The Steelers are stuck living up to a reputation that doesn't fit who they are now
New season, same Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury in 2019 began the end of his career, Pittsburgh has essentially been playing the same brand of football. Scrape by, build hope, get trounced in the playoffs.
Understandably, many people have suggested it’s time for a major shakeup, including the potential replacement of long-time head coach Mike Tomlin. That feels like a bridge too far, but the Steelers can no longer deny the reality of their situation and that they’ve probably reached the end of the road with this current setup.
Normally, the Steelers would be stacking up wins to this point in the season, but this year they’ve fallen from 4-1 to 5-4 and their most recent string of games has featured an alarming trend where the offense has been nonexistent. That was on display before a national prime-time audience Sunday in a 25-10 drubbing against the Los Angeles Chargers.
What felt like a surefire playoff team a month ago is now on the brink of dropping to second place in the AFC North, with the immediate future of the team in greater question than before.
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Whatever groove this offense was in prior to its Week 5 bye is gone. The Steelers’ offense went from from a unit that could have spurts of solid play to a group that doesn’t seem to have anything it can rely on anymore. Over the Steelers’ past four games, in which they’re 1-3, 47.8% of their drives have failed to gain a first down and they’re averaging just 24.7 yards per drive — both bottom-four figures in the league.
They were never going to be a world beater on offense this year, but they had been good enough where it looked different than years past when the offense was an anchor on what was usually a good defense.
The problem this year for Pittsburgh is its defense is among the worst in the league, which is uncharacteristic for this franchise. The Steelers have the perfect concoction of young players trying to figure out the game, veterans not being as spry as they used to be and just enough players going in and out of the lineup with injuries where they haven’t quite been at full strength. Regardless, this defense ranks 30th on the season in opposing success rate (45.9%), and the only thing keeping the Steelers alive is the unsteady guarantee of turnover luck.
Pittsburgh has been great at getting turnovers this season, ranking fourth in turnover rate (14.7% of drives ending in a turnover), but that’s not something to count on week to week. Being a defense that lives and dies off sacks, turnovers and other splash plays is a dangerous way to live, and when they don’t get those moments, it can be ugly for a unit that suddenly looks like it needs to undergo a massive rebuilding project. On drives where the Steelers don’t get a turnover, they’re giving up 2.6 points per drive and a whopping 79% of those drives get at least one first down, ranking 30th in the NFL.
The Steelers don’t have a stout unit anymore and that’s going to be a serious problem for them if their offense is going to be stuck in the mud like they have been the past few weeks.
With Lamar Jackson and the Ravens now just one game behind the Steelers in the standings with both games against them yet to be played, Pittsburgh is suddenly fighting for its postseason life. Normally, this part happens in December with this current version of the Steelers — which could be a blessing! They have stretched this post-Roethlisberger era as far as it can go, but they’ve reached the limit of the quarterback musical chairs they’ve been playing for the past few years.
Tomlin has been too productive to let go, and he has earned the right to see this team into the next era. But the Steelers need to be willing to start it.