Defense must clean up the look that sparked Herbert’s controversies: ‘He figured out where we were very early on’

Just because you don’t give up any turns on fouls, nor allow any big plays on special teams, that doesn’t mean you’ll have a laundry list of misses. defend if you drop 41 points in a game. The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly amassed an inexplicable list of defeats last night, losing 4 points to the Los Angeles Chargers.

One — just one — of their many failures was their inability to keep Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in his pocket, which was a theme throughout the game. He tried 9 times throughout the night, putting 90 meters above the ground while also almost throwing 400.

“I think he determined our position very early and as soon as he saw a lane he ran out of it.‘, defender Cameron Heyward said about the challenges they allowed. “We have to clean it up today. Obviously that’s not what we needed, and we gave up a series of pitches and paid the price.”

Herbert scrambled twice for big plays – 18 yards each, including one on 3 and 6 – in the Chargers’ second touchdown of the game, giving them a 14-3 lead. He received another conversion from Tuesday down with his foot on Tuesday and Thursday in the third quarter, added others on the same drive, lasting 13 and then 15, about what eventually led to a goal on the field. That’s 10 points for the scramble to maintain the drive right there — twice each.

And then he won 36 yards in the 4th in another scramble for 3rd and 5th from the Steelers’ 47. Heyward himself had to send Herbert down that goal, and he was clearly not in the mood. But it didn’t matter much — Austin Ekeler ran in the next game from 5m, his fourth touchdown in the game.

The point is, the defense that went into the game knew this was something they had to watch with Herbert, as they talked about it during the week. That was the record, Heyward knew they had to be prepared for both “his arms and his legs,” he said.

“He’s a really strong midfielder who can throw the ball all over the pitch,” he added. “There isn’t a pass that doesn’t look like it should be caught, because that guy threw it in the money. And then when he sees the lane open because you’re worried about passing, he knows how to defend.”

The defense has paid off time and time again, giving up the most points they allow in a single game (regular season) in years, to 42 to the Kansas City Captains in early 2018.

Meanwhile, the offenses had their best third quarter since at least 1940, scoring 27 points, a number they were only one point better than twice earlier in their history, going back to the day. aforementioned, via Stathead. A three-point lead was enough, but they couldn’t keep it — or get it back — despite the chance to do both.