One thing that the Pittsburgh Steelers have not done well at all in recent weeks is control the ball, especially so on offense. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, for example, they had only three drives out of more than a dozen that spanned much more than 90 seconds. They had several drives last under a minute.
Each of their first five possessions, in fact, lasted just three plays or fewer. Two of those possessions ended in the offense giving the ball up via a lost fumble, putting their defense not just in negative situations, but with minimal rest.
Head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged yesterday during his pre-game press conference that this has been an issue, and it is only exacerbated by the fact that the defense is currently playing with a number of players in elevated role or unfamiliar roles.