Could injuries take a toll on Steelers playoff chances?

After suffering a 7-21 loss to the Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to look forward with injuries riddling the roster.

It was a forgettable loss, but an unforgettable moment that will remain fresh into the minds of Steelers fans everywhere for time to come. Though falling to the Cleveland Browns 7-21 was disappointing, crucial injuries sprawled across the field that will set back the hopes of a playoff run from one of the hottest teams in the league.

After such a slow start by the offense, momentum faded as Steelers’ players dropping skyrocketed. Both wide receivers Juju Smith-Schuster & Diontae Johnson left the game early & were ruled out with concussions from ejection-like hits. As a matter of fact, Johnson appeared to be bleeding from his ear after receiving such contact from Brown’s safety, Damarius Randall.

But it didn’t end there. The Steelers took a few more losses on the night with CB Artie Burns, LB Ola Adeniyi, & RB James Conner, all having to leave the game early as well due to various injuries. Sadly, in the midst of wondering the degrees of each & an uninspiring showing by Pittsburgh, the worst of them all came when ultimate chaos ensued.

How Will Injuries Fare Against Their Upcoming Schedule

Coming off a 4-game winning streak, the worst that could’ve happened, happened. Things appeared to be on the up, and even though Vegas favored the Browns by 3, they entered the night losing 4 of their last 5 games.

Now, as the Steelers are 5-5 and the injuries coming to a stockpile, they will face a relatively easy stretch to close out the season. As 4 of their final 6 games features  opponents under .500, the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, & Miami Dolphins all possess a defensive DVOA ranked 23rd or higher, according to footballoutsiders.com

Currently, on the outside-looking-in, the Steelers hold the 8th seed in the AFC. As charted by this collective group at The New York Times, they also noted that the Steelers’ loss to the Browns “[dropped] their chances of making the playoffs to 49 percent from 63 percent”. The schedule could pose for a late-run, but outside help will be needed.

Furthermore, if last night was a glimpse of what life is like for Rudolph without Connor, Smith-Schuster, & Johnson, things could get ugly quickly. Steelers only managed to enter’s the Browns red zone once, and in large part for the reason that 58 of the 87 yards on the TD drive came from penalties.

What has already been a testament to HC Mike Tomlin & DC Keith Butler, by some metric the defense will have to take a further leap forward in finishing out the year, as the offense clings to ends of the depth chart.