4 positions that will be the downfall of the Steelers in the playoffs

Quarterback

I’m not willing to say that Ben Roethlisberger is the player he was five years ago after a very impressive second-half performance against the Colts. Unfortunately, the five-and-a-half games leading up to that weren’t good at all for the 38-year-old signal-caller. Roethlisberger still has a lot to prove, but it was certainly encouraging to see him start slinging the ball down the field really for the first time this season.

Whether it is Ben’s decision or Randy Fichtner’s to get the ball out as fast as possible and check everything down underneath, that style of offense clearly isn’t going to work in the playoffs and teams have already caught on as to how they can shut down the Steelers offense.

Because of this, Big Ben must be able to consistently thrown the ball down the field to keep the defense honest. If he can prove to do this, the Steelers can beat anybody on any given matchup in the playoffs. If he can’t, Roethlisberger could prove to hold Pittsburgh back when it matters most.

Obviously, football is a team effort and if the Steelers lose, there will no doubt be multiple players and coaches sharing the blame. However, these four positions could prove to be the downfall of an otherwise promising Pittsburgh team this year. Let’s hope they show up in the playoffs.