The Steelers' 17-24 loss to the Broncos was a myriad of mistakes in the worst moments, but it also highlighted some key issues that could plague the Steelers' in their playoff push if not put in check.
Let's dig deep ...
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
• Where scheme beat team: The Steelers currently rank seventh in the NFL in third down conversions with a 45.7 percentage, but they did not help their case only converting five of 14 against the Broncos. Plenty of those moments came because the Broncos disguised their defense enough to mask how they would take away Ben Roethlisberger's top options.
Those disguises from Vance Joseph's defense helped confuse Roethlisberger just enough in key moments. Watch how the Broncos show an all out blitz at the start of the play and how Roethlisberger appears to think that's what's coming with his adjustment at the line.
But at the snap, the Broncos drop back three of their potential eight rushers, with one of them helping against Antonio Brown's slant. Though Roethlisberger still completes the pass and Brown makes a man miss, the Broncos' rush forced a rushed throw and Roethlisberger threw right where they wanted:
That's good defensive planning, and there was plenty of that throughout the game. Take a third down play in the red zone where the Steelers tried a similar scheme that they used last week to beat the Jaguars.
The Steelers bunch up JuJu Smith-Schuster on the right and have him trail David DeCastro on a pull while Ryan Switzer attacks the flat and the rest of the Steelers run their routes as distractions from the shovel pass. The Broncos were ready for it, much like the Jaguars were, but they actually finish the job by bringing down Smith-Schuster:
Having seen more of Randy Fichtner's offense, more defenses have tape to study and can make adjustments to take away the options they know the Steelers favor. While this shovel pass play has been a staple of the red zone offense, it may be time to call more plays with similar looks that can fool defenses by countering their anticipation for the shovel pass.
Look back at the above play and watch how the Broncos sell out once they see David DeCastro pull. They completely vacate the middle of the field, opening up what could've been a slant for Brown to break to the back of the end zone and catch an easy score.
Those are the moments that Roethlisberger can outwork those disguised defenses by trusting his elite offensive line and dynamic playmakers to win. Let's look at a moment when that worked in the Steelers favor on third down, when Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster for six yards while working in the slot against Chris Harris, Jr.
The Broncos show a single high safety in their initial alignment, but drop back an additional safety to switch into a Cover 2 man under defense. Roethlisberger starts by looking to Brown, thinking that with one safety, maybe he'll get his top receiver in single coverage. But he sees the extra safety drop back, and patiently shifts through his options and finds Smith-Schuster working against an elite cornerback for the conversion:
Notable on this play are how the Steelers schemed to help Chukwuma Okorafor against Von Miller on a third down pass rush. McDonald chipped Miller off the line, while James Conner stayed home in case Miller got past Okorafor, but the rookie tackle held his ground and Roethlisberger's pocket was intact for his throw.
The Steelers are set to face the Chargers this week. Los Angeles has the NFL's ninth best defense and Joey Bosa is back to help rush Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger will have to study each week as the more detail oriented defenses will disguise their true intentions with false looks like the Broncos did, and hope he doesn't catch them on the money downs.
• All about the tackling: Missed tackles were a main problem of the Steelers in 2017, as Pro Football Focus revealed with their number-crunching on that team:
Last season, the #Steelers missed a tackle on 16.1% of run plays (31st in NFL).
They added sure tackling veterans this offseason in S Morgan Burnett and LB Jon Bostic, who ranked 1st and 8th respectively at their positions in tackling efficiency. https://t.co/R2sUJejvPY
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 19, 2018
Because of that, our commitment this season is to keep a close eye on this facet.
Terrell Edmunds led the team with eight tackles, finding the ball more than 14 percent of his time on the field. Remarkable is L.J. Fort's numbers despite only playing 17 snaps:
The fact the Broncos had 124 rushing yards usually points to missed tackles, but there were only three by the Steelers. That means most of the yards came from the Broncos making adjustments at the line and finding the Steelers' weak points among the gaps. When the Steelers found the ball carrier, they won most of their battles.
• Top matchups: Each week we assess the top matchups between the Steelers and their opponents:
• Chukwuma Okorafor vs. Von Miller: This was my primary concern for the Steelers coming into this game, and it became a moot point thanks to a great debut as a starter by Okorafor. He faced one of the greatest edge rushers of this era and smothered him, allowing just two tackles and a single sack. For a third string rookie third round pick from Western Michigan to look that good in his rookie start, just goes to show how Mike Munchak is the ultimate linemen guru. Advantage: Steelers.
