Things might seem bleak for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They just lost to the Cleveland Browns, who are at the bottom of the AFC North. Not only did they lose, but they looked awful for most of the game as well. Their offense looked stagnant, and their defense struggled to get pressure on Browns QB Jameis Winston. Even their special teams units looked out of sync. Former Steelers offensive tackle Ryan Harris believes they’re still in a good spot though.
“I really think this is the Steelers’ division to lose,” Harris said Friday on NFL on CBS on Twitter. “That could happen coming down the final quarter of the season. You talk about Mike Tomlin, a Hall of Fame coach, will he get an 18th consecutive season without a losing record?
“That’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. Is Russell Wilson going to be ready in the fourth quarter? It’s inevitable. They play a style of football most teams are unwilling to play due to patience.”
Harris isn’t wrong. The Steelers’ season isn’t over just because they lost to the Browns. It was disappointing and frustrating, but it isn’t the end of the world. The Steelers are still 8-3 and lead the AFC North.
However, it is true that they could easily lose that top spot. The Steelers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier going forward. Their next game is against the Cincinnati Bengals and their high-octane offense. It won’t be long before they see the Browns again too. If they don’t clean up some of their issues from Thursday night, they could be in trouble.
Luckily, the Steelers’ problems seem fixable. Their offense has been too slow to start games and hasn’t been able to finish in the red zone. They do have the weapons to change that though. Arthur Smith didn’t have his best game in Week 12, but he’s proven to be a solid play caller. Over this small upcoming break, he could solve some of those issues.
The Steelers’ defense also had a concerning performance against the Browns, but that might have just been a byproduct of a short week after the Ravens game. The unit has been elite for most of the season and made several splash plays to keep the Steelers in the game against the Browns. It isn’t time to hit the panic button with that group.
The reality is that the Steelers had a bad game. The Browns gave them opportunities to win, but they failed to capitalize. That happens though. It was unlikely they were going to be perfect down the stretch. One bad game shouldn’t erase all the good they’ve done this year. If the same problems surface next week, maybe there should be more concern. Until then, the Steelers are what their record says they are.
