Steelers 2012: The Final Numbers

We enjoy providing statistical data regarding the Steelers, relative to their opponents, each week. And, in keeping with the tradition of the "Weekly Matchups," we now provide a final look at how Pittsburgh ranked in some of the statistical areas we believe are most significant.

Steelers' Offense
Average total yards per game: 21st, 332.8

Average net rushing yards per game: 26th, 96.1

Average net passing yards per game: 14th, 236.7

Average points per game per game: 22nd, 21.0

Steelers' Defense
Opponent total yards per game: 1st, 275.8

Opponent net rushing yards per game: 2nd, 90.6

Opponent net passing yards per game: 1st, 185.2

Opponent average points per game: 6th, 19.6

Steelers' Special Teams
Average yards per punt return: 28th, 7.3

Average yards per kick return: 9th, 25.3

Net yardage punting average: 25th, 37.5

Field goal percentage: 7th, 28/31 (90.3%)

Special Teams Defense
Average yards per punt return: 23rd, 10.2

Average yards per kick return: 17th, 24.0

Net yardage punting average: 23rd, 40.0

Field goal percentage: 19th, 28/33 (84.8%)

Miscellaneous
Turnover differential: 24th (-10)

Time of possession: 2nd, 32:07
,br> Red Zone touchdown efficiency: 14th, (55.1%)

Red Zone defense (touchdowns): 14th, (52.45)

Sacks allowed: 18th, (37 -- league average for the season was 36.5)

Some individual numbers
AFC passer rating: Ben Roethlisberger, 3rd (97.0, 449 pass attempts, 284 completions, 26 TDs, 8 INTs).

AFC leading rushers: Jonathan Dwyer, 15th (623 yards, 156 rushing attempts, 4.0 yards per carry, 2 TDs).

AFC leading receivers (receptions):

Heath Miller, 11th (71 catches, 816 yards, 11.5 yards per catch, 8 TDs).

Antonio Brown, 12th (66 catches, 787 yards, 11.9 yards per catch, 5 TDs).

Mike Wallace, 15th (64 catches, 836 yards, 13.1 yards per catch, 8 TDs).

Ravens vs. Steelers: The actuals

The Steelers dominated in nearly every statistical category, but special teams -- the punt return squads of both teams and Ravens punter Sam Koch -- made all the difference.


Baltimore Offense v. Steelers Defense
Average total yards per game: Baltimore offense 200 (354.1) v. Steelers defense (265.7)

Average net rushing yards per game: Baltimore offense 47 (104.9) v. Steelers defense (85.1)

Average net passing yards per game: Baltimore offense 153 (249.2) v. Steelers defense (171.1)

Average points per game: Baltimore offense 13 (28.2) v. Steelers defense (19.7)

Steelers Offense v. Baltimore Defense
Average total yards per game: Steelers offense 311 (354.1) v. Baltimore defense (390.2)

Average net rushing yards per game: Steelers offense 134 (103.8) v. Baltimore defense (132.0)

Average net passing yards per game: Steelers offense 177 (250.3) v. Baltimore defense (258.2)

Average points per game: Steelers offense: 10 (23.0) v. Baltimore defense (21.8)

Special Teams
Average yards per punt return: Baltimore 24.7 (7.8) v. Steelers 16th (9.0)

Average yards per kick return: Baltimore 25.3 (29.8) v. Steelers 18.0 (27.8)

Net yardage punting average: Baltimore 42.5 (40.0) v. Steelers 35.4 (37.3)

Miscellaneous
Turnover differential: Baltimore +2 (+9) v. Steelers -2 (+0)

Time of possession: Baltimore 27:09 (26:46) v. Steelers 32:51 (34:16)

Red Zone touchdown efficiency (touchdowns): Baltimore 0/2 (65.5%) v. Steelers 0/1 (50.0%)

Sacks allowed: Baltimore 2 (19) v. Steelers 3 (19)

Some Individual Numbers (AFC only)
Passer rating: Joe Flacco, 75.5, 20 Comp., 62.5% Comp. pct., 0TDs, 0 INTs (88.3, 186 Comp., 60.2% Comp. pct., 13 TDs, 7 INTs) v. Byron Leftwich, 51.3, 18 Comp., 46.2% Comp. pct., 0TDs, 1 INT (65.5, 7 Comp., 50.0% Comp. pct., 0 TDs, 0 INTs)

