Okay, let’s re-evaluate.
After the Steelers’ 27-14 win over the Browns, Pittsburgh was 10-3 and heading into a big game against Philadelphia that was a great yardstick by which to measure their standing as the playoffs approached. Pittsburgh currently holds the rights to a home playoff game in the wild card round due to its strong performance during the regular season and clinched a postseason berth despite a 27-13 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
But in Sunday’s loss, the Steelers showed troubling failures in terms of matching the best team in the NFL, which is close to the caliber of teams they will need to beat in order to move forward in January. They are probably closer to a team that has a good game in the wild card round than a team that is a real threat to win it all.
The Steelers have been feeling the absence of top receiver George Pickens, who has been out the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. In the two games in which they did not have Pickens, the Steelers have been one of the worst offenses in American football. According to TruMedia, they rank 29th in success rate (34.5%), 30th in expected offensive points added (-24.1), and 27th in putback success rate (36.4%). That’s not surprising considering their wide receiver depth is a known issue, but having the entire offense become a hamburger without Pickens is an alarming sight.
His presence was needed against the Eagles, who largely put the Steelers in a box. The Eagles have arguably had the best defense in football for most of the season and they showed why again on Sunday. Pittsburgh had nothing offensively against Philadelphia in the first half. The Steelers averaged 2.7 yards per play, 2.9 yards per dropback and had just one explosive play. Without the help of their defense and special teams, they would have reached the half with fewer than the 13 points they struggled to achieve. They didn’t have an easy time with Pickens out and didn’t really have a presence on the field as a team. If the Steelers aren’t running the ball well, which is most weeks, and they don’t have Pickens, they really don’t have much to do.
That part of the Steelers’ loss wasn’t surprising, but the way they ultimately lost the game was. The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league, but they let the Eagles hold off to finish the game. A Najee Harris fumble, on one of two quality drives the Steelers had, led to an Eagles touchdown that gave them a 27-13 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. On the final drive of the game, the Eagles ran 21 plays for 88 yards and took advantage the last 10:29 of the game clock to close it. Ten minutes and 29 seconds left on the Steelers’ clock.
The Steelers’ run defense has been a little shaky this season, and Pittsburgh was facing an incredible running team, but not being able to get off the field for almost a full quarter of the game clock is surprisingly bad.
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The Steelers, or any team that plays professional football, are unlikely to give up on such an initiative for the rest of the season. The fact that it happened means this defense has a weak spot that can kill in a single-game sample. They need more help from the offense, but they are too incapacitated without Pickens on the field, which is a problem in itself. A Super Bowl offense probably shouldn’t completely fall apart without Pickens, but the Steelers should.
This team is certainly better than recent Steelers teams that haven’t been a playoff threat, but they are still a long way from being the team they want to be, one that can win multiple games in January.