The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night in what was an ugly game for Pittsburgh. Somehow they only lost by three points, but it seemed like the loss should have been much worse. The offense struggled to stay on the field and convert on third downs, which meant the defense had less time to rest on the sideline. Dallas was able to move the ball down the field all game, but Pittsburgh forced two turnovers in the red zone and blocked a field goal. Had the offense been just slightly better, the Steelers probably would have won the game.
The defense allowed Dallas to move the ball, but didn't allow many points. Up until the final minute of the game, the defense had only given up 13 points, and three of those came after they held Dallas to a field goal on their first possession that was set up by an impressive kickoff return. Dallas ran the ball decently, and Dak Prescott had a lot of success through the air as he threw for over 350 yards. A big reason for that was him picking on rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. according to former NFL General Manager Doug Whaley, who spoke about the game on the postgame show on WPXI Sunday night.
"Beanie Bishop, right now he is struggling and there's that saying in football: 'You're either coaching it or allowing it.' I'm assuming next weekend we're going to see a lot of different coverages. If Beanie Bishop's in there, he's going to have to be in more of a disciplined zone coverage than man-to-man, or if not, they may have to insert someone to take his place because right now, he's a liability and I could see other quarterbacks saying, 'Check, check, check. We're going to 31.'"
Bishop was one of the more popular rookies for the Steelers going into the 2024 season, which was surprising due to his undrafted status. He staked claim to the starting slot corner job early on in training camp, and has held onto it ever since. He has certainly struggled through five weeks, as he gave up an easy touchdown in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons and then had multiple lapses in coverage against Dallas.
Bishop was an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, and it was impressive to see him make an impact as quickly as he did in training camp. Making a final roster is hard enough for an undrafted rookie, but claiming a starting job is even more rare. This meant a lot of fans had high hopes for Bishop, and so far it seems as though he might not be ready for the league. Even Head Coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that it was obvious that Prescott and the Cowboys were going after the rookie in the passing game.
Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Has Been An Absolute Liability
Pittsburgh has only played five games so far in the 2024 season and Bishop has already given up over 200 yards through the air. He had his worst game of the season on Sunday against Dallas as he gave up 90 yards. If this kind of play continues, the coaching staff has to consider making a change. When targeted, Bishop is allowing a reception percentage of near 70. The rookie has allowed two touchdowns on the year and is giving up over 10 yards per reception.
This play isn't acceptable at the NFL level. If he doesn't start to show major improvements, he will probably lose his job. He has made some good plays when coming up and defending the run, but far too often he looks lost in coverage. His overall Pro Football Focus grade on the season is under 50, which shows Pittsburgh needs to find some external help in the slot.
