The Pittsburgh Steelers had one simple goal in Week 17. Go into Cleveland and get a victory over the Browns to clinch their first AFC North title since the 2020 season. Instead, they lost a 13-6 slugfest that was a nightmare watch for any fans of offensive football.
Both defenses kept the opposing offenses in check for most of the game, with the Steelers shutting the Browns out from the 5:11 mark of the first quarter all the way to the last two minutes of the game. Pittsburgh's offense just couldn't find any momentum all day, even with the help of two interceptions from Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
The lackluster effort falls at the feet of head coach Mike Tomlin. His conservative mindset and failure to get his team ready to play without DK Metcalf on offense doomed them to this result, and now everything rests on another showdown with the Ravens in Week 18.
Mike Tomlin must answer for Pittsburgh Steelers brutal showing in Week 17
Steelers fans anticipated that the offense might suffer a setback without Metcalf, but this was about as bad as anyone could have expected. It's especially disappointing when the defense (minus a few early miscues) was lights out for much of this game.
Alex Highsmith was dominant from start to finish, and the run defense looked strong once again, even without T.J. Watt out there. The Steelers even ran the ball well themselves, but the passing game doomed them right from the start.
Aaron Rodgers' numbers were abysmal in this game, completing just 21 of 39 passes for 168 yards and no touchdowns. While he certainly didn't play well, the conservative game plan by the coaching staff was the biggest culprit. Fans can blame offensive coordinator Arthur Smith if they want, and he was definitely part of the problem, but this game had Tomlin's fingerprints all over it.
They refused to attack the middle of the field for the most part, didn't try to get the ball to their playmakers in space until the final seconds of the game, and made awful third and fourth-down decisions throughout the entire game. It honestly seemed like they were more concerned about allowing Myles Garrett to break the sack record than they were about winning.
You can make the excuse of missing Metcalf if you want, but that doesn't change the fact that they didn't even try to find a way to keep the momentum they had gained in the passing game over the past three weeks. The receivers failed to step up; there is no doubt about that. But even that was partially due to the coaching staff relying on over-the-hill veterans instead of their younger, more explosive players itching for a shot to prove themselves.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen turned 14 targets into a measly 35 yards. 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson finally got a helmet again after being inactive for weeks, only to not even get a single target despite the offense's struggles.
It was a total disaster from start to finish, and Tomlin has nobody to blame but himself for choosing to operate the way he always has. But hey, at least they didn't let Garrett get the sack record against them.