Leading rushers: Ray Rice, 40 yards, 2.0 yds. per carry, 0 TD (628 yards, 4.8 yds. per carry, 6 TDs) v. Jonathan Dwyer, 55 yards, 4.6 yds. per carry, 0 TD (355 yards, 4.6 yds per carry, 0 TDs) & Rashard Mendenahll, 33 yards, 3.3 yds. per carry, 0 TD

Leading receivers: Anquan Boldin, 8 catches, 79 yards, 9.9 yds. per catch, 0 TD (40 catches, 548 yards, 13.7 per catch, 1 touchdown) v. Heath Miller, 2 catches, 22 yards, 11.0 yds,. per catch, 0 TD (43 catches, 431 yards, 10.0 yards per catch, 6 touchdowns)

Sack Leaders: Ngata, Kruger & Ihedigbo 1.0 each v. James Harrison & LaMarr Woodley 1.0 each

Ravens vs. Steelers: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

The Good

The defense simply has not played a better game this season and, save for a turnover or two that they did not get, could not have reasonably been expected to do any better than they did. While the unit deserves praise there are a couple of members who stood out:

Keenan Lewis had 8 tackles (one for a loss), two assists, and two passes defended. The young man is having a terrific season.

Casey Hampton set the tone early (the second Baltimore possession, to be exact), tackling Ray Rice for a loss in the first series. He played an inspired game, and just looked like the Casey of a couple of years ago.

James Harrison: We have been amongst those throwing dirt on James Harrison's professional grave, but six tackles, two assists, a sack, and just some generally sound play has us feeling foolish about having ever doubted him.

Jonathan Dwyer is the right running back for this offense at this time. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry (coming into the game Baltimore was giving up an average of 4.0 yards per carry), a number that is all the more impressive considering that the Ravens were crowding the line of scrimmage, essentially daring Todd Haley and Byron Leftwich to throw the football.

The Bad

There is not much doubt that having a couple of time outs available late in the game would have been a nice thing. Thought not surprising that there would be some confusion between the offensive coordinator and the backup quarterback, "mistakes" of that kind absolutely will come back to haunt you -- and it did Sunday night.

The Steelers' punt return team has had two dreadful games back-to-back; and Sunday night the four-yard-per-return average helped ensure that the Steelers' offense had consistently poor starting field position (the Steelers' average starting field position was their OWN 17-yard line).

The Ugly

Special teams. In our "Matchups" column leading up to the game we mentioned that the stats favored Baltimore's special teams, and we hate being correct about that sort of thing.

Rashard Mendenhall is simply not the right running back for this offensive line at this time. His propensity for stopping and starting, twisting and turning, is better suited to a zone blocking, stretch kind of offensive line, not the power blocking, north-south approach that the Steelers employ. And before anyone mentions his pass catching ability let's keep in mind that Mr. Mendenahll had three receptions for 17 yards (i.e. 5.7 yards per catch) while the previously mentioned Mr. Dwyer had three catches for 26 yards (i.e. an 8.7 yards per catch average).

Mike Adams looked lost trying to pass block. There is nothing new about that, but against a team like Baltimore that kind of deficiency may get the quarterback killed.

Here's what could kill the Steelers

It is tremendous to see the Steelers playing in yet another AFC Championship game; and their chances of winning are very good. However, their loss earlier in the season to the Jets (at Heinz Field) can be tied to one, immutable fact: Steelers special teams units are dreadful.

The New York Times has come up with a spiffy series of charts to show just how good the Jets special teams have been this season; and if the Steelers don't step up their game it could be a long evening at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Special Teams Upgrade

Tuesday evening Big Dan the 'Burgh Man and I had a wide-ranging conversation regarding Steelers football; and one of the topic we touched upon had to do with the decisions to release special teams standouts Chidi Iwuoma, Arnold Harrison, and (the free agency departure of) Sean Morey.

While it is true that Steelers special teams have been a weak spot for years it is hard not to wax nostalgic about players who were effective in the role.

Happily, it seems that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin have settled upon at least one player from the past who they believe may make a difference. The Post-Gazette is reporting that Anthony Madison is back in the fold.

Let us all hope that he is capable of correcting whatever it is that has been causing the kick coverage units to be so woeful.

Record setting performance

The folks at Pro Football Outsiders have a special take on the Steelers' special teams

Pittsburgh has had problems on special teams for years, but this year things have hit rock bottom. The Steelers have given up three touchdowns on kick returns in just the last four games. How bad is it? Pittsburgh is threatening what I thought was an untouchable record: Worst net kickoff value in DVOA history.

Read the entire article, if you dare, by clicking here.

Season in Review: The Return Units (2008)

As previously promised we now offer the second posting regarding the Steelers' special teams. Specifically we turn our attention to the kick and punt return units; and it should come as no surprise to anyone that the numbers for those two units are exceedingly poor.

For the kick return unit, their 20.3 average for each return of the 2008 regular season was the fourth lowest in the NFL (Baltimore averaged 20.1 yards per return, as did Green Bay, and Miami averaged 20.2 yards per return) and was the second lowest for a Super Bowl champion in the past nine seasons. Here is a ranking of the Super Bowl winners by kick return average for the seasons 2000-2008:

Season	Team	Kick Return Avg.
2002	Tampa Bay	24.1
2007	N.Y. Giants	23.9
2003	New England	23.8
2006	Indianapolis	23.6
2004	New England	23.3
2000	Baltimore	22.3
2005	Pittsburgh	21.6
2008	Pittsburgh	20.3
2001	New England	20.1

If there is any consolation to be taken from this is that winning the Super Bowl does not appear to be directly tied to performance in kick returns. However, there is no arguing with the fact that every yard gained on a kick return is one fewer yard the offense needs. By that logic the Steelers are making things tough on their offense.

As for the punt return unit, for the sixth time in the past nine seasons Pittsburgh's punt return unit performed below the NFL average ~ though this season the disparity was minimal (i.e. 9.08 v. 9.05). Here is a graphical look:


As frustrating as the punt return team was in 2008 ("get up the field Santonio!") their performance was nearly three yards better than in 2007 (6.1. yards), and at least began approaching the excellent performance turned in by Antwaan Randle-El and his compatriots in 2005 (10.2 yards per return).

In the overall scheme of things the Pittsburgh special teams showed marked improvement in 2008, at least compared with the 2007 season. However, as with most aspects of football, there is still tremendous opportunity for improvement.

Season in Review: The Coverage Units (2008)

Now we turn our attention to the an area of play about which we care inordinately ~ Special teams. In the first of two installments we examine the effectiveness of the kick and punt coverage units, both in relation to the league overall as well as within the historical context of previous editions of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We will begin with the kick coverage unit; and bolstered by the play of rookie Patrick Bailey, free agent acquisition Keyaron Fox, Pro Bowl caliber Special Teamer Anthony Madison, and a host of others the Steelers had the best season in the past nine seasons, and 3.5 yards better than the 2007 season. Here are the Steelers' kick coverage numbers for 2000-2008:

2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
21.7	21.4	21.4	20.6	21.6

2005	2006	2007	2008
21.9	22.4	22.6	19.1

Whereas the Steelers' 2008 defense could not beat their 2001 predecessor in nearly any statistical category, this past season's kick coverage unit has set the standard for the decade with a dramatic, and rather unexpected improvement. With Keyaron Fox a free agent the question is whether or not Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert has the wherewithal to re-sign an impactful but one-dimensional player.

Of course all of this talk is beside the point if, despite improvement, the Steelers have underperformed against the league. Here is a look at that:


So there it is ~ after eight years of relatively average performance the Steelers' kick coverage unit had a breakthrough season. So, what do they do for an encore?

As for punt coverage, the news good if not quite so spectacularly so. Here are the Steelers' numbers for the past nine seasons:

2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
8.4	11.9	11.6	6.4	7.4

2005	2006	2007	2008
9.1	5.8	8.6	6.2

The 2008 punt coverage unit had the third best season in the past nine; and last season was a significant improvement over the previous one. As for how the 2008 group compared to others in the NFL, here is that information:


The see-sawing from on season to the next continued in 2008; and the question now becomes whether the improvement of the past season will be in evidence in 2009. But you might wonder just how much better can the Steelers be in this area ~ after all they had the fourth best punt coverage in the league this past season. Well, Atlanta had the #1 punt coverage unit, which gave up an average of 2.5 yards per opposition punt return.

Clearly, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Ravens v. Steelers:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Surprisingly enough, home field can be an advantage, even in Pittsburgh (many thanks to my friend Joe Brugh for the included photograph ~ taken from section 524 of Heinz Field). In a postseason that witnessed an unprecedented strength amongst the road teams (i.e. in this postseason visiting, and home, teams were 5-5) the Pittsburgh Steelers overcame their franchise's history, and the angst that all Pittsburgh fans feel for no other reason than they are Pittsburgh fans, to earn a trip to Florida and Super Bowl XLIII. Here are some of our impressions from that game.

