Just one week of the regular season to go.
Only a few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have the division tied up.
Some were even discussing the outside possibility of claiming the number one seed in the conference.
What a difference now. As Week 18 arrives, while the playoffs may be secured, if they were to start today the Steelers would be going in with a whimper – and that is offensive to whimpers.
Is it too late to turn this malaise around or has the rot set in too deep for Pittsburgh to fix it?
Where it went wrong?
Week 13’s thrilling victory against the Cincinnati Bengals seemed to be the high point in the Steelers season.
Victory against the Browns the following week left them with a record of 10-3 and looking ahead, dreaming of home field advantage in January.
At that point they had numerous impressive victories against potential playoff teams, and the offense seemed to be reaching a new level at the perfect point in the season.
Since then though, the team has floundered on both sides of the ball. The offense has been underwhelming to say the least. They have been unable to score more than 17 points in the following three games.
They have given up an average of 30 points over these games as well. For a team that relies heavily on its defense to keep them in games, this has been the straw that has broken the camel’s back.
Recent results cause for concern
It should be said that the three aforementioned games came against the Ravens, Eagles and Chiefs – who are some of the top teams in the league.
This is the calibre of teams that are in the playoffs though. To get anywhere in the postseason a team must navigate the challenges these games bring.
Unfortunately my beliefs have not wavered all season in regards to this. As I have said previously, this team is far too limited on offense to win multiple games in the playoffs.
There will be too many times this offense will be in ‘3rd and Long’ and requiring a big play. I do not think Russell Wilson can make enough plays for the offense to succeed.
