Poor fourth quarter defense again

**bt12483** · 10-20-2013, 08:01 PM

Defense can't make the big stop. Offense can't score tds. Special teams sucked too. I put this one 50% coaching, 20% defense, 20% offense, 10% special teams.

We lost two close games only giving up 19 points. The def deserves credit for holding the score so low in both games, even if they fail in the end. The offense needs to fucking scores points in the first half.

**Bawlamer** · 10-20-2013, 08:02 PM

I think the defense should score more points and help our impotent offense.

**Raveninwoodlawn** · 10-20-2013, 08:02 PM

Defense has been shockingly mediocre at forcing turnovers.

I don't think they are quite as good as the press clippings they are getting here.

I didn't expect a bend but don't break defense when we make the investments we made. We were a bend but don't break defense last year.

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**rlh445** · 10-20-2013, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by Dade

If our offense wouldn't wait until the 4th quarter to start playing this would be a non-issue.

:word

**Dade** · 10-20-2013, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by bt12483

Defense can't make the big stop. Offense can't score tds. Special teams sucked too. I put this one 50% coaching, 20% defense, 20% offense, 10% special teams.

We lost two close games only giving up 19 points. The def deserves credit for holding the score so low in both games, even if they fail in the end. The offense needs to fucking scores points in the first half.

Exactly. When your defense holds a team to 19 points...you should win that game. 3 touchdowns, through 4 quarters, in 2 games, is all the offense has to do.

**The Excellector** · 10-20-2013, 08:04 PM

Pittsburgh only had to punt one time. One time.

**Ravenswintitle** · 10-20-2013, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Dade

If our offense wouldn't wait until the 4th quarter to start playing this would be a non-issue.

Six straight games without a TD in the first half. The defense held them to a pretty low score (again) but we have to have a few points to win a game, this is not 2000

**s.r.genovese** · 10-20-2013, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Raveninwoodlawn

Defense has been shockingly mediocre at forcing turnovers.

I don't think they are quite as good as the press clippings they are getting here.

I didn't expect a bend but don't break defense when we make the investments we made. We were a bend but don't break defense last year.

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That's the thing that's keeping them from being a really good defense. They have to get turnovers to help themselves and the offense out. As it stands they are simply pretty good.

**Dade** · 10-20-2013, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

Pittsburgh only had to punt one time. One time.

And still only scored 19 points.

Seriously this defense didn't play great. But they gave up ONE TOUCHDOWN and FOUR FIELD GOALS!

Meanwhile the offense didn't score a TD until 1:58 left in the 4th!

**PurpleApocalypse37** · 10-20-2013, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Dade

Exactly. When your defense holds a team to 19 points...you should win that game. 3 touchdowns, through 4 quarters, in 2 games, is all the offense has to do.

Those 19 points took 40 minutes off the clock. When you give up long drives each drive its really bad, even if they don't get touchdowns each time.

For example, in the first half the Ravens would've only gotten 3 damn possessions if it weren't for the defense getting a lucky fumble from Heath Miller.

**Justlovemybirds** · 10-20-2013, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by bmorecareful

The defense bears the majority of the blame for the loss today.

Playing in a rivalry game... in the other team's house... where neither team averages more than 16 points over the last 8 meetings... the offense put up enough points to score, even if they had their struggles. They moved the ball tolerably but bogged down at times.

Contrast that to the defense... which simply allowed Pittsburgh to do WHATEVER THEY PLEASED all game long. Our defenders were boys among men despite playing an offensive line starting 2nd and 3rd stringers at 3 out of 5 spots.

Can we put out a Silver Alert on Haloti Ngata? Elvis Dumervil's contribution to the gamebook includes 3 catastrophic penalties. The secondary cannot cover or tackle; the linebackers are pathetic. Only Terrell Suggs came to play on defense today.

Pretty much, especially to the bolded. They're nothing in history of this rivalry to suggest that it'd be a high scoring affair for either side but inability of the defense to come up with a stop when needed for the second week in a row is frustrating.

Did the Steelers even punt other than the first drive?

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**bmorecareful** · 10-20-2013, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Dade

Exactly. When your defense holds a team to 19 points...you should win that game. 3 touchdowns, through 4 quarters, in 2 games, is all the offense has to do.

We can parrot this talking point as much as we want, but this simply doesn't pass the eye test.

Pittsburgh imposed their will as they desired on our defense all game long. The Ravens were LUCKY to hold the Steelers to 19 points, and I doubt Pittsburgh would have been hard up for more points if they needed them.

A well-rested defense took the field needing only to force a punt to save the game at the very end. Not only did they NOT do it, THEY WEREN'T EVEN CLOSE. And that was the story of the game.