5 things we learned: Third quarter scoring the next issue Steelers need to fix

Five things we learned from Packers 27, Steelers 17:

1. Third isn’t the charm

The storyline entering the game centered on the offense’s inability to score points in the first quarter. Not since Week 10 last season against Cincinnati had the Steelers gotten any points from the offense in the opening 15 minutes of a game.

The drought that spanned 31 possessions ended when Ben Roethlisberger threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson to cap off the Steelers’ opening drive.

With that streak over, it’s time to look at another troubling trend for the offense: the lack of scoring to open the second half.

The next time the Steelers reach the end zone in the third quarter this season will be the first. After getting two Chris Boswell field goals in the third quarter of the season-opening win at Buffalo, the Steelers haven’t generated a single point in that quarter during their three-game losing streak.

The Steelers have been outscored 27-0 in the third quarter during the skid. That is particularly messy considering the Steelers trailed at halftime in all three games. In those third quarters, the Raiders got a touchdown to take a 16-7 lead, and the Bengals and Packers each put up 10 points to take respective 17-point leads.

The defense also bears its share of responsibility by not getting off the field in the third quarter, forcing the offense to become pass-heavy and predictable as the Steelers try to play catch-up.

2. Déjà vu

After the Steelers failed miserably when a swing pass was thrown to Najee Harris on a fourth-and-10 against the Bengals, it would have been wise for offensive coordinator Matt Canada to rip it from the playbook.

On the contrary, the first-year offensive coordinator went back to the well on fourth-and-4 from the Packers’ 32 with 2:40 left in the third quarter and the Steelers trailing by 17.

Perhaps Canada thought there was no way a defense would expect to see the same inexcusable play called twice in as many games. But the Packers did, and for the second week in a row, Harris was stuffed for a 1-yard loss.

Nobody will know what Canada had up his sleeve on a fourth-and-4 from the Packers’ 37 early in the fourth quarter. Johnson’s false start moved the ball back enough, and coach Mike Tomlin sent his punt unit on the field.

On the next series, though, the Steelers faced a fourth-and-5 from the Packers 47. Harris didn’t have his number called, but JuJu Smith-Schuster did and the result was a 2-yard gain on another pass short of the sticks.

Maybe next time Canada actually will call a play designed for the ball to be thrown beyond the first-down marker.

3. Spotty signal

In 2018, Antonio Brown likened a disconnect with Ben Roethlisberger to poor WiFi coverage. JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t use an internet connectivity analogy after the Packers’ loss, but he and Roethlisberger were on separate ends of the broadband spectrum.

Smith-Schuster finished with just two catches on eight targets for 11 yards. The pass that frustrated Smith-Schuster the most was one in the second quarter that went over his head. Roethlisberger said he threw it too high. Smith-Schuster said he didn’t get his hands up in time.

No matter, Roethlisberger and his most veteran receiver are not in sync anymore. Consider that since the season-opening win in Buffalo when Smith-Schuster caught four passes for 52 yards, his yardage has decreased every week. He caught six passes but for just 41 yards against the Raiders, then had his numbers cut to three catches for 25 yards against the Bengals when he exited early with a rib injury.

4. Unreliable leg

In the third quarter, Pressley Harvin III had a chance to show off the strength of his right leg that was good enough to wrestle the punting job away from Jordan Berry in training camp.

The Steelers had held the Packers to a 29-yard field goal on their opening drive and trailed 20-10 when they got the ball for the first time in the third. A holding penalty on Benny Snell on the kickoff meant the Steelers had to take over at their 8. When the drive fizzled at the 20, Harvin was tasked with helping regain some field position.

Instead, he sent a wobbly punt out of bounds at the 40. Distance: 20 yards.

The Packers needed just four plays to get the touchdown that hiked their lead to 27-10. Harvin had a net average of 34 yards on his three attempts.

5. Baby steps

The much-maligned running game had its best showing of the season as Harris rushed for 62 yards on 15 attempts. Harris also scored his first NFL rushing touchdown on a 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers, though, are still reluctant to get creative in trying to assist the running game. Derek Watt played just two snaps, and it speaks volumes when 5-foot-9 Ray-Ray McCloud is on the field in certain blocking situations. Zach Gentry also has become the blocking tight end ahead of Pat Freiermuth and, given the injuries on the offensive line, the Steelers have yet to unveil any semblance of a Jumbo package this year with an extra tackle on the field.

Maybe that will change if Zach Banner is activated from injured reserve this week, and the Steelers get Chuks Okorafor back from a concussion.