgh to just 56 yards on 17 carries. But that’s not exactly how it went down. Yes, Philadelphia stymied the Pittsburgh rushing attack, but they did so largely out of their base defense, without blitzing or dropping a safety into the box. The Eagles were simply bigger and better than the Steelers up front, and Pittsburgh’s running backs had few holes in which to run.

The Steelers have had some solid rushing performances this season. Najee Harris went over 100 yards three straight times in weeks six through eight, and the Steelers are 10th in the league in rushing yards per game. But they are 31st in yards per carry, meaning their rushing efficiency is low. They have gone to a zone-heavy run scheme, abandoning the gap principles like power, counter and pin-and-pull sweep that once defined their run game, and they haven’t sustained the push or communication necessary to execute it consistently.

One play Smith seems particularly fond of is the toss stretch concept, which against the Eagles netted gains of 2, 1, 4, 0 and 0 yards. The final one resulted in this fumble in Philadelphia territory as the Steelers drove for a potential game-tying touchdown late in the 3rd quarter:

Will take that ball in our one-horse open SLAY, hey! 🎶@bigplay24slay | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/VI3bSOjve2

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 15, 2024

I’ll have an article out soon on the overall efficiency of this run play, and why Smith finds the scheme attractive. But on Sunday he ran it five times for seven yards with a fumble, and the Steelers executed it at a 20% efficiency rate. If this is the scheme they’re going to hang their hat on, the run game is in trouble.

The underlying problem for Pittsburgh is that they want to be a smash-mouth offense, but they aren’t yet built that way. That was evident against Philadelphia, whose defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage. Perhaps next season, with Troy Fautanu in the lineup, and a tweak or two elsewhere on the line, they’ll have the personnel to be the offense Smith envisions. But for now, the reality of who they are versus who they’d like to be doesn’t quite match.

3. Slow Starts

The Steelers are 23rd in the league in 1st quarter points per game, with an average of 3.4. On the defensive side, they’ve allowed 5.9 points in the opening quarter, which ranks 28th. Pittsburgh is 10-4, so they usually manage to climb out of the hole they dig themselves by starting slowly. But in the four games they’ve lost, they’ve been outscored 27-6 in the opening frame. You live dangerously when you allow other teams to play from ahead, which the Steelers have done far too often.

The Eagles dominated the first fifteen minutes on Sunday. Pittsburgh went three-and-out the first three times it had the ball. Their fourth possession started on Philly’s 11-yard-line after Eagles’ punt returner Cooper DeJean muffed a kick that was recovered by Nick Herbig. That drive lost eight yards before Chris Boswell kicked a field goal. By quarter’s end, the Eagles had outgained Pittsburgh 148-1 and were on the verge of taking a 17-3 lead. Pittsburgh clawed their way back to make it a close game at the half. But the deficit was too great. Like many of their recent playoff games, the Steelers buried themselves early, fought back, but ultimately came up short.

What will it take to shake this trend? A more aggressive approach, perhaps. Smith is typically conservative with his early play calls. He likes to open games with big personnel groups to establish the run. That’s all well and good, but when a defense knows it’s coming, the odds for success are long.

In five of the past six games, Pittsburgh’s opening play has been a run to Harris. Those five plays have gained a total of 10 yards. The one exception was a pass to Freiermuth against Cincinnati which gained seven yards. Smith threw the ball five out of seven plays on that drive, which resulted in Pittsburgh’s only opening-drive touchdown of the season. Smith doesn’t need to go bombs-away out of the gate, but a more aggressive approach could pay dividends in jump-starting a sluggish offense.

And Out…

While the weather conditions were largely miserable and the result of the game equally so, it was a pleasure to attend it in person with many of my cohorts here at the Fans First Sports Network. In particular, it was great to see Bryan Anthony Davis, with whom I have been podcasting for four years but have never had the pleasure of sitting down with in person. Bryan and I got that opportunity Sunday thanks to the generosity of Ken Wisnefski, the CEO here at Fans First who footed the bill for our entire contingency. It’s a pleasure to work for a company that values its employees the way Ken does at FFSN.

Privileged to be catching this game with my podcast partner, Bryan Anthony Davis. Big 2nd half on tap. Steelers beginning to put pressure on Hurts. The tide is turning!@SteelCurtainBAD. @SteelCNetwork pic.twitter.com/tPouK9JTOE

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) December 15, 2024

Follow me on Twitter @KTSmithFFSN.