The Pittsburgh Steelers got a lot done on Sunday. They locked in a playoff spot for the first time since 2017, claimed a National Football League record by recording a sack in their 70th consecutive game, and remained in the top spot in the AFC North. And, while they were at it, lost everyone’s faith. Has the longest-standing contender for a perfect season ever been greeted with such scorn and doubt? For that’s what the Steelers were just seven days ago, riding high at 11-0 and without a care in the world, except for, you know, all the cares in the world that everyone is currently dealing with. In truth, they were greeted with skepticism even then – and now, after back-to-back defeats following a 26-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills, they have been thoroughly tossed aside, no longer regarded as a serious postseason contender and with a mounting list of ails and troubles. There is a reason for all this, many reasons actually, all worthy of analysis and scrutiny but which could be neatly boiled down into a few words from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, “We’re not playing good football,” Roethlisberger said. When it comes to statistical importance, the headlining numbers right now are a fallacy. They will tell you Pittsburgh is just a game outside of the top seed held by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC, hurtling towards the end of a year where that No. 1 status takes on more importance than ever. What they really are is a team with mounting injuries, looking over its shoulder and suffering from a crisis of confidence. Roethlisberger is right about the quality of play and it feels like the Steelers are cast in the role of a wounded, falling, early-season pretender – and therefore a target for ambitious teams with the right kind of momentum behind them. “Pittsburgh’s a good team, but their time has come, and gone,” FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd said. “The Steelers are a big brand and they are no longer elite and you know if it you are in Pittsburgh.” According to FOX Bet, Roethlisberger and company now have the seventh best odds to win the Super Bowl at +1600. Five Thirty Eight rates them a 90 percent chance to hold off the surging Cleveland Browns and finish top of the AFC North. However, even in the Pittsburgh area, where Steelers sentiment runs blood deep, there is precious little optimism. The team was picked apart by the Bills, made to look disjointed and weary, exposing how the offense has not been dynamic all year long. According to USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes, the rushing offense is “officially broken,” a premise impossible to dispute after seeing James Conner stuffed time and again on his way to 18 yards on 10 carries. Roethlisberger has plenty of autonomy to amend plays at the line of scrimmage, which has partly resulted in him being the only QB in the league to attempt more than 500 passes (521) while his rushers have had their influence and opportunities curtailed. The pass approach hasn’t brought any greater fortune, leading to what was described by Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab as “a dink and dunk offense that isn’t scaring anyone.” Roethlisberger knows it, but the puzzling shift to have him release the ball as early as humanly possible even while apparently struggling with the aftereffects of a knee flareup, has done nothing to improve the output and made the group easy to prepare for and comfortable to handle. “They are in real trouble,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on First Things First. “I don’t think that’s deniable. If I am describing a team that is the last remaining undefeated team and probably not quite as good as their record suggests, relying heavily on an outstanding defense with major question marks surrounding an aging QB, am I talking about the 2020 Steelers or last year’s (New England) Patriots? “The Steelers are in big, big trouble. Whether they finish 12-4 or 13-3 at this point doesn’t really matter. I don’t see what their path is to win multiple playoff games.” Those Patriots, remember, in Tom Brady’s final season in Foxborough, got turned over in the first round of the postseason by the Tennessee Titans. It feels counterintuitive to be talking about a team that could still go 14-2 in such gloomy terms. Indeed, Pittsburgh has the flailing Cincinnati Bengals this weekend and – if the Chiefs keep winning – might become the first 14-win team since 2004 to miss the top seed. But if you’ve watched even a decent snapshot of Pittsburgh’s performances this season, it is essentially impossible to envisage a rosy conclusion. They have problems mounting, deficiencies that can’t be masked any longer and the feel of a boxer whose record got padded by an easy schedule and fortuitous circumstance. From the prospect of a perfect season … to looking perfectly beatable … the Steelers fairy-tale has quickly disintegrated. Here’s what others have said … Danny Heifetz, The Ringer: “When a team starts out strong and endures a late losing streak, we usually assess what has changed. But what’s most concerning for the Steelers is that many of their problems aren’t new. Several preexisting issues have simply gotten worse.” Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “My memory isn’t what it used to be. I’ll admit that. But I don’t remember the Steelers’ offense being this bad last season. Ben Roethlisberger was supposed to solve all the problems for a team that scored 10 or fewer points in four of the final eight games last season, with all four games resulting in losses and no playoffs. He did just that for much of this season, leading the Steelers to a 10-0 start and putting his name in NFL MVP conversation. But all that talk has stopped … I’m guessing Roethlisberger and his offense will play better next Monday night in the game at Cincinnati for two reasons. One, the Steelers always beat the Bengals. And two, they can’t possibly play worse.” Brandon Marshall, First Things First: “First off, Big Ben: You guys are really good at offense, you guys just have commitment issues. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ issue is committing to the run. Why wouldn’t you commit to the run? When you look at them the last eight weeks, they made this drastic shift. How do you go from running the ball really well the first five weeks of the season to now being last in all major categories in the run game. Lean on the run to open the passing game, Big Ben.” |
“If our team doesn’t face enough adversity early on in a season, I create it. Nothing builds a team like adversity.” — Mike Tomlin
