After dropping to 10-6 following their third straight loss, this one a 29-10 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, the Pittsburgh Steelers have squandered their lead in the AFC North and look destined to be a Wild Card team. Former NFL linebacker and current ESPN analyst Bart Scott thinks the Steelers are still a good team but only that because of their lack of weapons in the passing game.
“I think they just showed that they’re a good team, not a great team. And when they go against other teams that they can’t Tomlin their way into victories, then they’re gonna come up short because of the lack of weapons on the outside,” Scott said on Get Up this morning.
While the Steelers got WR George Pickens back against Kansas City, the offense still didn’t have a lot of success, partially due to two turnovers, including one inside the red zone, which was partially Pickens’ fault. While he had three receptions for 50 yards, second on the team to Pat Freiermuth’s seven receptions for 60 yards, the Steelers haven’t had another receiver consistently step up and pose a weekly threat for defenses.
Calvin Austin III has had some flashes, but Mike Williams hasn’t panned out as the outside receiver the Steelers likely expected when they acquired him, and it’s something that’s held Pittsburgh back. The Steelers’ offensive line wasn’t good against Kansas City, but there were a few sacks that were the result of Russell Wilson holding onto the ball too long because no one was getting open downfield.
There are a lot of other issues plaguing the Steelers right now, their defensive communication chief among them as well as losing the turnover battle each of the last two weeks. Those are key reasons why the Steelers are losing, but they’re even more hamstrung when you consider that they just don’t have another reliable receiver to bolster the offense. That could cover up for some other issues, but it’s something that’s been an issue for the Steelers for most of the season and is now showing itself again late in the season.
The lack of a No. 2 receiver has been something the Steelers have dealt with all season, and they’ve been able to win in spite of that. So it’s not among their biggest issues right now, but it is a reason why the Steelers just aren’t on the same level as teams like the Chiefs and Eagles. If they can get back to playing their brand of football and win the possession battle and the turnover battle, they’ll be fine even without as many weapons as other teams. But it’s an issue that really shows when the Steelers aren’t doing the things that helped them win earlier this season.