• Steelers' front vs. Broncos' backs: The Broncos had seen their two rookie running backs average more than five yards per carry this season, but they didn't even need Royce Freeman in this game. Phillip Lindsay did enough on his own, taking 14 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. He saw the field well and the Steelers were unable to fill holes fast enough. Advantage: Broncos.
• Ben Roethlisberger vs. Broncos secondary: The Broncos only allowed one splash play and forced Roethlisberger to consistently move the ball with short passes. Though Roethlisberger had 472 passing yards, the Steelers only snapped the ball in the red zone on two drives, and the only time they scored a touchdown was when Chris Boswell threw to Alejandro Villanueva on a fake field goal. The Steelers needed Roethlisberger to finish drives like he had consistently done in the six-game win streak, that was snapped Sunday, and he did not. Advantage: Broncos.
Had a big play or a decent game 
Very impressive, multiple big plays
Elite performance
Gave up a big play without redemption 
Total performance was a disappointment
Horrible, inexcusable
QUARTERBACK: C
A strong start accompanied by mistakes from his targets early in the game ended with Roethlisberger not being at his best after his only touchdown pass of the game.
Ben Roethlisberger:
Sure, Roethlisberger put up huge yardage and now has six 450-yard performances, the most in NFL history. But two second half turnovers and a horrible third down conversion rate highlight an inconsistent finish. Though Xavier Grimble fumbled away a touchdown and McDonald dropped another, Roethlisberger still had plenty of opportunities behind solid protection to win the game. His first interception put the Broncos back in the game and he missed several opportunities to put the Steelers ahead with misfires to open receivers.
RUNNING BACKS: C-
I only reserved giving Conner a lower grade because other than his one fumble, he did have a good game. But his ball security has become problematic.
James Conner:
Gained 95 yards on 17 touches, but still lost a fumble in a huge moment. I'm not on the bandwagon that there's something wrong behind the scenes because he hasn't had a 100-yard game in three straight weeks, but I do see Conner getting over his early career bumps. He's had plenty of highs and a few lows. But knowing how resilient Conner's been throughout his life, I wouldn't bet against him bouncing back.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A-
Gave up two sacks, but gave Roethlisberger plenty of time in the pocket to make big plays. On the few run plays called, they looked good enough to open up holes for Conner.
Maurkice Pouncey:
As usual, the middle of the line was no concern for the Steelers' offense, and that's thanks to Pouncey and company.
David DeCastro:
Had some impressive pulls to lead block for Conner, and was surprised to not see it more throughout the game.
Chukwuma Okorafor:
Though he did give up a sack, it was against Miller. He only allowed two tackles to Miller in what was supposed to be the Broncos' biggest advantage of the game. He looked at home and composed against the explosive Miller and never looked overwhelmed.
Alejandro Villanueva:
As a former lineman myself, I love seeing linemen score. As soon as Boswell corked the ball back to pass and I saw Villanueva, it made me think of how nuts John Madden would be if he was calling that game. On top of his touchdown, Villanueva had a solid job for most of the game despite giving up a sack to Shaquil Barrett.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B+
Mixed bag of great to horrible contributors in the passing game.Had some of the biggest drops and fumbles, but also several plays to keep the Steelers alive.
JuJu Smith-Schuster:
Thirteen catches for 189 yards, including his second career 97-yard touchdown. Smith-Schuster capitalized on the attention the Broncos devoted to Brown. Beat single coverage with double moves, sharp routes and refused to give up on plays like the third down conversion we highlighted earlier. He's carving his way to be elite in just his second year.
Antonio Brown:
Nine catches for 67 yards against a Broncos defense that completely keyed in to stop him. He didn't bring in one sideline pass that would've been one of his amazing toe-tap catches, but still had a decent performance. His huge block on Chris Harris, Jr., in the middle of the field showed great effort even when he doesn't have the ball 50 yards downfield, and helped Smith-Schuster finish his touchdown.
Ryan Switzer:
Six catches for 67 yards and looked sharp in the slot. Three of his catches resulted in first downs and he presents a challenge to cover in space. He's feisty and helps win in the middle of the field.
James Washington:
Tough rookie season with a lot of mistakes. His major drop from the unnecessary leap showed that he may be in his own head about not being able to make a play. He should've trusted himself and kept running to get under the ball. Steelers could really use a third threat that can line up outside the numbers, and Washington has not been it.
Xavier Grimble:
Grimble finally had his number called and got the perfect play to make his mark but completely blew it. Fichtner dialed up the perfect fake that got him wide open in space with one man to beat and he could've done one of several things between switching the ball hand, covering the ball with two hands, lowering the shoulder, dodging the safety or anything that wasn't fumbling the ball through the end zone.
