‘Bad Steelers’ once again outweigh ‘Good Steelers’ in 42-37 loss to the Chiefs In a game eerily reminiscent of their playoff loss to Jacksonville at Heinz Field last January Womens Jerome Bettis Jersey , the Pittsburgh Steelers fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and then saw their comeback effort fall short, suffering their first loss of the young season by the score of 42-37. Near the end of the first quarter, Ben Roethlisberger was sacked and coughed up the ball which, after squirting crazily through a scrum of players, was returned by KC Defensive End Chris Jones for an apparent touchdown. But a defensive holding penalty against the Chiefs nullified the play which, at that point, would have given the Chiefs a nearly insurmountable 28-0 advantage. Pittsburgh got the ball back and began an impressive second-quarter comeback which knotted the score at 21-21 by halftime. At the start of the third quarter, all of the momentum — plus a raucous home crowd — seemed to put the Black-and-gold in the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, in the second half, the Steelers’ defense continued to display its utter inability to stop — much less slow down — Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense. The defense surrendered a pair of too-easy TD drives in the third quarter, plus yielding what proved to be the winning score on a Mahomes-to Tyreek Hill TD pass at the beginning of the fourth quarter. In fact, the only semblance of effective defense shown by the Steelers on Sunday afternoon was a fourth-quarter safety, when they trapped Kareem Hunt in the end zone following Jordan Berry’s 59-yard, coffin-corner punt.Details of this disappointing defeat will be examined in depth by the BTSC staff, but the focus here is on some of the more general concerns which this loss raises about the 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers. When we discuss the ‘Good Steelers’, we’re typically talking about Big Ben and his uber-talented offense — a group which, once it finds its rhythm, no NFL defense can stop. But whatever the ‘Good Steelers’ were able to achieve on the gridiron at Heinz Field on Sunday, the ‘Bad Steelers’ more than nullified. We also know this alter-ego of the Black-and-gold only too well. They’re the road warriors who too often appear not to have disembarked from the airport shuttle bus until sometime during the second quarter — or perhaps even the second half. Without them, backup QBs such as Ryan Mallett and Mike Glennon might never have realized their dreams of glorious, upset victories. In their absence, Tom Brady’s career stat line would be hugely diminished and the Steelers’ kick-return game might be executed more often without the traditional hail of yellow flags. On Sunday at Heinz Field, these bad guys mostly showed up on defense, as the Chiefs’ offense moved the ball at will throughout the game, thereby ensuring that even the Steelers’ spirited comeback ultimately would be in vain. Pittsburgh’s secondary and linebackers were absolutely shredded by Mahomes, Watkins, Kelce, Hill and company. Tackling continued to fall well below the line for the Black-and-gold throughout the game, and even players you wouldn’t normally expect to name as culprits, such as Vince Williams and Mike Hilton, got into the ugly act. Bud Dupree not only failed to pressure Mahomes throughout the game, but he had considerable trouble anticipating snaps. To be fair, though, not all of the bad guys on the field were lining up on the defensive side of the ball. The fact that the Steelers’ offense appeared to be sleepwalking through a majority of the first quarter was nearly identical to the way they had begun their devastating playoff loss at the hands of the Jaguars last January. On Sunday against the Chiefs, Roethlisberger was sailing passes over his receivers’ heads throughout much of the opening quarter, while the Steelers’ offense started the game with two consecutive 3-and-out possessions. Berry had two consecutive sub-par punts in the opening quarter, including the first one which was returned 48 yards by De’Anthony Thomas to set up Kansas City’s initial TD. Chris Boswell missed not only a 49-yd FG attempt in the opening quarter, but he also blew an extra-point kick in the second quarter following Ben’s TD pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster.Perhaps most troubling of all, right in the midst of the Steelers’ determined comeback charge, Antonio Brown once again allowed his emotions to get the best of him. Brown was caught by the TV camera fuming along the sideline and yelling at his OC Jerome Bettis Jersey , Randy Fichtner. No. 84’s tirade most likely involved the fact that Smith-Schuster and Jesse James each were in the process of doubling Brown’s receiving production for the game (James had 5 catches for 138 yards and Smith-Schuster had 13 catches for 121 yards, compared to Brown’s 9 catches for 67 yards). But given the magnitude of this loss, coming at this early stage of the season — plus the background noise of Le’Veon Bell’s ongoing soap opera — there scarcely could have been a worse time for Brown to lose his cool. Furthermore, as porous as the Steelers’ defense was on Sunday afternoon, it’s quite unlikely that either Bell’s presence or a more representative performance by Brown would have made any difference in the outcome. In the aftermath, Steelers Nation and the front office were left to ponder some unsettling realities about this team which are only heightened in the loss to Kansas City. First and foremost, as good as the Steelers’ offense might be, it’s clearly not good enough to strictly be a high-functioning unit in spurts. Nor is it good enough to compensate for a Swiss-cheese defense that cannot stop opponents. Furthermore, it cannot win consistently when it compiles only a measly 33 total yards rushing and 2.5 yards per carry. The NFL is chock full of talented, young quarterbacks like Mahomes and speedy receivers such as Sammy Watkins, Hill and Travis Kelce. If this defense doesn’t soon start making some stops — not to mention grabbing more than just the occasional takeaway — a bunch of teams in the league definitely could whip these Steelers on any given Sunday, Monday or Thursday — including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their upcoming opponent in the Week-3 game next Monday night in central Florida.Secondly, it’s clear from yet another faltering, regular-season start that the Steelers obviously aren’t talented enough to go through an entire training camp and preseason schedule without properly preparing their starters for games that count. After two games of the regular season, this team definitely still has some significant kinks to work out — especially in terms of Roethlisberger’s coordination with some of the newer additions to his receiver corps, the defense’s overall coverage schemes, tackling and the uncertainties surrounding punting and special teams.As they prepare for Week 3, and despite the few bright spots that emerged from the gloom of Sunday’s loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers currently resemble anything but a dominant NFL team. Instead, they’re starting to take on the look of one of those lower-tier NFL teams that invariably can be found citing different excuses each week for failing to win. By the time September runs its course — and after the Steelers have faced Tampa Bay and Baltimore in consecutive night games — we’re going to have a very good idea about where this team is headed in 2018. As things now stand, the picture isn’t particularly promising, mainly because those narrow decisions which had gone into Pittsburgh’s win column in 2017 have, so far, been going into other columns this season. While there’s still plenty of time, of course, for the Black-and-gold to turn things around, their overall profile at present speaks of a team which hasn’t improved markedly from last year and which might still be nagged by some of the very same internal distractions which have frustrated them in the past. The next two night games might very well be crucial in determining whether or not this team remains as the serious NFL contender we’d like to believe them to be. There can be no better measuring stick for the Chiefs and young quarterback Patrick Mahomes than what they face Sunday night.Beat the Patriots in Foxborough and all that excitement in Kansas City might be validated.Remember, though, that the Chiefs, with Alex Smith, went into Gillette Stadium and won the 2017 kickoff to the season. They went on an up-and-down ride the rest of the way, lost in the wild-card playoff round, while the Patriots straightened out and made the Super Bowl before losing to Philadelphia.Mahomes, of course, has looked immune to any sort of high-stakes pressure in leading the Chiefs (5-0) to the top of the AFC. He embraces this challenge and trying to outdo Tom Brady.“It is going to be a great opportunity,” says Mahomes, who has a league-best 14 touchdown passes. “He is one of the greatest quarterbacks, if not the greatest to ever play. I am going against their defense, but as a team we are going to go in and try to compete. They are a good team in the AFC every single year. Just to compete against one of the best teams in the league is going to be an awesome opportunity.”How familiar is Mahomes with three-time league MVP Brady James Conner Jersey , whom he has never met?“I definitely watched a good amount of him in college (at Texas Tech),” he says. “Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury actually played with Tom at one point. He liked to show me some things that he did where he was in the pocket, his pocket movements and things like that. I have definitely taken some things from him. He does it at such a high level, it’s something you have to strive to be like.”New England (3-2) is striving to be, well, New England. After a 1-2 start, the Patriots appear to have gotten back on their usual winning path.The weekend began with Philadelphia’s 34-13 road victory over the New York Giants. Carson Wentz threw a season-high three touchdown passes for the Eagles (3-3). They beat the Giants (1-5) for the fourth straight time and seventh in eight games.Off this week are Detroit (2-3) and New Orleans (4-1)Pittsburgh (2-2-1) at Cincinnati (4-1)One of the NFL’s most vicious and yellow-tinted rivalries . As in:—These teams combined for four penalties for unnecessary roughness, one for unsportsmanlike conduct, one for taunting, one for roughing the passer, and two 15-yard penalties for grabbing a facemask in their previous meeting.—Cincinnati set a club record with 173 yards in penalties in that messy affair, when the Steelers overcame a 17-0 deficit to win.More numbers of note:—The Steelers have won the past six games in this series, nine of 10 and 14 of 17.—The Bengals are 8-24 vs. the Steelers under coach Marvin Lewis—Lewis is 2-15 at Paul Brown Stadium against Pittsburg.— Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is 24-4-1 in his native Ohio, including the postseason. He’s 13-2 at Paul Brown Stadium with 23 TDs, 10 interceptions.Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) at Cleveland (2-2-1)When last they met in Cleveland, the Browns won in their 15th game to avoid a perfect season on the wrong side of the ledger. So they lost every game in 2017, including at the Chargers.“Not to speak too much of last year, but I could not believe and I did not feel like they were an 0-16 team or 0-14, whatever they were when we played them last year,” says Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. “It was a good football team. They just did not find ways to win and so many (games) they had opportunities.”They’ve got two wins already and lead the NFL with 15 takeaways, two more than in the entire 2017 season.Baltimore (3-2) at Tennessee (3-2)Two clubs coming off down weekends: Tennessee was punchless at Buffalo, Baltimore was inept offensively at Cleveland.Both can play D, though, so don’t expect a lot of end zone activity in Music City.The Ravens are playing a third straight road game, then have four of the next five at home. They lead the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 15.4 points per game, with no TDs in a second half.The Titans have allowed seven points in the first quarter and lead in red zone defense, allowing three TDs in 13 possessions for a 23.1 percent success rate by opponents.Chicago (3-1) at Miami (3-2)The Bears have won three in a row and come off a bye. They haven’t earned four straight wins since 2012.With Khalil Mack revitalizing the defense, Chicago ranks No. 1 against the run and second overall. If second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky truly has found the passing rhythm — his six TD throws in a rout of Tampa Bay tied for second most in an NFL game — the Bears needs to be taken seriously.Miami was taken seriously until it laid eggs at New England and Cincinnati, where it blew a 17-0 lead. The Dolphins rank third worst in yards and fifth worst in points. They have been outgained by 94 yards per game, which ranks third worst.Carolina (3-1) at Washington (2-2)Washington was on the wrong end of the record-setting Brees blitz through the air in New Orleans, and was damaged as much by penalties as inefficient defense. The usually precise Alex Smith threw an interception and was generally off-target.Now comes Carolina, which has seven picks, is plus-5 in turnovers, and has nine sacks. The Panthers also have the NFL’s top rushing offense, in part because quarterback Cam Newton is such a weapon on the ground. Newton is 4-0 with nine TDs and zero picks for a 115.4 passer rating vs. Washington, along with two rushing scores.Washington has lost five straight to Carolina.Los Angeles Rams (5-0) at Denver (2-3)While Denver’s defense has been getting Orange Crushed recently, LA’s offense has looked unstoppable. Jared Goff leads the league with 1,727 yards passing and ranks second with a 119.7 passer rating. In the past month, Goff is averaging 374 yards per game.Todd Gurley tops the NFL with seven TD runs and