The Good

1. What does one say, what can one say when everything has been said? In the afterglow of the AFC Championship can anyone really question whether or not the Steelers have the NFL's most dominant defense? During the 2008 regular season the Baltimore Ravens' offense averaged 324.0 yards per game, and 248.5 yards per game in the postseason. But in the AFC Championship the Steelers held Baltimore's offense to 198 total net yards ~ their lowest single-game total of the season (their second lowest total was 202 yards ~ against the Steelers in the second meeting between these two teams).
   
   Obviously the most impressive part of that low yardage total is the job that the Steelers' run defense did ~ the 73 yards rushing for Baltimore was their second-lowest total of the season (the lowest total was 10/12/08 versus Indianapolis ~ 51 yards), and came against an offense that averaged 148.5 yards of rushing during the regular season and 91.3 yards per playoff game.
   
   In addition to the yardage allowed, the Steelers defense sacked Joe Flacco three times, making it an even 10 sacks by Pittsburgh against Mr. Flacco on the season. To put that into some kind of perspective, in the other 16 games the Ravens played this season Mr. Flacco was sacked a total of 25 times.
   
   During the previous 18 games Joe Flacco threw 12 interceptions. On Sunday the Steelers picked off three passes.
   
   Going into the game there were some who expected the Ravens to have an answer for the Steelers. Based upon this game we are not sure the Ravens' offense understood the question.


2. Every time Baltimore and Pittsburgh play we hear all about Ray Lewis, and what a great player he is. Fair enough ~ he is a great player; however if he is great then what about James Farrior? In the game Mr. Lewis had 6 tackles, 3 assists, defended 1 pass, and forced 1 fumble. Meanwhile, the less heralded James Farrior had 6 tackles, 3 assists, and defended 1 pass ~ and had the good fortune of having played on the winning team. Mr. Lewis talks more, but Mr. Farrior's impact on the field of play iis as least as significant.


3. Special teams were something of a mixed bag on Sunday, but the kick coverage team did a terrific job. During the regular season Baltimore averaged 20.1 yards per return, and averaged 22.8 yards per return in the December 14th meeting between these two teams. This past Sunday the Patrick Bailey, Keyaron Fox, Anthony Madison, et al limited the Ravens to a 14.3 yard average. As a result the Ravens' average starting point was the 24 yard line and, based upon the results (i.e. the turnovers) keeping them on a long field had a significant impact.


4. Troy Polamalu, we salute you. The interception and return for a touchdown ~ on a play which we predicted would be the most important play of the game (our exact words immediately before the snap were "this is the ballgame!") ~ is obviously a moment no Steelers fan will ever forget. But his leaping stop of Joe Flacco late in the first quarter on fourth-and-one at the Steelers 34-yard line kept Baltimore off the scoreboard (and there is no doubt as to how important that was), and certainly set the tone for the game ~ despite trailing by only six points at halftime, the Ravens ran the ball 10 times in the second half.
   
   However unorthodox Mr. Polamalu's offseason training regimen, here's hoping Casey Hampton gets on the same program.


5. Last but certainly not least is the matter of Ben Roethlisberger. The passing numbers are decent if not spectacular ~ one can only imagine how those numbers would have looked if Willie Parker had held on to the first quarter pass thrown in his direction, or if the first quarter pass thrown to Santonio Holmes had been ruled a touchdown rather than an incompletion when it was reviewed, or if Limas Sweed had held on to the second quarter touchdown pass thrown to him ~ but what pleased us most was that he threw no interceptions and did not fumble the football. He created opportunities by moving around in the pocket, but when it was time to get rid of the football he did so, and did so without falling victim to Ed Reed. It was a mature and seasoned performance.

The Bad

1. We understand that the Baltimore defense is very strong versus the run; however 52 yards of rushing, and a per rush average of 1.9 yards is putrid (by way of comparison, in the first meeting between these two teams the Steelers averaged 2.5 yards per rush, and in the second game they averaged 3.4 yards per rush). The offensive line did a very good job protecting Ben Roethlisberger on pass plays, but their inability to open holes for the running backs ~ in re-watching the game it was clear that there was little or no surge from the offensive line (i.e. Baltimore's defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage on running plays) ~ has been a problem all season long.


