Despite losing five straight games and tapping out in the Wild Card round with a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, TE Pat Freiermuth believes that the Steelers are heading in the right direction. Speaking to the media on Monday, Freiermuth expressed optimism that the Steelers will figure things out.
“We started off the season how we wanted to, were 10-3 at one point, with a game going into Baltimore with a chance to win the division. That was the first time that we’ve been able to have that opportunity since I’ve been here. So I feel like we’re going in the right direction as an offense and as a team for sure. But obviously, we gotta figure out how to finish stronger in the last part of the season,” Freiermuth said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
It’s true that this was Freiermuth’s first season since being drafted in 2021 that the Steelers had a chance to clinch the AFC North, but they weren’t able to take care of business and win the division. It’s also telling that the organization has fallen to the point that it took until Freiermuth’s fourth season to have a chance at clinching the division, but it was a positive that the Steelers reached that point this year.
But the way the season ended squandered a lot of the goodwill from earlier in the year. When the Steelers were 10-3, they were able to control and move the ball on offense, hit deep shots when needed, and force turnovers defensively while getting off the field. That completely went away down the stretch with the offense failing to score more than 17 points or hold a lead at any point in their five-game losing streak, and the defense only forced five turnovers during that stretch.
When the Steelers were playing well, it was the best they’ve looked during Freiermuth’s tenure, and the quarterback situation looked good. But what transpired late in the season again leaves them with questions at quarterback, and just how much better this team can be with serious question marks at the most important position is a real question. It makes sense why Freiermuth would be positive given that the offense did look good for portions of the seasons, but it’s hard to see how things get significantly better for the Steelers any time soon. Russell Wilson wants to be back, and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers view him as the player he was after he first took over in Week 7 or the player who struggled down the stretch, although he did make some plays in the playoff loss.
As far as his season went, Freiermuth set a career-high in receptions with 65 and tied his career-high with seven touchdowns. If he can build on that production and continue to be a reliable weapon for the Steelers, that will help things offensively. But after eight straight season without a playoff win, it’s hard to feel particularly positive about Pittsburgh’s chances moving forward.
With that being said, it’s two days after the Wild Card loss, and the way this team approaches the offseason could bring some positivity. And in July when the Steelers report for training camp, hope springs eternal. It’s just hard to get excited about this team and this offense right now with how they completely fell apart late in the season.
