What We Saw: Week 12

The What We Saw team recaps a crazy Week 12 of NFL action

Ben Brown
What We Saw A Year Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Commanders @ Cowboys
49ers @ Seahawks
Dolphins @ Jets
Saints @ Falcons
Steelers @ Bengals
Panthers @ Titans
Buccaneers @ Colts
Patriots @ Giants
Jaguars @ Texans
Browns @ Broncos
Rams @ Cardinals
Chiefs @ Raiders
Bills @ Eagles
Ravens @ Chargers

Steelers @ Bengals

Final Score: Steelers: 16, Bengals: 10

Writer: Nick Beaudoin

 

With playoff implications on the line, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers both entered the week on the wrong side of the headlines. Joe Burrow is scheduled for season-ending wrist surgery, leaving 27-year old Jake Browning to make the first start of his NFL career. Meanwhile, the Steelers seem to be in turmoil, with reports of locker room fights and the long-overdue firing of OC Matt Canada.

In a rainy game on the road, Pittsburgh came out firing, looking like a team with something to prove. Despite out-gaining the Bengals 221-98 in first half yardage, mental errors held them back, leaving points on the field and allowing the Bengals to walk into halftime with a 7-3 lead. On the opening drive of the second half, Browning threw a red zone interception, which changed momentum for the remainder of the game. The Steelers retaliated with a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a five-yard touchdown run from Najee Harris, and the Steelers never looked back.

While it’s not overly impressive to beat a Burrow-less Bengals team, credit to Pittsburgh for gaining 400 yards of total offense for the first time in 58 games (literally since Matt Canada was hired). A tip of the cap to interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner, but this was an all-around team win, and something the Steelers organization hopes to build on in December.

Four Up:

  • The Pittsburgh Steelers Organization – Just five days after firing Matt Canada, Pittsburgh put up 421 yards of total offense, breaking a 58-game streak of sub-400 yard production that extended throughout Canada’s entire tenure.
  • Kenny Pickett – Despite throwing zero touchdowns on the day, this was arguably the best game from Pickett we’ve seen.
  • Najee Harris – Najee bowled over defenders to the tune of 99 yards and scored the Steelers lone touchdown.
  • Pat Freiermuth – Freiermuth led the Steelers in targets, receptions and yards. “The ‘Muth Wath Looth.”

Three Down:

  • Ja’Marr Chase – Despite putting up 81 yards, half of his output came on broken plays.
  • Joe Mixon – Mixon could only muster 18 yards on the ground, and 65 percent of his yardage came on one play.
  • Tyler Boyd – Boyd only received screens and short looks for 23 yards.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Quarterback

 

Kenny Pickett: 24/33, 278 yards, 2 sacks | 5 carries, 5 yards

Although still not fantasy relevant whatsoever, this was by far the most competent this offense has looked all season, and it all started with Kenny Pickett. Pickett opened the game hitting his first six pass attempts for 66 yards, with his first incompletion being a (touchdown) pass to Diontae Johnson that was ruled a drop after he hit the ground. Gene Steratore made it a point afterwards to note that had the Steelers challenged this call, it likely would have been reversed, and confirmed as a touchdown. Instead, Jaylen Warren fumbled on the very next play and they walked away with zero points.

In a wet game on the road, Pickett was accurate all afternoon, making several splash plays, including a 29-yard strike to Pat Freiermuth, a 39-yard bomb to Johnson, and a 43-yard fade to George Pickens. Pickett was also 6-of-7 on third downs in the second half, a significant improvement for a team with the highest percentage of 3-and-outs in the league. The biggest item of note was how Pickett was unafraid to throw inside the hashes, which if you’ve followed some of our previous Steelers write-ups this season is something that has been noted several times. This directly correlates with the return of Freiermuth, who had twice as many receiving yards today as he had in his previous five games combined. Despite this not being the most difficult matchup (the Bengals came into the week allowing 386 yards/game, 3rd most in the NFL), Steelers fans should still be excited about how this “new” offense played in a divisional matchup with playoff implications on the line.

Missed Opportunities

  • Diontae Johnson dropped what should have been a touchdown, resulting in Pickett’s first incompletion of the game

 

Running Back

 

Najee Harris: 15 carries, 99 yards, TD 

The Steelers run game has come alive over the past month, and it was Najee Harris in the lead today. Although we were told he is not the “starter” anymore, he was first on the field and led the team in carries and yards. The announcers kept making it a point that he needs to “Remember that he is 240 pounds,” and he seemed to hear them, as he shredded the Bengals for big gains by embracing contact and requiring multiple Bengals defenders to bring him down. Najee had some memorable moments, but none more than what should have been a three-yard run in the first quarter, where he dragged the entire defensive line for a total of 20 yards. He also had a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and back-to-back carries in the fourth quarter of 22 and 12 yards, which led to the game-clinching FG.

 

Jaylen Warren: 13 carries, 49 yards, FL | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards

Much to the fantasy community’s chagrin, Jaylen Warren was the second back on the field, and played second fiddle to Najee for most of the game. The electric playmaker was unable to find much running room, making mostly small chunk plays, but was notably the main receiving option in the backfield, out-targeting Najee 3-0. He still put together a respectable stat line on the day, but lost a fumble at the Bengals’ 15-yard line in the first quarter, leaving points on the field for the Steelers. In the third quarter, it was Warren who had two straight solid runs in the red zone, but Najee was the recipient of the five-yard touchdown run on the very next play. The offensive coordinator change in Pittsburgh should be welcomed news for Warren managers, and 16 touches on the day is incredibly encouraging usage.

