Suddenly, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone from being on top of the world to looking awful in back-to-back games. This always looked like the most daunting part of their schedule, and the results have reflected that. The Philadelphia Eagles crushed them, and now the Baltimore Ravens have run through them. The Steelers don’t have much time to fix their issues either. Cam Heyward doesn’t want anyone using their schedule as an excuse, though.
“This is what you sign up for,” Heyward said after the Steelers’ 34-17 loss to the Ravens via the team’s YouTube channel. “It’s football. No matter who it is, I sign up for everything. I know everybody in our locker room does. When the schedule’s made, you just play it.”
Heyward is right to not start making excuses. The Ravens were just the better team Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. The Steelers did get in their own way too much, but the Ravens played a better game. The same could be said about the Eagles. No one else is to blame other than the team itself.
Take one look at what Derrick Henry did to the Steelers. On 24 carries, Henry put up 162 rushing yards. That’s simply unacceptable for the Steelers’ defense. They did a good job stopping the run last week, but that was not the case against the Ravens.
The Steelers’ schedule has done them no favors in terms of getting rest late in the year. They’re in the middle of a stretch of three games in 11 days. Heyward isn’t using that as an excuse, but it could be a reason why their defense looks so battered. They’ve put a lot of stress on their bodies recently.
Still, that doesn’t mean they can come out and lack physicality. That toughness has defined them all year, but they’ve gotten pushed around over the last few weeks. They do not look like the same team that was sitting comfortably atop the AFC North.
Hopefully, the rest of the team shares Heyward’s feelings. The Steelers don’t have much time to grieve this loss. In only a few days, they have to play the Kansas City Chiefs. This loss stings, but they have a chance to get back on track. Beating the Chiefs will be no easy feat, but if the Steelers can do that, maybe they’ll reclaim some of the confidence they had earlier in the year.
