Pittsburgh Steelers Post Game – Crashing and Burning

The first thought that comes to my mind after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens last Saturday 34-17, are two words…”in trouble.” When the NFL schedules came out last May and we saw Pittsburgh’s schedule, the focus was immediately on the final four games of the season. Even before the season began there was trepidation about having to face in succession, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Kansas City, and the season finale against the Bengals.

Because of a 10-3 start and losses by other teams, the Steelers had already qualified for a playoff spot even after the Eagles’ loss. However, with a chance to win the AFC North by defeating the Ravens, that did not happen after Baltimore crushed the Steelers by 17. Now with the world champion Chiefs coming to town in just a few days, it’s very possible and likely Pittsburgh will lose its third straight game. What is more concerning is that the Eagles have a shot at the top seed in the NFC, thus playoff bound, Baltimore clinched a playoff berth with the win over Pittsburgh, and Kansas City is close to securing the #1 seed in the AFC.

Those three teams are all playoff and Super Bowl caliber teams and thus far two of the three have smoked the Steelers. On the final day of this season Cincinnati comes rolling in with absolutely nothing to lose. In fact, if the Bengals beat the Browns this past Sunday and then defeat Denver and Pittsburgh, they will have a shot at a wild card. So essentially, the Steelers could very easily lose their last four games of the season.

I am sure that is not the way Mike Tomlin envisioned heading into the post season having lost four straight. What’s more disconcerting is we have to ask ourselves “how good are the Steelers…really?” Many have compared this season’s start to the 11-0 opening of the 2020 season with Ben Roethlisberger the starter when in the 12th game they were upset by the Washington Redskins then went ahead and lost three of the final four games to finished 12-4. 

The Steelers would then lose in the wild card round to the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh 48-37. Following last year’s one game exit up in Buffalo, team President Art Rooney II vowed to have Mike Tomlin make changes to avoid another one and done playoff run. All signs are now pointing to that happening again based on how the Steelers have looked the last two games, both losses.

Looking back at the Ravens loss, the most troubling aspect for me off the top of my head is Pittsburgh’s defense not being able to get off the field towards the end of the game. The Steelers have always strived to win the time of possession game, and in Philadelphia and now Baltimore, they were on the losing side of that statistic. As it was facing the Eagles, in the fourth quarter Philadelphia ate of way too much clock time and the Ravens repeated that in their victory over Pittsburgh. In the end, the Steelers finished with 27:35 of possession time and Baltimore 32:25. 

The other major problem was that in their first meeting the Steelers defense had an answer for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Not on this day. Henry had Pittsburgh’s defense for lunch rushing for 162 yards an 6.8 yards per carry. Justice Hill added two runs for 30 yards, and Lamar Jackson tacked on another 22. The team total for rushing was 220 yards where the Steelers had been holding opponents under 100. 

Jackson had a quarterback rating of 115.4 and threw three touchdown passes. He was only sacked once. They say that teams that can win the battle in the trenches will most often be the victors. The Baltimore Ravens absolutely controlled Pittsburgh’s defense with their efforts on the offensive line. While the Ravens were without some of their receivers, Zay Flowers was healthy and chewed up Pittsburgh’s secondary for 100 yards on just five receptions. One of his catches was 49 yards and between Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Derrick Henry, and Rashod Bateman, those four receivers had catches for 14 yards or more. 

For the Steelers offense it was glaringly apparent that without George Pickens on the field, Pittsburgh cannot generate enough offense to keep up with opponents and that puts pressure on the defense to limit the other team from scoring. The Steelers are lacking a quality #2 receiver in a big way. The thought was Pat Freiermuth would be a big target in 2024 but in Baltimore he targeted only three times, making all three catches but for just 16 yards. Terrible and not good game planning by Arthur Smith. Instead, Calvin Austin and from the backfield Jaylen Warren became Russell Wilson’s primary targets and they managed just nine receptions and 109 yards total between the two of them. The running attack tried just 24 runs between three players where Derrick Henry was handed the ball 26 times. 

Russell Wilson’s number were not terrible with a 92.6 QB rating, but on 33 pass attempts he missed on 11 of those and one missed passed turned into a killer pick six. Wilson also had one long run of his own that he fumbled near the goal line and the Ravens recovered stopping a potential touchdown on that play or an ensuing play. If you make mistakes against excellent teams, it will cost you nearly every time. In this case, the Steelers with the turnover gave away seven points then handed Baltimore seven on the interception.

Back on Pittsburgh’s defense, T.J. Watt was pretty much a non-factor. Patrick Queen on his return to Baltimore where he once played was the leading tackler but what Pittsburgh’s defense lacked was big splash plays. None. It’s becoming more and more curious as to where Minkah Fitzpatrick is during the game. He did make six tackles but when he first came to the Steelers, he was consistently making huge plays. Not anymore. The offense of Pittsburgh needs to begin helping the defense or the ensuing playoff run is going to be very brief.

In talking about Russell Wilson, my feeling now is while he has been an outstanding quarterback in the past, he has won a Super Bowl, but Art Rooney said at the conclusion of last season that the Steelers needed better quarterback play. So, all three of Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks were released, traded, or signed elsewhere. The thought of sending Kenny Pickett packing and Mason Rudolph not being resigned, and instead bringing in Wilson would be a cure all. Adding Justin Fields to the mix only cemented that feeling.

After Fields won four of his first six starts, Wilson took over and helped the offense to its part is starting a winning streak but now after nine games, Wilson and the Steelers are 6-3 not much better than Fields calling signals and beginning the season 4-2. My biggest drawback on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields is this…both lack that “IT” factor. All elite quarterbacks have it. Patrick Mahomes? Definitely has that something special about him. 

Josh Allen? He’s having an M.V.P. season and his Buffalo Bills team in my opinion is going to win this whole thing and take the Super Bowl. Big Ben Roethlisberger had the “it.” Joe Burrow has it. Lamar Jackson has it. C.J. Stroud has some uncanny skills. Justin Herbert even shows some WOW now and then. It seems even Baker Mayfield has resurrected some game-changing abilities he didn’t show before.

Some of the QBs in this year’s draft look like they might be special. Take Bo Nix for example as the Denver Broncos inch closer to a wild card spot. Then we have Wilson and Fields. While Justin Fields is very athletic, he hasn’t shown enough to have jaws drop or build any confidence that he can be and elite quarterback. The way I look at it now as the crystal ball is pulled out, for the Pittsburgh Steelers to start seriously competing for a Super Bowl they need to improve their ability by the defense to make more big plays and stop opposing offenses at crucial times.

Offensively, we simply can’t rely on George Pickens to save the day very game out. But it begins with the quarterback. If I am Mike Tomlin and Omar Kahn, I let Russell Wilson walk after the season, keep Justin Fields around only because of his athletic abilities, and find that next Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger. The only way we get back to the Super Bowl is with an elite quarterback.

Now don’t get me wrong. Anything can happen in the NFL and hopefully the Steelers prove me wrong. However, given the performances of the last two weeks, the Steelers have given me no confidence that they can challenge for the AFC title. I can’t see them beating the Chiefs on Christmas Day unless they come up with a superior offensive game plan and find a way to neutralize Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, two facets of their offense nearly impossible to stop. 



We already know the Steelers are in the playoffs. Whether it is as AFC North champions or a wild card entry they will be playing in the first round because of the new rule of only one team receiving a bye. We don’t know yet if their first game is a home or road game but no matter what, they will have to win three straight to get to the big dance and how Buffalo and Kansas City have been plying, I don’t think that can happen.