Missed Opportunities

  • Warren lost a fumble on 3rd-and-2 at the Bengals 15 yard line.
  • He had two straight nice runs in the red zone, but Najee received the 5-yard touchdown run.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Diontae Johnson: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 50 yards

Diontae Johnson was second on the team in targets, but was outshined by the (healthy) return of Pat Freiermuth. Johnson’s biggest play of the day came on a 39-yard reception when he beat man-to-man coverage over the top. His worst play of the day came early in the game, when he had a touchdown call reversed due to losing possession as he went down. It’s worth noting that had the Steelers challenged this play, Gene Steratore claims it would have been a touchdown, but we’ll never know. The target share is still a positive sign, but this is the third consecutive underwhelming week from Diontae.

Missed Opportunities

  • Johnson dropped an easy touchdown, losing possession as he hit the ground.
  • He received another end zone target in the third quarter, but the defender was able to make the play.

 

George Pickens: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 58 yards

George Pickens was quiet until the third quarter when he got the wind knocked out of him while diving for a deep ball from Pickett. He took himself out of the game for a few plays, but immediately upon his return, made his biggest play of the day, hauling in a 43-yard reception on a well-placed slot fade.

Missed Opportunities

  • He was open for what should have been a 15+ yard slant early in the third quarter, but was unable to connect. The announcers blamed Pickett, but I could argue the Pickens slowed up just enough for the incompletion.

 

Pat Freiermuth: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 120 yards

Pat Freiermuth unlocked this offense today. On the very first play, Pickett kept an RPO, firing to Freiermuth for a 24-yard gain down the middle of the field. Just a few minutes later, Pickett found him again down the middle, this time for a 29-yard gain on 3rd-and-14. Freiermuth continued to find himself open in intermediate and short areas of the field, displaying sure hands in big moments, and giving this team another weapon they desperately need. He appears to be at full health, and will be a priority add for anyone needing TE help heading into the playoffs.

 

Connor Heyward: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards

Allen Robinson: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

Darnell Washington: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards

Calvin Austin III: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Quarterback

 

Jake Browning: 19/26, 227 yards, TD, INT, 4 sacks | 3 carries, 9 yards

27-year old Jake Browning made his first NFL start today but was eventually outmatched by a stout Steelers defensive line led by TJ Watt, who became the second-fastest player to 90 career sacks. Browning ran the offense competently early on, spreading the ball around and hitting nine different receivers. His touchdown pass came on a perfectly designed play action, leaving TE Drew Sample for a walk-in touchdown on the sideline. It’s worth nothing, however, that this opportunity only came from a stroke of luck, as the play before was a tipped pass that somehow fell into the arms of Ja’Marr Chase, who turned what could have been an interception into a 31-yard gain.

Browning’s interception came in the opening drive of the second half. The Bengals walked down the field into the red zone, looking like they were about to score, but Trenton Thompson jumped Chase’s route, making his first career interception, and changing momentum for the rest of the game. Browning was unable to get much going after that, and the Steelers were able to eventually run out the clock. Browning showed potential in a difficult matchup (Pittsburgh came into the week ranked 6th to opposing quarterbacks), and could improve as the season goes on, but even surrounded by some solid weapons, he likely won’t be returning anything more than QB2 value moving forward.

Missed Opportunities

  • He was picked off at the Steelers 15 in the opening drive of the third quarter
  • He had two tipped passes that were both caught by Chase, resulting in 40 total yards

 

Running Back

 

Joe Mixon: 8 carries, 16 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 44 yards

Joe Mixon was unable to do much of anything today. The Steelers were able to key in on the run game, and force the Bengals to win at the hands of Browning. Surprisingly, they did not involve Mixon much in the receiving game, until late in the game when 39 of his 60 (total) yards came on one screen pass. The Bengals came into the game averaging 80.6 rush yards/game (ranking 30th in the league), and they did nothing to improve their standing on this day. Mixon’s role in the offense is safe, as no other RB on the team received a single touch in this game, but scoring opportunities may be scarce in this new-look offense.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

JaMarr Chase: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 81 yards

In his first (full) game without Joe Burrow, JaMarr Chase still had a respectable day. That’s what the elite players do. That being said, I’m still a little nervous about how this production came about. Chase had two great receptions, one for 11 yards in double coverage, and another on a sideline fade for 30 yards. His remaining two receptions were both on tipped balls, somehow falling into his arms, giving him gains of 31 and 9. If Chase is on your team, you’re starting him no matter what, but I certainly hope we don’t have to rely on more plays like these.

“Sometimes you have to be lucky and good.” – Ian Eagle

As a side note, credit to rookie Joey Porter Jr., who has been asked to shadow some of the league’s top receivers over the past few weeks. Another job well done today, and a name to monitor when a WR1 on your fantasy team faces the Steelers.

 

Tyler Boyd: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards

Trenton Irwin: target, reception, 25 yards

Tanner Hudson: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards

Andre Iosivas: 2 targets, reception, 16 yards

Drew Sample: target, reception, 11 yards, TD

Irv Smith Jr.: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

Mitchell Wilcox: 1 target, 1 reception, 1 yard

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Packers @ Lions
Commanders @ Cowboys
49ers @ Seahawks
Dolphins @ Jets
Saints @ Falcons
Steelers @ Bengals
Panthers @ Titans
Buccaneers @ Colts
Patriots @ Giants
Jaguars @ Texans
Browns @ Broncos
Rams @ Cardinals
Chiefs @ Raiders
Bills @ Eagles
Ravens @ Chargers

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