The Pittsburgh Steelers head into halftime with a 10-7 lead after scoring 10 points in 1:09 at the end of the second quarter. Pittsburgh will get the ball to start the second half and need to maintain that momentum coming out of the locker room. Here are our first-half takeaways.
The defense looks scared
Maybe scared isn’t the right word. Maybe tentative is a better one. I don’t see the forward aggression from this group we have seen in recent weeks. There hasn’t been consistent pressure on Deshaun Watson and tackling hasn’t been great.
Two big plays go wrong
Head coach Mike Tomlin made a mistake when he didn’t review the touchdown by Najee Harris in the first half that was called short. And the league made a mistake when they didn’t review the catch by George Pickens on the sideline at the end of the first half. Both of those plays could weigh heavily on the outcome.
George Pickens stepped up
Quarterback Kenny Pickett looked pretty tense in the first half but thankfully fellow rookie George Pickens always plays calm and he has been great. Pickens got his fourth receiving score of the season for the team’s only touchdown.
