The Pittsburgh Steelers have fallen to 4-3 on the season following their 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. It was yet another week in which the Steelers offense was unable to surpass 300 total yards, the fifth time this season, to be exact.
The fanbase has let their displeasure over offensive coordinator Matt Canada be known in recent years, and Week 8 was no different.
During a press conference on Monday, Steelers head coach detailed his takeaways from the loss before discussing their looming game against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. Tomlin brings up that while the defense did their job in forcing three turnovers against the Jaguars, they weren't "really advantageous." As in, they didn't put the offense in a better field position.
Mike Tomlin says turnovers by defense weren't 'really advantageous' for offense in Week 8
"We were able to get some turnovers, but they weren't the type of turnovers that tee up the offense in terms of being on the short field, although I do appreciate them, they kept the score down," said Tomlin. "They weren't the type of ones that teed up the offense and so, obviously, we've got a desire to dominate the turnover component of play. We got some, but not the type that's really advantageous."
The Steelers forced three turnovers against the Jaguars offense, so let's see how they did.
In the first quarter on Pittsburgh's 18 yard-line, Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander forced a fumble by Jaguars tight end Evan Engram on a pass from Trevor Lawrence, which was recovered by linebacker Cole Holcomb. Pittsburgh proceeded to go three-and-out and punt the ball back to Jacksonville after gaining just two yards.
When the second quarter rolled around, Lawrence threw an interception to safety Damontae Kazee on a pass intended for wide receiver Calvin Ridley, setting the Steelers up on their six-yard-line. The Steelers would march 93 yards down the field on 12 plays but settle for a 22-yard field goal by Chris Boswell. This comes after the team reached Jacksonville's eight-yard-line in a goal-line situation. But they were only able to gain just three yards on three plays.
Finally, to begin the second half, Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby fumbled on Pittsburgh's 36-yard line. Pittsburgh would go three-and-out once again, this time losing nine yards before punting the ball away.
The Steelers did get three points on that aforementioned 93-yard drive. Other than that, the offense didn't do much, going three-and-out twice on two of those turnovers forced. That's not ideal for the offense. Yes, they did lose quarterback Kenny Pickett due to a rib injury, but the offensive futility has been a theme throughout the season.
Overall, Pittsburgh's offense under Canada against the Jaguars put up 261 yards on 61 plays, converted on just 3-of-12 third down plays, and was 0-for-2 on fourth down.
Can the Steelers offense finally turn things around in Week 9? Well, Pickett is a game-time decision, while they face a defense that has surrendered an average of 339.4 yards (11th-most) and 20.0 points (13th-fewest) per game this season.
