Steelers notes: Steelers in danger of 2nd losing home season since 1970

Blame Acrisure?

Over a span of 53 seasons while playing in venues named Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field, the Pittsburgh Steelers only once had a losing record in home games. That was 1999, the second-to-last season played at Three Rivers.

During 21 seasons playing a stone’s throw down the Ohio River at a facility in front of which a “Heinz Field” sign hung, the Steelers bottomed out at 4-4 in a season’s worth of games there in 2003. Otherwise, it was 20 winning home seasons.

The Steelers five times went 4-4 at Three Rivers. Their other 30 seasons there, they won more than they lost.

But now that Heinz Field has been renamed Acrisure Stadium, could the Steelers’ excellence at home be waning? These 2022 Steelers are 2-4 at home, and unless they beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 23 and the Cleveland Browns in the regular-season finale, they’ll have just second home losing season since Chuck Noll’s first season in 1969.

The Steelers played at Pitt Stadium then.

Davis ready if needed

Veteran defensive lineman Chris Wormley left Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens because of a knee injury that left him writhing in pain and had concerned teammates briefly kneeling around him.

The Steelers have not offered any official updates on his condition, but Wormley was spotted at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in crutches and a knee brace Monday. A trip to the injured reserve list could follow soon.

If so, Carlos Davis might be the next man up on the defensive line. A seventh-round pick in 2020, Davis is on the practice squad. In his only action this season — Oct. 30 as a “call-up” — Davis had a sack of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.

“I don’t control who plays and who doesn’t,” Davis said Monday, “but given the opportunity I would take advantage of it. Just do what they ask me to do.”

The Steelers have a deep and veteran DL corps with starters Cameron Heyward (12th NFL season), Larry Ogunjobi (sixth season) and Montravius Adams (sixth season) in addition to reserves Tyson Alualu (13th season) and Wormley (sixth season). Rookie third-round pick DeMarvin Leal and last season’s fifth-rounder, Isaiahh Loudermilk, round out the position group. All were in uniform and played Sunday.

Davis was limited to four games last season because of injury, and the additions of Ogunjobi, Adams and Leal over the past 12 months contributed to Davis not making the 53-man roster.

“It’s been grind, man,” Davis said. “Just keep your head down and keep working every week. And when your time comes, just make the most of it.”

Bush more prominent

Among notable discoveries once the league released official snap counts from Sunday’s game is that Devin Bush continues to be the Steelers’ most-deployed inside linebacker.

For the third consecutive game, Bush played at least 84% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. He played every snap of the Nov. 28 win at the Indianapolis Colts and 87% of the plays during the win at the Atlanta Falcons last week. Against the Ravens, Bush was on the field for 51 of the Steelers’ 61 defensive snaps. Robert Spillane played 35 snaps and Myles Jack 34.

As recently as right before that stretch began, Bush was deployed as the No. 3 ILB during the Nov. 20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, playing 53% of the snaps that day as opposed to 62% from Jack and 58% for Spillane.

The past three games are a reversal from earlier in the season when Jack often was playing 90% or more of the snaps and Bush hovering around 50%.

Injuries to Jack and Spillane last month contributed to this phenomenon, but by all indications all three linebackers are now healthy.

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