People (me included) forget just how difficult a puzzle he can be to solve. Even at 37, he just hasn't had the wear and tear that some guys have. He's really a generational striker. Neal just looked lost in there.
The best comparison I can think of for Neal tonight is that he looked like someone in those movies where they end up in a funhouse full of mirrors trying to find their actual adversary. And they keep smashing mirrors but never finding the actual target. And they look nothing but lost and frustrated.