2. We do not have any major complaints about the offensive game plan; however Bruce Arians nearly cost the Steelers a chance at the Super Bowl with a single play call. Early in the fourth quarter, with third-and-one at their own 37 yard line, the Steelers went to an empty backfield, and Ben Roethlisberger threw a very poor pass. Creativity is a great thing, but we question the empty backfield ~ if a pass is to be thrown, why not make it a play action pass? It was a poor play call poorly executed, and (thanks to the Steelers special teams) nearly had disasterous consequences.

The Ugly

1. Mitch Berger's 21-yard kick in the fourth quarter appeared to be what one wag (i.e. Big Dan the 'Burgh Man) described as "an onside punt," and immediately followed the questionable third-and-one play call previously mentioned. The result of these two plays was to give Baltimore the football at their own 42 yard line, and the Ravens managed to score their second touchdown on a six play drive.
   
   More generally, poor punt coverage ~ a problem that cropped up versus San Diego ~ reared its ugly head again, with Jim Leonhard averaging 10.8 yards per return, and had a long of 45 yards. Though it must certainly be obvious we feel compelled to point something out: Making mistakes in special teams play, especially at this time of the season is a formula for losing, and nobody knows that better than fans of the Steelers.


2. Chris Kemoeatu, feel free not to get any more ill-advised personal foul calls for the remainder of your career with the Steelers (he is a free agent this offseason). His transgression turned what should have been third-and-five into third-and-nineteen, effectively killing the drive. Playing with composure is always important, but is especially so in big games.

Looking forward to Super Bowl XLIII, as big as the challenges will be for the Steelers the team (and their fans) can take some comfort in knowing that they got to the big game without playing their best football. However, no one should doubt that it will take their very best effort to win their sixth Lombardi trophy.

Dallas v. Steelers:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

We know we are a little late with our weekly postgame analysis.

The smelling salts just kicked in.

While considering the fact that the Steelers are now enjoying their first four game winning streak since the 2005 season (they actually had two such winning streaks that season), and that Ben Roethlisberger is now 15-4 in his career versus the NFC, we offer up some of our thoughts on what was an unbelievable Steelers win.

The Good

1. How important was this win? Consider this: The Steelers have not won a regular season game in Baltimore since 2002, and their regular season record in Nashville, Tennessee is 1-6. So, a win against Dallas keeps the Steelers competitive for the division and the playoffs ~ a loss would have been an unmitigated disaster.


2. Pittsburgh did not do much that was good enough to qualify for this category, at least until Deshea Townsend took an interception 25 yards for the winning score. But he did do just that, and the best thing that the Steelers did was to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
   
   The defense was good ~ they forced four of the opponent's five turnovers (even Ike Taylor managed to hold onto an interception), they still have not allowed any team to gain 300 yards in a game this season (though just barely ~ Dallas gained 289 net yards), kept the Cowboys to under 100 yards rushing (though just barely ~ Dallas rushed for 95 net yards), and held them more than 11 points below their scoring average (i.e. 13 points in the game versus an average of 24.92) ~ though not as good as they have been of late, but the effort and the results were that of a champion.


3. Patrick Bailey was officially given credit for a single assisted tackle, but his play today on kick coverage was something special. He busted wedges and kept on coming. He was tremendous all afternoon/evening long, as was Keyaron Fox and all the members of that coverage team. To wit, coming into the game the Cowboys had been averaging 22.7 yards per kick return, but on Sunday they were held to 17 yards per return (i.e. 25% lower than average).

The Bad

1. This is a very tough one to write, but James Harrison has to be included amongst the "Bads." His efforts against Flozelle Adams were tremendous ~ the fact that he had a sack, five solo tackles, and three assists is testimony to that. However, there were far too many instances in which Mr. Harrison allowed himself to be sucked inside by misdirection, only to have a running play go outside to the left side. Being aggressive is Mr. Harrison's game, but he would do well to remember that run containment is one of his responsibilities.


2. If an offensive line does not give up a sack in the first half, but then gives up five sacks in the second half are they bad or ugly? This is another close call for us, but we have opted to be charitable. Moreover, watching the offense fail, for at least the third time this season, to get into the end zone from a yard out was painful (and something that has to be laid at the feet of the offensive line). After having improved steadily throughout the season this game was a step backwards.


