4 takeaways from Steelers ugly playoff loss to the Browns
By Tommy Jaggi
Plenty of blame to pass around for the Steelers loss
This loss doesn’t fall all on the shoulders of Mike Tomlin or Ben Roethlisberger. While these two leaders no doubt had a hand in the loss, the blame of this defeat should be shared by practically everyone.
Randy Fichtner and Keith Butler did not call their best games, while Maurkice Pouncey had one of the worst performances of his career when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Eric Ebron and Diontae Johnson had a couple of early drops that stalled drives, while the offensive line seemed to only hold up for a few seconds before Big Ben was under pressure.
Defensively, this unit that has been so good at getting after the quarterback all year couldn’t have struggled worse against Cleveland, while the linebackers were routinely torched in the passing game in the middle of the field.
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This loss was a group effort, and it’s one that Steelers players and coaches won’t have an easy time blocking out of their memory. Pittsburgh has a lot of work to do and numerous changes will no doubt be made this offseason. Tomlin’s team is in a tough spot right now. Let’s hope they can be competitive in 2021.