The Pittsburgh Steelers did not do enough to beat the Cleveland Browns. After an intense battle against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers were riding high. However, they couldn’t carry that momentum into Week 12. They are still 8-3, so the sky isn’t falling yet. Russell Wilson stated that the Steelers are upset at this game’s results, but they aren’t going to dwell on it.
“There’s more there, and that’s the good thing is that we’re gonna search for that every day,” Wilson said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “We’re not gonna blink on that. I love this football team. This is the right guys, the right energy. This is the right response. We are disappointed, but we’re not discouraged. We’re not flinching in the midst of it. And so, we’ll respond the right way.”
For the Steelers’ sake, Wilson better be correct. The team wasn’t under ideal circumstances this week, but neither were the Browns. The Steelers came out flat, showing up too late to secure victory. With the way their schedule looks, they can’t have too many more outings like this one.
It wasn’t just the Steelers’ offense that let the team down either. Their defense had some real issues at times. Their pass rush was as sluggish as their offense. While their coverage was strong for the most part, the Browns just made more plays than them. Maybe nothing was worse than their coaching though. Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith were not at their best this week.
Thankfully, the Steelers get a decent break before they play the Cincinnati Bengals. They’ll want to get back to the drawing board for some things too. Their short-yardage offense in particular needs some tweaking. Against the Browns, they made converting a third or fourth-and-short look impossible.
There are still some positive takeaways to have. Like Wilson says, the Steelers did a good job trying to fight back into that game. Early in the fourth quarter, it looked like they had no chance, but their defense created opportunities. Wilson played some of his best ball down the stretch too. The Steelers just need to quit falling flat on their face to start games. If they can do that, they’ll be right as rain.
