I know what you’re thinking. Which one? Pittsburgh was terrible at the end of both halves in its Saturday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. But we’re focusing on the second-half conclusion. With the Steelers only needing to get in field goal range for Chris Boswell to attempt a game-winning kick, a kicker having a historic season, Pittsburgh couldn’t come anywhere close.
The Steelers ran seven plays. Six of them were objectively terrible. In scheme, in execution, or both, let’s walk through the terrible way the Steelers ended their regular season. Moments that perfectly sum up their losing streak.
1. 1st and 10, Steelers’ 24: 1:51 remaining (One Timeout Left)
Outcome: Najee Harris Completion, 2-Yard Loss
First play of the drive. Russell Wilson doesn’t see anything open and begins to roll right, feeling pressure backside as RDE Trey Hendrickson gets around LT Dan Moore Jr. He narrowly avoids a sack but checks it down to RB Najee Harris, who is immediately tackled inbounds for a loss of two yards.
The first play of the drive is already off to a bad start. Lost yardage on a running clock with limited time and just one timeout left. An ominous sign.
2. 2nd and 12, Steelers’ 22: 1:30 remaining (One Timeout Left)
Outcome: Pat Freiermuth Completion, 3-Yard Gain
Pittsburgh hurries back to the line. Working out of empty, Wilson again sees nothing downfield and checks it in the left flat to TE Pat Freiermuth. The throw is barely across the line of scrimmage and like the first play, the Bengals are quick to close and Freiermuth is tackled before he can go out of bounds. Clock keeps running.
Two plays in and the Steelers have gained one yard, burned more than 40 seconds of clock, and are facing third-and-long. The exact opposite of how you want to start.
3. 3rd and 9, Steelers’ 25: 1:09 remaining (One Timeout Left)
Outcome: Pat Freiermuth Completion, 17-Yard Gain
The one and only positive result. Pittsburgh running four-verts, Freiermuth bending his route away from the outside-leveraged linebacker. Wilson puts the ball on him and Freiermuth hauls in the catch, a 17-yard gain out past the Steelers’40. Now needing roughly just 20 yards to get into Boswell range and still with a timeout, Pittsburgh had hope.
4. 1st and 10, Steelers’ 42: 0:46 remaining (One Timeout Left)
Outcome: Russell Wilson Scramble, 3-Yard Gain
Hope that soon evaporated. Feeling some pressure off the edge but rolling out instead of climbing, Wilson cuts down half the field and has nothing available. With a clear pack of Bengals defenders staring him down, Wilson should chuck it away as he’s done so many times before.
Instead, he scrambles to gain only three yards. Like his Baltimore fumble, all that results in is a hard shot from ex-Steeler Mike Hilton, hardly any gain, and more clock off the board. Time continues to tick as the Bengals wisely pile on Wilson, making it harder for him to get up and return to the line of scrimmage.
Mike Tomlin declines to use his final timeout.
5. 2nd and 7, Steelers’ 45: 0:27 remaining (One Timeout Left)
Outcome: Russell Wilson Sack, 5-Yard Loss
From bad to worse. With the clock really becoming a factor, Wilson is sacked as Moore is beat around the edge by Trey Hendrickson, who became the NFL’s sack leader Saturday night. Wilson tries to climb but can’t escape, sacked as the team loses five yards and is forced to burn its final timeout.
6. 3rd and 12, Steelers’ 40: 0:20 remaining (Zero Timeouts Left)
Outcome: George Pickens Incompletion
To this point, the drive had been a mess. Even still, Pittsburgh had two chances to win. A nice play call from OC Arthur Smith, running WR George Pickens on a double move, faking an out to the sticks before accelerating vertically. He toasts Bengals rookie corner Josh Newton and is wide open down the right sideline with only the deep safety trying to come over in time.
But the throw and route aren’t aligned. Pickens runs more upfield while the throw takes him to the sideline. Pickens tries to reach back but unlike his highlight Cleveland catch can’t bring this one in. I’ve shown it from two angles.
Who is to blame will be another question that could stir up this week. I’d put this on Wilson more than Pickens. Pickens has the corner stacked and there’s no need to make the catch more difficult by having him drift wide. Anything throw front shoulder and downfield that hits Pickens in stride will be complete (assuming no drop, which Pickens was guilty of three times against the Bengals) and it’s easier for him to either score or run out of bounds than adjust his route.
Still, I can’t say with total confidence who is at fault. Could this be the Steelers’ version of Pickens not running the red line? No matter where blame lies, this is an incredible missed opportunity that could’ve made every other mistake to this point forgivable.
7. 4th and 12, Steelers’ 40: 0:15 remaining (Zero Timeouts Left)
Outcome: Pat Freiermuth Incompletion
The final play. Another vertical concept with the back leaking out to hold the underneath defender. Wilson, to his credit, puts this one on the money to Freiermuth on a similar crosser/bender as the 17-yard catch. This one just sifts right through Freiermuth’s hands, an unacceptable drop for the normally sure-handed tight end.
Of the seven plays Pittsburgh ran, six were bad. Drops, missed connections, sacks, bad scramble decisions, checkdowns that provided little benefit. For a team that preaches situational football as much as the Steelers, they were horrific at the end of both halves. The first half blunder gave the Bengals a late field goal in what became a two-point win. Their failures on their final drive of 2024 cemented their losing streak and the six-seed, a trip to Baltimore on the other side.
