After back-to-back embarrassing losses against the Eagles and Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a bounce-back performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day to prove they are more than pretenders this season.
That didn't happen. Things got out of hand early after Russell Wilson and company turned their first two drives (eight plays) into just one yard. The Chiefs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
As the game went on, Pittsburgh botched every opportunity to get back in this contest. Eventually, Kansas City ran away with a 29-10 win despite traveling on a short week to play on a Wednesday in late December.
Steelers prove they are not contenders after third straight disastrous loss
The Steelers' performance in December ushered in a harsh reality: this team is not a Super Bowl contender. Mike Tomlin's squad was humiliated in Philadelphia as the offense was nearly doubled in time of possession and the 27-13 score was closer than it should have been.
In Baltimore in Week 16, the Russell Wilson fell apart after two disastrous turnovers. The Ravens cruised to a 34-17 win in a game that could have determined the AFC North.
This was the last chance for Pittsburgh to prove they belong in the discussion of a Super Bowl contender, and they failed miserably. In this Week 17 blunder against the Chiefs, the Steelers ran 58 plays compared to 73 for Kansas City and averaged 5.0 yards per play compared to 6.7 for the Chiefs.
When the pressure was on, Mike Tomlin's team showed they once again were not up to the task. The defense had no answer for Patrick Mahomes and the offense was able to earn just 10 points against a Kansas City defense playing without All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones.
The Steelers have now been outscored 40-90 over their past three games against playoff teams. The unfortunate reality is that Pittsburgh isn't even close to being a serious Super Bowl contender this season, and it should have fans worried about the future of the team.
The Steelers fell apart during the gauntlet of their 2024 schedule. Now they have just one game against the Cincinnati Bengals to try to gain some momentum before the NFL Playoffs.