Detractors are coming out in droves after the Steelers’ 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. Obviously, that loss is just the tip of the iceberg for Pittsburgh, which is on a three-game slide as the playoffs approach.
The sudden stumble of late has lots of media pundits scratching their heads about how a plucky young team with a seemingly rejuvenated quarterback turned into a pumpkin, leading many to walk away from previous expectations. One media personality who is completely off Steelers hype is Gregg Rosenthal.
“They gave up 90 points over the last three weeks, I’m putting them on fraud watch,” Rosenthal said on NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal. “I mean you get to the biggest point of the season. You play three great teams, and you get beaten soundly by all three.”
Rosenthal’s co-host Patrick Clayborn was quick to push back on the notion, saying that if a few things changed about the Chiefs game on Christmas Day, it might have been a different result. Namely, Clayborn pointed to the Steelers getting behind early due to turnovers, forcing them away from what was an effective running game. Nevertheless, both hosts agreed the Chiefs are in a different class, and while the score may have looked different had the Steelers cleaned up some of those plays, the result would have remained the same.
Rosenthal, like many in the media, then pointed to the Steelers’ frustration after the deflating loss, seemingly showing some dissension within the unit.
“There’s something going on based on the postgame comments,” Rosenthal said. “There’s been all these different comments from defensive players. here’s sleuthing going on in the dark corners of Steelers Twitter and some of the reporters. They are not happy with something about how the defense is coaching or roles.”
While Clayborn kept the Steelers from entering fraud alert, they are slowly slipping that way. Over their last three games they have been outscored 90-40. Far from what you expect from a Super Bowl contender this late in the season. Add the communication issues on defense and you have a recipe for losses.
The glass-half-full version of this, however, is that the Steelers are coming off three games against some of the top teams in the NFL in just 11 days. I’m sure every player is mentally and physically exhausted, so hopefully this extended time off proves to be beneficial as the playoffs loom.
