There’s an old saying about victories that cost too much: something like you won the battle, but you lost the war. Well, on Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers lost both the battle and the war.
It was bad enough falling at home to the Cincinnati Bengals (now four games ahead in the loss column for the AFC North lead), but the Steelers also suffered a blow to the very heart and soul of what makes them a dangerous football team.
While there is plenty of talent to go around for all three phases, the core of it is Pittsburgh’s playmakers at the skill positions.
One could argue that Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are the NFL’s number one and two most dynamic offensive players. With Bell done for the season thanks to a gruesome MCL tear, the Steelers lost a whole lot of firepower and their chances of getting to the playoffs took a serious hit.
Let’s take a look around the web and see where the experts are ranking them after Sunday’s disaster.
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NFL.com: #9
“I didn’t make good throws.” That was Ben Roethlisberger after Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, with two fourth-quarter interceptions costing the Steelers a potential divisional win sans their most dynamic player.”
ESPN: #13
“The Steelers were finally healthy again, but then lost RB Le’Veon Bell for the season with a torn MCL. Bell had averaged a league-high 119 scrimmage yards per game since 2013.”
Yahoo Sports: #9
“I don’t think Le’Veon Bell’s injury totally wrecks them, because DeAngelo Wiliams has been better than expected. But clearly you can’t just lose a player of Bell’s ability and not feel it.”
Bleacher Report: #15
“The Pittsburgh Steelers could fall much further than this soon. In fact, staying in playoff contention just became a steep challenge.”
SB Nation: #14
“Cincy’s defense was the star in this game, picking off Big Ben three times while making the statement that they are the owners of the AFC North.”
Fox Sports: #11
“Only 10 teams have allowed fewer points than the Steelers, just one season after the team allowed the 15th-most points in the NFL.”
Fansided: #12
“Roethlisberger looked terribly rusty. Pittsburgh’s loss bumped them down to 4-4, and despite playing admirably they lag severely behind the 7-0 Bengals.”
Next: Steelers: Week 8 quotes, comments
As you can see, this is quite a drop than where the Steelers were a few weeks ago. Consecutive losses inside your conference will do that.
Yahoo Sports is entirely too high on Pittsburgh with their number nine ranking, and Bleacher Report is too low at 15. This week I think Fansided nailed it at number 12.
The Steelers just got punched in the gut by fate. The question is do they fold or keep fighting?