Steelers Coach Under Fire Despite Strong Week 3 Win Against Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a complete 180 from Week 2, as they went from scoring 3 points in an embarrassing loss to putting up 30 in a big win that could have an effect on playoff seeding. With another divisional game coming up in Week 4 -- along with the fact that it's a road game on Thursday Night Football, this contest against the Cincinnati Bengals was about as must-win as it could get in Week 3. If Pittsburgh can keep this momentum going, they might be in the postseason mix this season. 

This wasn't a completely clean game, however. The defensive game plan was way too soft, as the Bengals were able to connect on quick passes for chunk plays all throughout the game. Even with how great their receivers are, more aggressiveness would most likely work better. Meanwhile, the offense was not in sync as they had to burn 4-5 timeouts to fix the communication.

There was one coach in particular whose issues are becoming more apparent as time goes on. Insider Ray Fittipaldo explained what's happening in his latest article for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"Special Teams Danny Crossman has to do something about his leaky kickoff coverage unit," Fittipaldo said. "It’s a liability right now. The Bengals averaged 26.3 yards per kickoff return. The Bengals started on the 36-yard twice after Steelers touchdowns. They scored 10 points off those possessions."

Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman had some issues showing in preseason, and that has only continued into September. Through three weeks, there have been too many clear and obvious issues with his unit, and there are no signs of it going away soon. As minuscule as some of these issues seem, this could be the difference between winning and losing some key games down the stretch. 

These kickoff issues were apparent in Week 2 as well, as the Steelers kept giving up quality field position while not getting it when they were kicking off. The only reason special teams isn't more of a talking point is because the Bengals gave Pittsburgh two first downs on its only two punts: one via penalty, and the other from a muffed kick. Those were self-inflicted wounds, as opposed to Crossman's unit playing well. 

If things don't get better soon, Chris Boswell would be better off kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. It would be similar field position without the need to hit anyone. Head Coach Mike McCarthy constructed his depth for the 53-man roster with the mindset of having players that can work on special teams, so it's not like the Steelers are devoid of talent there. 

Many of these issues were present when Danny Smith ran the special teams unit too, but things weren't seemingly this bad. His unit was at least known for flying to the football and making big hits, while that has not been present for Crossman's team. It seems like the kickoff unit keeps getting bullied at the point of attack, making it wait until the returner flies by before anyone can make a tackle.

Steelers Have Big Issue On Other Side Of Kickoffs

The Steelers didn't burn a fourth-round pick on Kaden Wetjen for him to be statistically one of the worst kick returners in the NFL. As Fittipaldo noted, he tries to bounce it outside way too often. There are plenty of highlights of him in college showing excellent vision, as each of his returns start with him cutting upfield, with him sometimes bouncing out when there's a lane there. 

It's unclear if these struggles with vision and making the right reads are all on him or if Crossman is involved. Either way, this clearly is not the same guy that put fear into the Big Ten. Even his preseason punt return touchdown was not fundamentally sound, as he spent the whole time looking for an outside lane. It worked then, but it doesn't work in the regular season. 

What do you think about Crossman's unit not looking good through three weeks? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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