Steelers didn’t score enough
This looked like an entirely different unit on Sunday. For the first time this season, they actually outgained their opponent on offense. The unit moved the ball well and had quite a few sustained drives. While they also ran into a few issues here and there, this unit looked like a much improved one on the surface.
The issue is, despite all of this, the Steelers only scored 16 points, which is still far too low to be competitive each week. Despite suddenly being able to move the ball more effectively, this offense still struggled to get the ball in the end zone. If that isn’t fixed, it won’t matter how many yards are picked up during the game.
There were some self-inflicted wombs, such as the Jaylen Warren fumble, but this team was also consistently getting a first down or two and then settling for a punt. While that will work against teams like the Bengals (who are without their starting quarterback), when you face a better team that will spell doom.
I’ve seen some fans get ahead of themselves and act like this was a dominant team. We beat a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team 16-10. A win is a win, but this offense will need to convert more and score more if they want to remain a winning unit going forward.