Just seven days ago, before the Week 11 win over the Baltimore Ravens, CBS Sports’ Adam Schein was admitting that he was “dead wrong” about the Pittsburgh Steelers with their four-game win streak at the time. Things move quickly in the NFL. Following a loss to the 2-8 Cleveland Browns, his opinion has once again shifted in quite the opposite direction.
“We never had time to react to the Baltimore game for Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Those vibes are gone,” Schein said via CBS Sports’ That Other Pregame Show. “They took Cleveland for granted, and I feel very comfortable saying that because George Pickens said it out loud. He said we don’t respect them. We don’t think they’re that good. It was because of the weather and the snow. The conditions. Mike Tomlin, by the way, coached a terrible game.”
There really isn’t a great response to Schein because he is absolutely right. The Steelers have made a habit of suffering at least one or two of these types of losses every season. It’s one of the big indicators of their lack of consistency which has left to five straight losses in the playoffs.
Tomlin had some pretty puzzling decisions, including attempting a field goal of over 60 yards in the snow to spot the Browns great field position. Time management at the end of both halves was pretty bad. He also accepted a penalty at the end of the game which gave the Browns a do-over on third down. It actually felt like the players made enough plays for the most part to secure a win, but the coaching decisions flattened the results and made the Steelers suffer a narrow defeat.
“This team struggles against teams that are under .500,” Schein said. “The schedule is absolutely insane. Cincinnati next week in Cincinnati, then they have Cleveland, then Philly, at Baltimore. Look, if everything breaks right, they win two more. Anyone wanna fight me on that right now? I mean, I honestly have bad vibes right now when it comes to these Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Just a few days ago, the Steelers were being talked about as a potential dark horse candidate for the AFC 1-seed and a first-round bye. Those hopes are all but gone, and now many are viewing them as the same old Steelers that back their way into the playoffs only to suffer a first-round defeat.
It is going to be an uphill battle to reverse the trend with the remaining games on the schedule. The Browns were by far the worst team remaining. They play them again in a couple weeks, but otherwise have an absolutely gauntlet coming up.
