Before this last three-game stretch, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in control of their own destiny in the AFC North. Then came the three-game losing streak against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs. All three of those teams are playoff teams.
It’s shaken almost all confidence in the Steelers’ chances of playoff success. And we all knew that was a point of emphasis heading into 2024 after another first-round exit in 2023. So what’s going on that people are now expecting the Steelers will be a one-and-done team in this year’s playoffs?
“It’s the inconsistencies on offense and also on defense,” former NFL WR Harry Douglas said Thursday on ESPN’s Get Up. “I just watched the game that they played against the Chiefs ’cause I’m calling the Chiefs and Broncos game. And the amount of times that receivers are running wide open. It’s terrible. You have a go route by Justin Watson and Donte Jackson, who they traded for, he just lets him go. And it’s an explosive play. So the details, they need to refine the details. Offensively, you look at Russell Wilson, got sacked five times versus the Kansas City Chiefs. If you can’t protect Russell Wilson, they have no chance whatsoever. So I think across the board, it’s the details and being detail-oriented in everything that they do.”
Offensively, the Steelers looked to be playing better after head coach Mike Tomlin switched from QB Justin Fields to Russell Wilson for Week 7. That kick-started a six-week stretch of 300+ yards of total offense. During the first six weeks, the Steelers only had two such games. And to start Wilson’s Steelers career, the offense scored at least 26 points in three straight games. That only happened once in the first six games of the season.
But the offense has struggled as of late. During that three-game losing streak, the Steelers failed to score more than 17 points in a single game. They haven’t had a single game of 200+ passing yards during that stretch, either. Wilson has also turned the ball over five times officially in the last three games.
And there’s the aforementioned Chiefs game where Wilson was sacked five times. The Chiefs managed that without star DL Chris Jones, too.
Not only have the offensive struggles shaken confidence in the possibility of playoff wins, they have shaken confidence in the possibility of the Steelers retaining Wilson, too. Former NFL LB Emmanuel Acho thinks that it would be tough to sign Wilson to a new contract with a lot of money if the Steelers continue to struggle on offense against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday and into the playoffs.
And it’s not like the defense is holding up its side of the bargain, either. Head coach Mike Tomlin loves to have a dominant defense. They keep games close and takes the pressure off the offense. But the defense allowed 400+ total yards of offense against the Eagles and the Ravens. And then the Steelers failed to record a single turnover for only the third time this season when they played the Chiefs on Christmas.
As Douglas said, the defense has continually allowed pass catchers to get wide open for easy receptions and even easy touchdowns. Steeler Depot’s Alex Kozora took a look at the film to diagnose what happened on some of the biggest coverage busts. As he says, sometimes only the players and the team know exactly who was at fault. But there are certainly times when we can see that the defense was slow to communicate or react to the communication. And it leads to big plays.
That’s the kind of detail that the Steelers need to pay attention to going forward. Because the tests don’t get any easier. They host the Bengals on Saturday night to close out the regular season. The Bengals will be playing for their playoff lives. The Steelers may not have a shot at the AFC North depending on the Ravens game earlier on Saturday. But even if they are locked into a Wild Card spot, seeding is still in play. Plus, they need to get back on the same page before the playoffs start.
If the Steelers want to have any shot of winning in the playoffs, they need to get both sides of the ball playing better. And that starts with getting the finer details worked out. Offensively, that’s doing a better job of keeping Russell Wilson upright. That’s both on the offensive line and on Wilson. Defensively, they absolutely need to clean up their communication issues.
Otherwise, it will be another year of playoff futility.
