The Eagles massacred the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8, and unfortunately, there’s not a positive thing to note about Mike Tomlin’s team at the moment.
No matter how bad a loss may look in the NFL, there’s typically a way to spin some positive from the game. Not this time. While this might seem like an overreaction, I’m genuinely having a hard time coming up with a single positive to note when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers embarrassing Week 8 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If you’re looking for a light at the end of the tunnel, you may want to look away. This was about as bad as it could get, folks, and there’s no guarantee that things will get better anytime soon. Here are my biggest takeaways from Steelers gut-wrenching loss to the Eagles in Week 8:
The Steelers offense is the worst in the league
Statistically, this was already the case. The collection of their sickening statics prior to Week 8 already proved this, but their performance against the Eagles was the nail in the coffin. Entering their Week 9 bye, Pittsburgh’s offense is managing a league-worst 14.2 points per game. This is completely inexcusable.
The Steelers managed just 5.0 yards per attempt passing the football and they were 1-12 on 3rd downs, according to ESPN stats. This is a number I never want to see again. Through the first half of the season, this might be the worst Steelers offense I have ever seen.
Kenny Pickett isn’t showing progress
It’s not time to hit the panic button just yet, but rookie QB Kenny Pickett certainly isn’t showing the progress we would have hoped for at this point. With five NFL appearances now under his belt, we would have loved to see a steady trajectory in the right direction. This hasn’t been the case.
Outside of one or two good quality drives per game, Pickett has been pretty dismal overall. Against the Eagles, he had erred passes that sailed on him and weren’t close to his receiver. Though his lone interception came off a tipped pass, he had another pass that he airmailed that should have been a pick. His stat line of 25/38 for 191 yards and an INT was every bit as bad as it looked.
Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t close to elite
Early in the season, there was hope that Pittsburgh’s defense could once again rise to an elite level as we saw back in 2019 and 2020. That no longer appears to be a possibility. Over the past four games, the Steelers have allowed at least 34 points twice (including their most recent loss to the Eagles). Even their defenders who have had the best seasons so far (like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds) had horrible defensive showings this week.
T.J. Watt’s return after the bye is sure to give this unit a boost, but the lack of talent and depth runs deep and we shouldn’t expect anything more than just an average defense moving forward.
Steelers offensive line isn’t good
When you are going against teams that don’t have much of a pass rush, it’s relatively easy to mask the weaknesses of your offensive line. However, Pittsburgh’s front five were exposed early and often against the Eagles. Javon Hargrave and company made Kevin Dotson and Dan Moore look like players who don’t even deserve a roster spot. They were largely responsible for Pickett being sacked a whopping 6 times. Just completely inexcusable.
Nobody is without blame
The worst part about all of this is that there isn’t one simple fix. It’s not as easy as simply firing OC Matt Canada, as I am confident there is still a big talent issue on the roster. Mike Tomlin certainly isn’t without blame either. The Steelers head coach needs to take responsibility for the lack of success this year. This was a dismal team effort with bad performances all around. Both players and coaches should have their jobs on the line after this embarrassing game vs Eagles.
Losing to the Eagles could have been easier to stomach if the Pittsburgh Steelers had shown at least some signs of life. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single positive takeaway from this Week 8 disaster. Let’s hope some big changes are made very soon.