At the start of December, the Steelers were undefeated and one game ahead of the defending champion Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Much has changed over the last three weeks, however, as the Steelers are now 11-3 and are in jeopardy of making the playoffs as a wild-card team.
Less than 24 hours after the Bengals handed his team a 27-17 loss on "Monday Night Football," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gave an honest assessment of his team's current state. He also offered optimism as it relates to how his team will respond to its current adversity.
"We've got a body of work in recent weeks that has been not up to our standards," Tomlin said. "We acknowledge that we're not seeking comfort. Part of us working our way out of this is acknowledging that. We believe in our formula of preparation. We just simply have to do it better week in and week out ... There won't be sweeping changes in terms of our approach to what it is that we do. We just have to do it better."
While the Steelers are still in position to make a playoff run, there are several issues that are currently hindering Pittsburgh's Super Bowl aspirations. Here's a look a the main reasons for the Steelers' current struggles, along with some solutions that could help Pittsburgh get back on track.
1. Ben Roethlisberger
Drops, not Roethlisberger's play, was the main reason why the Steelers fell to Washington in Week 13. His play was, however, a considerably large reason why the Steelers lost to Buffalo and Cincinnati. Against the Bills, his pick-six before halftime shifted momentum in Buffalo's favor. Against the Bengals, his interception to cornerback Mackensie Alexander set up Cincinnati's second touchdown to extend its lead to 17-0. Roethlisberger struggled with his accuracy in both losses. He also missed open receivers that included being off-target on an open JuJu Smith-Schuster on first down in Pittsburgh's last attempt to tie the score in Cincinnati.
Injury could be a reason for Roethlisberger's recent decline. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora recently reported that there is growing concern within the Steelers' organization as it relates to Roethlisberger's knee, which Big Ben himself admitted wasn't 100% following the team's loss in Buffalo. If Roethlisberger is playing hurt, it would be wise for Tomlin to rest his quarterback for at least one of the two remaining regular season games. A week off would give his 38-year-old quarterback a chance to get healthy for the playoffs. The Steelers will not win a playoff game, let alone the Super Bowl, without a highly-effective Roethlisberger under center. A rested and healthy Roethlisberger increases the Steelers' odds of success come January.
2. A predictable offensive game plan
The Steelers did not score fewer than 24 points in any of their first 10 games. Since then, they've scored just 19, 17, 15 and 17 points. What happened? Defenses started getting wise to Pittsburgh's quick passing attack. Starting with their unimpressive Week 12 win over the Ravens, defenses have been using mostly man coverages. They've also been moving their safeties up to cut down on Pittsburgh's intermediate passes. Defenses are daring the Steelers to try more deep passes, which has not been Roethlisberger's forte this season. Defenses are also unafraid of a weak Steelers' rushing attack that has reached 100 yards just once over the past eight games.
To fix their offense, Pittsburgh has to find more ways to get the ball to their playmakers. Bubble screens, shovel passes, and jet sweeps are high percentage plays that can help get Roethlisberger and the offense into an early groove. Roethlisberger also has to put more trust into Smith-Schuster, who just two years ago caught 111 passes while winning team MVP. As far as the running game is concerned, Tomlin said on Tuesday that Benny Snell has earned more reps following his 84-yard effort in Cincinnati. That should lead to more success on the ground, especially with James Conner's expected return after missing Monday's game with a quad injury.
Pittsburgh also has to get back to what they do well while also forcing defenses to respect other facets of their offense. While defenses are focused on stopping the intermediate routes, the Steelers have to continue to utilize Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington on short passes. At the same time, Pittsburgh, as it did on Monday night, has to continue to take deep shots that should eventually help open things up for the rest of the offense.
3. Three games in 12 days
The Steelers won't publicly use this as an excuse, but it's clear that the shuffling of their schedule due to COVID-19 has negatively impacted their recent on-field performance. Pittsburgh had their bye week moved from Week 8 to Week 4 after the Titans' COVID-19 outbreak. The Ravens' recent outbreak resulted in the NFL moving the Steelers-Ravens Thanksgiving Day game to the following Wednesday. The result was three games in 24 days for the Steelers, who went 1-2 in those games. During that span, Pittsburgh suffered injuries to linebacker Bud Dupree (knee), cornerback Joe Haden (concussion), linebacker Robert Spillane (knee), and lineman Kevin Dotson (shoulder). The Steelers also had to place Conner and Vince Williams on the team's COVID-19 list.
As with Roethlisberger, it would make sense for the Steelers to rest as many players as they can leading up to the playoffs. While Tomlin acknowledged on Tuesday that home field advantage in the playoffs is important to him, one would argue that having a healthier roster is more important. The Steelers can clinch a home game for the first round by beating the Colts on Sunday. If Pittsburgh is able to do that, ill will then be able to rest some players for its season-finale against the Browns.
4. Injuries at LB and on the offensive line
Pittsburgh's offensive line, one of the team's strongest units for several years, took a significant step backward this season. Last offseason, the team lost Ramon Foster to retirement and B.J. Finney in free agency. The Steelers then released veteran Stefen Wisniewski, who returned to Kansas City after being injured during most of his time in Pittsburgh. Zach Banner, who had earned a starting job coming out of training camp, tore his ACL in Week1.
Dotson has played well, but the offensive line still lacks the depth that it had just one season earlier. Given the line's limitations, Pittsburgh should consider using fullback Derek Watt more to help open things up for Conner, Snell and rookie Anthony McFarland. And while this solution won't help them in 2020, the Steelers have to be more proactive this offseason as it relates to rebuilding their offensive line, especially if left tackle Alejandro Villanueva departs in free agency.
As far as linebacker is concerned, the Steelers had to play on Monday without Spillane and Williams. Spillane, who had replaced Devin Bush in the starting lineup, is expected to return this season after sustaining an injury during Pittsburgh's loss to Washington. Williams is expected to be back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Colts. The Steelers will not be getting back Dupree, who tore his ACL in Week 12. And while rookie Alex Highsmith has played well in his absence, opposing offenses are taking advantage of his inexperience (an example of that is Ryan Finley's game-winning touchdown run on Monday night). To help resolve this issue, the Steelers should consider taking a look at Clay Matthews, who recorded eight sacks in nine games with the Rams in 2019.
5. Off-field distractions
Tomlin's time in Pittsburgh may very well earn him a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio when his coaching career is over. That being said, one of the biggest criticisms of Tomlin has been his handling of star players. His past treatment of Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and Roethlisberger came under scrutiny in recent years. Tomlin's handling of Smith-Schuster's decision to dance on opponents' logos during pregame is currently being scrutinized. Tomlin said he is going to have a conversation with Smith-Schuster as it relates to his logo dancing after Bengals safety Vonn Bell's jarring hit of Smith-Schuster forced a key turnover during Monday's game. Bell said prior to kickoff that he did was not a fan of Smith-Schuster's logo dancing, as the Bengals were clearly motivated to deliver a message to Pittsburgh's receiver once the ball was kicked off. Johnson, who received considerable criticism following his recent struggles, responded by going out early to catch passes during pregame warmups on Monday. Johnson's extra work paid off, as he led the Steelers in receptions while catching a touchdown pass.
Off-field distractions is part of playing professional sports. Oftentimes, it's the teams that handle those distractions the best are the ones that are hoisting a trophy at season's end. The Steelers have not been the best in recent years when it comes to handling distractions. How they navigate through Smith-Schuster's current situation will be an indicator of how the Steelers will deal with similar distractions moving forward in 2020.
