Steelers' DeShon Elliott Reflects On Abysmal Defensive Performance: 'That's On Me'

There is plenty of blame to go around for that ugly loss, but Elliott was at least able to man up to his mistakes. On the first touchdown, he was in man coverage on Rico Dowdle, but he slipped, which resulted in an easy touchdown catch. Even with the rainy conditions before the game, that is still inexcusable from an NFL-caliber safety, and he understands that completely. 

The other play ended up being the game-winning touchdown on 4th and goal with just 20 seconds left in the game. It was a crossing pattern where Elliott was able to catch up to the receiver at the last second, but just couldn't do enough to break it up. Even though it was a tough play, it was one that he had to make to seal victory, and he couldn't. Big-time players make plays when it matters most.

Steelers' Other Secondary Issues

As Elliott mentioned, the Steelers' defensive backs had a bad night all around. Guys were consistently getting wide open, whether it was their fault or Mike Tomlin's each time. A pass-heavy offense like the one that the Cowboys run can't be contained with soft zone nor communication failures where even rookie quarterbacks could make those passes with ease, let alone a vested veteran like Dak Prescott. 

At the end of the day, the Steelers did not look like they wanted to win that game. They gave up long drives repeatedly, with the Cowboys finding ways to end it themselves. They were lucky to even be one play away from winning the game. You can't get out-gained by over 200 yards and expect one single play to go your way for the win. Even then, they did, and the team that deserved to win made the big play when it mattered most. 

The problem for the Steelers is not that they lost in a close game due to multiple self-inflicted wounds. It's that they learned absolutely nothing from their previous game. They lost to the Indianapolis Colts by three as well. They also would have easily won that game had they not repeatedly given the game away with dumb decisions by both players and coaches. They had yet another winnable game that they lost due to failing themselves. 

In that game, they had repeated coverage breakdowns. Guys were getting wide open all the time (mostly Josh Downs). The defense was getting picked apart in the air and on the ground. Meanwhile, the offense was so close to stealing the win anyways, but one last mistake did them in as well. That time, Justin Fields had a snap issue that led to the final drive being stalled out. While Elliot definitely deserves some of the blame, the whole team needs a hard reset to get back on track.