DEFENSIVE LINE: B-
Despite giving up 124 rushing yards, the line was able to contribute to keeping the Broncos in check. They still miss Stephon Tuitt.
Javon Hargrave:
Changed the line of scrimmage plenty and recorded four tackles along with half a sack on a great twist between him and Cam Heyward. The biggest concern is that he's still just a decent role player in a spot where the Steelers need a dynamic gap-controlling linemen in their sub-packages that doesn't just change the line of scrimmage like Hargrave, but can disengage from blockers and create tackles for loss.
Cam Heyward:
Without Tuitt, Heyward has become the player teams are trying to avoid, but he still finds ways to make plays with his half sack and three tackles.
L.T. Walton:
Got 25 snaps and didn't control his gap enough. Broncos targeted his space when he was on the field and it paid off. Some of that comes from not being in tune with the rest of the defense from lack of play. Watch how Vince Williams already has the interior gap covered, but Walton jumps into the same gap, opening up C-gap for Lindsay to run through:
Walton looked like he didn't get pushed off his spot most of the game, but he also wasn't good enough to win at the point of attack.
Tyson Alualu:
Steelers needed Alualu to lead the depth on the line to give Hargrave and Heyward time to recover and Alualu was unable to hold his gap down for most of the game.
LINEBACKERS: B-
No huge numbers, but kept the Broncos from breaking the game changing plays over the middle.
Jon Bostic:
Watching live I had Bostic with a negative grade, but upon review I saw he wasn't as much to blame for some of the bigger runs the Steelers surrendered. He's not the best at shedding blockers at the second level, but he gets in his spot and when he's the aggressor he wins more often than not. Four tackles in 40 snaps is still impressive.
Vince Williams:
Williams had a good sack and a solid tackle in space, but like Bostic, I initially had a negative grade because I thought he was losing the interior gaps against the run. Also like Bostic, that wasn't the case upon review. Watch how Lindsay's biggest run came because of what should've been called back for a hold on Williams, who was in his gap.
Williams shifts down and has space to work thanks to the push by Hargrave, but guard Billy Turner yanks on Williams' shoulder pads and spins him around, taking away any chance he had at making a tackle and springing Lindsay for the big play:
Williams wasn't as much at fault as originally believed, but it's obvious how one player not being able to clamp down their gap can lead to huge plays.
T.J. Watt:
Only one tackle and missed a tackle in a game where the Steelers needed pressure on Case Keenum in some of the bigger moments. Was in position most of the game but didn't contribute in the pass rush the way he has in his 10-sack season.
Bud Dupree:
Dupree continues to get held week after week, and this time at least got the flag for one of them. But it's still difficult to give him a positive grade with zero tackles on 41 snaps.
L.J. Fort:
If you don't count Fort's four tackles, you could still see multiple plays where he was around the ball and covering large patches of space in the middle of the field. But he only had 17 of 57 total snaps in the game, which is insane considering all the times he put himself around the ball. In limited opportunities, he made the most of them.
SECONDARY: C-
Weren't exploited too much as it kept the Broncos under 200 passing yards, but also lost enough battles to allow the most points since their most recent loss to the Ravens.
Joe Haden:
Lost on some important plays, including a 38-yard bomb to Emmanuel Sanders. It's the first time this season I've seen Haden outplayed outside the number this season. Being fair, Sanders did make some remarkable plays and the plays Haden gave up weren't because he was out of position or showed any fundamental issues, he just got beat.
Coty Sensabaugh:
Steelers needed Sensabaugh to display the same aggressiveness that got him seven tackles against the Jaguars with how hard he clamped down to help against the run. But it didn't come and his lack of elite quickness or speed was put on display. He has to do everything right fundamentally to be good, and sometimes that's asking a lot and the fundamentals went away.
Sean Davis:
Not too impressed with some of the pursuit angles he took to help against the run. Did make three tackles and is still helping keep teams from taking the head off of the defense with long touchdowns, but being a silent defender isn't enough some days. Davis could use a couple turnovers on his resume.
Terrell Edmunds:
Flashed his ability to get around the field by making eight tackles and often being the last line of defense when Lindsay broke loose. He covers a good amount of space and continues to be a reliable tackler.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Keenum made several smart reads against the Steelers' defense that countered their blitz attempts and switched into run plays that attacked their exposed weaknesses. While his numbers weren't stellar with 15 completions on 28 attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns, it represents the coming challenge of better quarterback play in the Steelers' home stretch.
The defense is going to have to be ready with Phillip Rivers up next, who just completed 25 consecutive passes over his last two games and was 28 of 29 on Sunday against the Cardinals.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers at Broncos, Denver, Nov. 25, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS