5 things we learned: Another slow start in 3rd quarter continues season-long theme for Steelers

Five things we learned from Bears 31, Steelers 28:

1. Third is not the charm

The next time the Steelers win the coin toss, they would be wise to take the ball and not defer until the third quarter.

Nothing good has transpired this season when they have elected to get the ball first to start the second half.

Four times this season, the Steelers have won the toss and deferred. In theory, if you can score at the end of the first half, you have the ball and some momentum to start the second.

It just hasn’t worked out that way for the Steelers. On all four occasions when the Steelers deferred, their opening drive in the third quarter ended with a punt. In New England, the Patriots won the toss and received, giving the Steelers the ball to open the second half. Aaron Rodgers threw an interception to end that series.

Against the Bears, the Steelers punted after getting the ball to start the second half. They punted on their second possession, too, and lost a fumble on their third.

Slow starts to begin the second half are one reason the Steelers have blown a halftime lead in three of their five losses this season. (In another game, they lost a 10-0 lead in the first half and trailed at the break).

The Steelers have scored 34 points in the third quarter this season, easily their lowest total of any quarter. Six of those points came on Kyle Dugger’s interception return against the Bengals.

The Steelers’ average of 3.1 points in the third quarter is among the lowest in the NFL. It’s half as many as they produced in the third quarter last season when the Steelers’ averaged 6.3 points.

2. About time

It took 11 games, but the Steelers finally ran more plays than their opponent. They had 69 offensive plays compared to 61 for the Bears.

The Steelers also had a decided edge in time of possession, the offense having the ball for 33 minutes, 9 seconds, a season high.

A catalyst was a running game that piled up 186 yards against the Bears. Kenneth Gainwell’s 55-yard run on a fourth-and-1 tush-push handoff helped him lead the Steelers with 92 yards rushing. Jaylen Warren had 68 yards on 18 attempts, and the Steelers averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

Yet, the Steelers still lost. It was reminiscent of last season when the Steelers had a season-high 202 yards rushing against Kansas City only to drop a 29-10 decision.

As effective as the running game was against the Bears, a case can be made that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith didn’t call enough running plays. The Bears were playing without all three starting inside linebackers, yet in some instances pass plays were called in short-yardage situations. After Gainwell got 9 yards on the first offensive snap, Mason Rudolph threw deep for DK Metcalf, and the pass was intercepted.

3. Getting the boot

Corliss Waitman earned the punting job when he outshined veteran Cameron Johnston in training camp, and he had given no indication the Steelers had made an incorrect decision in the first 10 games.

Waitman, though, had his worst game of the season against the Bears, averaging 35.3 yards per punt. He wasn’t helped by a penalty against Ben Skowronek on his first try. Waitman appeared to pin the Bears at their 10 with a 54-yard punt. The Bears elected to have Waitman punt again, and this time he shanked it to the 40. The Bears took advantage of that reduced 30 yards of real estate and scored a touchdown that gave them a 24-21 lead. His next two attempts went to the Bears’ 27 and 44, respectively.

Coach Mike Tomlin also lamented the gap in drive starts for his kickoff units. The average starting position for the Bears following Steelers scores was the 31.6-yard line. For the Steelers, the average starting position was the 20.8. That is because Gainwell muffed the first kickoff and was dropped at the 5. The Steelers also allowed the second kick to hit in the landing zone and go out of the end zone, putting the ball at the 20 instead of the customary 35.

4. Making history

T.J. Watt was not in a celebratory mood after the game for obvious reasons. He said he would reflect at another time about what he accomplished against the Bears. When he stripped Caleb Williams of the ball and Nick Herbig recovered for a touchdown early in the second quarter, it was the 115th sack of Watt’s career.

That sack pushed him into the lead in the family household. Brother J.J. Watt had 114.5 sacks in his career.

Watt’s sack, though, was the only one recorded by the Steelers. In fact, it was the only recorded hit against Williams for the entire game.

Watt is tied for seventh in the NFL with seven sacks through 11 games.

5. Snap decisions

On offense, no receiver aside from Metcalf was on the field for more than half of the team’s snaps. Metcalf played 85% of the snaps despite leaving briefly with an injury. Calvin Austin was next at 46%, and Skowronek surprisingly was third at 36%. His playing time cut into Roman Wilson’s involvement. Wilson played just 28% of the snaps.

Darnell Washington got the most work at tight end (68%), followed by Jonnu Smith (49%) and Pat Freiermuth (47%). The running back usage was split almost equally: Gainwell at 51% and Warren at 50%.

On defense, Darius Slay only got on the field when Joey Porter Jr. was out with leg and hip injuries. Safeties Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger never left the field, and the Steelers used Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers exclusively on special teams. Cole Holcomb also played solely on special teams in his first game back since missing three with an illness.