PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers was a typical game for the Steelers. While there was a shine under the lights on Sunday Night Football and a gloss with the Aaron Rodgers storyline, that can not cover up the stench of the Steelers’ malpractice from their coaching staff.

Pittsburgh had too many coaching errors to overcome in this one. That is not to say the personnel is blameless, but how that personnel is deployed seems nearly downright criminal.

First, Chuck Clark is manned up on a critical third-and-four with star Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, who had over 100 yards and a two touchdowns, to allow a 24-yard touchdown. That call alone is questionable, and makes little sense for a Steelers team that loves to play man coverage. Clark has suffered major injuries and now lacks high-end athleticism that it takes to thrive in those spots.

Meanwhile, star outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who has shined and taken up a bigger role this year, played just 20 snaps before the final garbage time drive by the Packers. That was out of 59 snaps, reducing his role even further.

The offensive coaching staff has to answer for some things, too. In the first half, the Steelers ran the ball well for 81 yards on 15 attempts. Yet, in their first three drives in the second half when they led 16-7, they ran the ball just once. Coming out of the half, they threw the ball on three straight plays. Why go away from a run game that was working?

There were numerous penalties, and the personnel deployment makes no sense. The Steelers had plenty of issues to overcome in this one, and this is only a short list of coaching errors the Steelers popped up, but it can not cover up what the truth is — and that is this team does maximize their personnel or what is around it.

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