ranks second with 645 scrimmage yards. Of concern for the impressive receiving group is that Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp each left last week’s win at Seattle with concussions.Denver star LB Von Miller has gone sackless the past three weeks. The Broncos yielded 323 rushing yards to the Jets https://www.thesteelerslockerroom.com/authentic-terrell-edmunds-jersey , so, yes, that has caught Gurley’s attention.Jacksonville (3-2) at Dallas (2-3)Oddly, Dallas has never won its first three home games at Jerry World.With RB Leonard Fournette still hurt, the showpiece matchup with Ezekiel Elliott disappears. Elliott has been the prime weapon for Dallas and is averaging 154 yards from scrimmage per game in the past three. But the passing game is 30th as Dak Prescott struggles without a topnotch receiver.He’ll face the stingiest defense in the NFL.Seattle (2-3) vs. Oakland (1-4) at LondonWonder if the Raiders will have as many fans in Wembley as they did in StubHub Center. They could really use the support as Jon Gruden’s return season spirals out of control.“I’m going to continue to emphasize the good and do everything I can to fix the things that are bad, because most of the things that are bad, my fingerprints are all over,” Gruden said.Such as a defense, minus the traded Mack of course, that ranks 30th. Oakland has the fewest QB pressures in the league (29), tied for fewest sacks (six), and is tied for third-fewest takeaways (five).Seattle makes its first regular-season overseas appearance. Worth watching:—Pete Carroll seeks his 91st win with the team to pass Mike Holmgren as winningest coach for the franchise.—Russell Wilson is 25-6 after a loss, the best record of any quarterback since the merger.—Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowski spent 18 seasons with the Raiders, holding the franchise record for points (1,799) and games (268).Indianapolis (1-4) at New York Jets (2-3)If any team needed the long layoff from a Thursday nighter, it was the Colts. They went into New England undermanned and then got hammered with more injuries, giving them little chance against the Patriots.Assuming they are somewhat healthier, this is a far better chance for Indy to straighten out its season. Andrew Luck’s arm looks strong, but who does he have to throw to if T.Y. Hilton isn’t in the lineup?New York opened up its offense in a win over Denver, letting Sam Darnold occasionally fling the ball downfield and it led to some huge plays. The Colts are vulnerable to that.Buffalo (2-3) at Houston (2-3)Each team comes off a tight victory in which the offenses were stagnant, while the defenses and kicking games were decisive.Houston wants things more open when it has the ball, with Deshaun Watson connecting on throws to DeAndre Hopkins. Buffalo’s solid second-year cornerback Tre’Davious White, will be tested.Apparently fully healthy after two tough years, Texans DE J.J. Watt is tied for the NFL lead with six sacks. Watt had an 80-yard interception return for a score in his previous game against the Bills in Houston, a 23-17 win in 2014.Arizona (1-4) at Minnesota (2-2-1)What could be a mismatch — Arizona has the NFL’s worst offense and has scored all of 65 points — has one intriguing element. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, a likely Hall of Famer, returns to his hometown for the sixth time in his 15-year career, with an average of 87.4 receiving yards and no touchdowns at Minnesota.On the other side, wideout WR Adam Thielen leads the league in receptions (47) and is second in yards (589). He’s also first in third-down catches (14). 100-yard games to start a season, the first since 1961.San Francisco (1-4) at Green Bay (2-2-1), Monday nightFollowing a stinker at home to hand Arizona its first win, the Niners go to the prime-time showcase against Green Bay, which is following a stinker of its own at Detroit.Both teams struggle to protect the ball, and the 49ers can’t find ways to take it away from opponents; they have a league-low one interception and have forced three turnovers.Of special interest for the Pack: Mason Crosby went 1 for 5 on field goals and missed his only extra-point try at Detroit.Tampa Bay (2-2) at Atlanta (1-4)No one played worse the past two weeks than the Bucs. But the Falcons were close.Bucs QB Jameis Winston gets back his starting job following a bye; he was suspended for the first three games, when Ryan Fitzpatrick was either magical or mediocre. Tampa’s defense has been dreadful.Then again, so has Atlanta’s, which is ravaged by injuries. It ranks worst in points allowed and worst in third-down percentage. The offense struggles to protect Matt Ryan and to generate a running game.