Why the Steelers lost and what they need to do vs. Bills

The Steelers saw their unbeaten 11-0 start finally come to an end vs Washington. Here’s what they need to do to not have a repeat of that game when they face the Bills.

While fans wanted to see the Steelers run the table and go undefeated, that will not happen, at least not in 2020. As expected, though, the loss has led to knee jerk reactions all across the country from firing Randy Fichtner, the Steelers won’t make the Superbowl, and the 2020 season is now a train wreck. Ok, sure, the loss is disheartening, but look in the history of the NFL, and an undefeated regular season has only happened twice.

First, fans need to settle down. They lost, but they are still 11-1 and may even finish 15-1. Kansas City is good, and they are also 11-1. It is still possible that the Chiefs lose another game if not, the Steelers own the tiebreaker.

For now, the number one seed in the AFC is anything but decided with four games left. Keep in mind the Steelers would have to lose their remaining four games to jeopardize their playoff berth. In the last four games, they have the Bengals again and it’s hard seeing the Steelers lose that game, then they have Cleveland. Roethlisberger, no matter how bad the Steelers are from one year to the next, finds a way to beat the Browns. Which only leaves the Bills and Colts game to worry over. So, assuming the Steelers win at least two of their last four, they finish at 13-3; the only thing they are playing for is the first-round bye. Teams getting that first-round bye have found a way to lose in the playoffs. So not getting the bye is not the worst thing that could happen.

Now that said, why did the Steelers lose to Wahington? If you ask Ben Roethlisberger, he blames himself. It’s admirable. He is the team leader; in his mind, the buck stops with him. Yes, one can argue his lack of consistency cost them the game. Then again, Roethlisberger has played like that his whole career. He can play miserably for three quarters; then, he mounts a fourth-quarter comeback like he always does. Then on occasion, he loses a few games here and there. That is not unusual for Roethlisberger. When you look at this season so far, he is getting sacked less, throwing the ball quicker, and throwing fewer interceptions. He looks almost as good as he did in his rookie season. That is why the Steelers won the games against the Broncos, Titans, the first game against the Ravens, and Dallas.

Easily the Steelers could have been 7-4 headed into their game with Washington. So yes, Ben can take the blame, but his on-field failures are hardly the main reason they lost Monday. So for that matter, neither is Randy Fichtner. However, it is always tempting to hang someone out to dry as a scapegoat. Fans easily forget that’s what happened to Todd Haley and claimed Fichtner would solve all the Steelers offensive problems.

So what are the problems that led to the Steelers’ loss on Monday? Well, there are two main problems, neither of which can be solved easily.