Maybe they could blame this loss on insider information.
Not many in the NFL know more about the Pittsburgh Steelers, or their offense, than Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm. While Bruce Arians now is the offensive coordinator, Whisenhunt and Grimm have considerable knowledge of Pittsburgh’s system after spending six seasons in it.
That background was evident as the Steelers’ offense, good enough to allow them to win each of their first three games by at least a three-TD margin, shut down for long stretches of an unexpected 21-14 loss Sunday, Pittsburgh’s first defeat under Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin, of course, is the man who beat out Whisenhunt and Grimm for his job.
“I think coach Whis knew some of the weak points of our offense,” said wide receiver Santonio Holmes, whose two TD catches meant he wasn’t one of those deficiencies. “He was sending guys left and right, bringing pressure as much as he could to try to disrupt our offense. They did a pretty good job of it.”
For all that Whisenhunt and Grimm knew and implemented, however, the Steelers (3-1) did a pretty good job of beating themselves.
There were special teams breakdowns, including Pittsburgh native Steve Breaston’s 73-yard punt return touchdown. And 11 penalties. And the absence of a running game – o 77 yards, 37 by Willie Parker – and two interceptions thrown by Ben Roethlisberger, who had only one previously.
“We just couldn’t get it going. We made a lot of mistakes,” Roethlisberger said. “We killed ourselves.”
Lions
Rod Marinelli thinks his Lions have the chance to become one of the NFL’s top teams. The Lions are 3-1 after Sunday’s 37-27 win over Chicago, matching their win total from last season, and the second-year coach doesn’t think they are overachieving.
“If we can clean a few things up, we have a chance to be an elite team,” he said Monday. “I mean one of the best teams in the league – the top echelon.”
Marinelli preaches endlessly about focus and conditioning, and he thinks it is paying off this year.
“Last year, we lost 10 games in the last two minutes, and this year we’ve won three games that came down to the last two minutes,” he said. “That’s not about talent. That’s about doing things the right way at the end of games when the other team is gassed.”
But Marinelli knows future success will require better protection of Jon Kitna, who was sacked six times by Chicago, boosting his total to 18.
“The pass protection has to be better – we have to start winning more of the one-on-one battles,” Marinelli said. “Every guy has to do his job and pass block. If we have to do other things to help the protection, we will do it.”
Ravens
The Ravens have lost two games this season because of their failure to score touchdowns after they get inside the 20-yard line.
Baltimore gained plenty of yardage, held onto the football for nine more minutes and got inside the 20 on four different occasions at Cleveland. Yet the Ravens scored only one touchdown in a 27-13 loss Sunday.
“That was the oddest looking stat sheet I think I’ve ever seen,” coach Brian Billick said Monday.
Baltimore rolled up 418 yards to 303 for the Browns. The Ravens got 26 first downs, 104 yards rushing from Willis McGahee and never once punted.
But Baltimore (2-2) already has only one fewer loss than last year because of its inability to push the ball into the end zone. The same malady occurred in the opener in Cincinnati, when the Ravens failed to score in the final minute after having a first-and-goal at the 6.
“From the 20 to the 20, we’re the best team in the NFL,” quarterback Steve McNair said.
Texans
Houston’s loss to Atlanta was forgettable. Turnovers, sloppy play and the inability to convert short-yardage situations were the order of the day.
Now the Texans (2-2) and must move on from that debacle when they host another hungry and winless team in the Dolphins on Sunday.
The Texans lost two of their three fumbles, failed to convert three third-and-1 plays and missed a field goal. The defense was also unable to get off the field on third downs.
Matt Schaub had a career day with 317 yards passing, but the effort was negated by miscues and red zone ineptness. Houston was at its worst in the fourth quarter. The Texans had the ball at the 1-yard line twice in that quarter and came away with just three points.
“We’re very disappointed in our effort yesterday as a football team,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We did everything we could to lose a game. And you only get so many chances and then you go down there and throw one away, it’s very disappointing.”
Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have fallen fast in the NFC standings. It’s apparently been an undivided fall.
“We were thinking about having a campfire and all singing ‘Kumbaya’ here this afternoon a little bit, just so we could get our spirits up,” coach Brad Childress said Monday, with milkshake-thick sarcasm.
After losing their third straight game, with a combined margin of defeat measuring 13 points, the Vikings entered their bye week with a still-broken passing attack and other recurring problems: penalties, quarterback protection and third-down defense.
Last year, Minnesota finished 6-10 and had trouble keeping defensive players happy while several strong performances were wasted by a woeful offense and a much-criticized scheme. The seeds for similar dissension have been sewn in this frustrating September, but Childress said this season’s team has a better bond and a better attitude that he called “can-do.”
“They want to be accountable to each other,” Childress said.
Added linebacker Chad Greenway: “People are going to try to split us apart, but we’re not going to let that happen. We know if we keep getting better every week, we’re going to win these tight games. That’s how we have to think. We’re 1-3, but we could be 3-1 or better.”
Seahawks
After muddling through at 9-7 with a second-round playoff exit last season and having a defense that opponents repeatedly burned for big plays, the Seahawks decided to instill a far more aggressive scheme and mentality.
The 49ers absorbed the brunt of that new attitude on Sunday. The speeding Seahawks sacked Alex Smith on the third play and separated his shoulder. They sacked Trent Dilfer, his replacement, five more times. Linebacker Julian Peterson, the dynamo signed from San Francisco soon after Seattle’s Super Bowl meltdown in February 2006, had three sacks in the first half. Seattle pummeled the 49ers 23-3.
“We really wanted to stick it to them,” Peterson said of the defense.
It also held Frank Gore to 79 yards on 16 carries – after Gore had gouged Seattle for 212 and 144 yards last season when the 49ers won both games.
“We made a statement,” said cornerback Marcus Trufant, who had two interceptions.
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