The Pittsburgh Steelers have been as big a mess as ever over the last three games. The offense hasn’t scored 20 points in a single outing. And the defense is giving up around 30 points a game. It’s been a disaster during a stretch where the Steelers had the opportunity to secure the AFC North. Now they have to depend on the Cleveland Browns beating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 while also defeating the Cincinnati Bengals for the second time this season.
It’s looking ugly. The only bright spot is that the Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot. But that won’t matter if the team doesn’t clean up the issues on both sides of the ball. Perhaps the most concerning part has been the glaring miscommunications that have plagued the defense over the last three weeks. Even DL Cam Heyward spoke about his frustration with the lack of quality communication.
It’s an issue that has led to multiple opposing receivers getting wide open for easy completions and even touchdowns. It’s a big concern heading into the playoffs. Especially with offenses like the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Buffalo Bills looming. And playing as one is something that former Steelers DB Bryant McFadden says legendary Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau preached.
“Communication is the key,” McFadden said when he joined the PM Team on 93.7 The Fan on Friday. “When I was there with Coach LeBeau, he always emphasized talking. When you play the game of football, especially on the defensive side, you’re not in the library. You’re not in class. You can be as loud as you want. You want to make sure everyone understands what they’re supposed to do. And Dick LeBeau used to tell us, ‘I don’t care if you guys are playing the wrong defense from what I called. But if everybody’s on the same page and everyone’s playing the wrong defense, I’m okay with that because we’re not gonna have any lapses. We’re not going to have any holes in any level of the defense.'”
Over the last few weeks, there have been gaping holes in the Steelers’ defense. All it takes is a quick look at defenders after plays to see the confusion. And players like Heyward, S DeShon Elliott, and LB Patrick Queen have all expressed their displeasure with the issues.
But the real question is why are there so many communication breakdowns? Steelers insider Mark Kaboly says that it seems like the players speaking out want to name someone specific but aren’t doing it in public. Yet the issues seem to go beyond just one player. Otherwise, it would be an easy fix. Just bench the player and the problem would go away, right?
Whatever the issue is, it’s causing a lot of problems for the Steelers. And it isn’t like no-name players are victimizing them, either.
“How many times did we watch Travis Kelce, the best pass catcher for the Kansas City Chiefs, first ballot Hall of Famer wide open?” McFadden asked. “No one is around him. Those are things that we saw in the Baltimore Ravens game. Those are the things that we saw in the Philadelphia Eagles game. So those are plays that when you’re playing against that type of competition, they’re gonna put you in positions to lose.”
And lo and behold, the Steelers are now 10-6 and in a Wild Card spot after entering this stretch at 10-3 and atop the AFC North. No question that the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Chiefs are among the league’s best. But the Steelers cannot afford to keep shooting themselves in the foot. Former NFL LB Bart Scott said that the Steelers have to play perfectly in order to win games. And they just aren’t right now.
