3 things we learned from Steelers loss against Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (78) Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (78) Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks with cornerback Steven Nelson (22) Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks with cornerback Steven Nelson (22) Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /

The Steelers mantra of ‘the standard is the standard’ was put to the test

Look, a 12-win season in the NFL is nothing to be ashamed of; however, as I stated earlier in the conversation, after having started the season with 11 straight victories, finishing with one win down the stretch feels like a letdown.

Honestly, we probably weren’t supposed to win the game, but as we know, Mike Tomlin, our HC, is fond of saying, ‘the standard is the standard’.  That’s all ‘fine and dandy’, but if the standard was truly the standard, the Steelers would not have rolled into that game with backups to our backups, meaning we would have made every effort to sign a free agent pass rusher, for example.

I don’t think that is all on Coach Tomlin, but we all see the precipitous drop in performance, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, when our backups and backups to our backups are in the game.

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I give us a ton of credit for making it a close game, but, honestly, I think we could have and should have won the game.  It would not have mattered in the overall scheme of things, but finishing 13-3 versus 12-4 just ‘sounds’ better. So, that chapter of the 2020 season is closed.  It’s on to the playoffs.  Let’s go Steelers!