3. We also were less than pleased with Ben Roethlisberger's propensity for ~ and stop me if you've heard this one before ~ holding on to the ball too long. Yes he managed to escape trouble a number of times during the fourth quarter, and yes those escapes sometimes led to positive plays, but we renew our call for Mr. Roethlisberger to (everyone say it with us) THROW THE BALL, BEN! No fewer than three of the five sacks suffered in the second half could have been avoided by simply throwing the football away. Dallas did a good job of covering receivers, and Mr. Roethlisberger seemingly recognized as much. Holding the ball for an extra second or two, in the hope/belief that someone is eventually going to get open, is a mistake ~ and may get him killed next week in Baltimore.

The Ugly

1. Just one question, why did Bruce Arians abandon the running game? Eleven rushing plays in the entire first half? Ten more in the second? Additionally, why did Mike Tomlin allow him to do so? The one-dimensional nature of the play calling led us to wonder whether Mr. Arians was trying to wear down the Dallas defensive line by forcing them to rush the quarterback all day. Obviously we have no explanation, but we can tell you that the Steelers are well on their way to having their worst rushing season since 2003 ~ a season in which they had ten losses.


2. Hines Ward ~ with a single catch for two yards against Da1las (and seven catches for 76 yards in his three most recent games) ~ was (and has been) a non-factor. Apparently, teams have discovered a method for neutralizing the once dangerous wide out. Considering that in the last meeting with Baltimore he had two catches for 57 yards, it is hard to see that trend changing any time soon.


3. Jeff Reed had an unusually poor game, at least for him. A missed field goal we can forgive, kicking the ball out of bounds? Not so much.


4. Mitch Berger, meet Paul Ernster. If not for a fortuitous bounce into a member of the Dallas return team ~ a "fumble" that was recovered by Lawrence Timmons ~ his 28-yard punt from the Steelers' own five yard line would most certainly have resulted in points for the Cowboys. Here is hoping that Kevin Colbert has some additional names in his rolodex.

On December 7, 1969 the Steelers, playing in Pittsburgh against Dallas, trailed by ten points in the fourth quarter. A touchdown pass from quarterback Dick Shiner to running back Jon Henderson cut the lead to three, but they came up short and lost their 11th straight game of the season.

Now that the '69 team has been avenged ~ and at times the 2008 edition of the Steelers looked eerily similar to Chuck Noll's first team ~ we can only hope that the team's performances in the weeks to come are of a better quality that the one they turned in on Sunday.

Breaking News: Steelers Special Teams Not So Good

Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review takes a look at something that has been discussed at length (ad naseum) here at Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic: the poor performance of the Steelers special teams. Whether looking at return or coverage teams, whether looking at kicking or punting, the Steelers (who have never been especially strong in this phase of the game, which is ironic given Bill Cowher's legacy as an NFL player is as a special teams player) are hurting themselves with terrible play on the special teams.

"Bill Cowher isn't the only one frustrated by the Steelers' spotty special teams play.

'Since I've been here, we've never been covering like we are now,' said Clint Kriewaldt, a special teams co-captain. 'It just seems like, every game, we're giving up (a long kickoff return).'

Perception, unfortunately for Kriewaldt and the Steelers, almost matches reality. The Steelers have given up kickoff returns of 50 yards or more in three of their past four games.

If turnovers are the main culprit in the Steelers' 2-5 start, the special teams have to at least qualify as an accomplice. Two lost fumbles on punt returns have led to touchdowns, including a game-changing one in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers also allowed Atlanta to recover a surprise onside kick two weeks ago. That resulted in a touchdown that loomed large, considering the Steelers lost, 41-38, in overtime.

But the kick-coverage breakdowns may be most alarming because of their frequency.

'There is no question that one of the biggest disappointments has been the kicking game,' Cowher said. 'We're not making any excuses. We're just not getting it done.'

Opponents' starting field position following a kickoff is their own 30-yard line, making the Steelers 30th out of 32 teams in that category. The Steelers also are last in net punting average.

It could be argued that turnover, along with turnovers, have sabotaged the Steelers this season.

The offenses and defenses from last season's Super Bowl-winning team remain largely intact. That isn't the case with the special teams, though.

Antwaan Randle El, an explosive punt returner, signed with the Washington Redskins during the offseason.

The Steelers, meanwhile, cut Quincy Morgan during training camp. Morgan, who averaged 25.3 yards per kickoff return last season, will face the Steelers in the same capacity Sunday when the Denver Broncos visit Heinz Field."