Well, I don't even know what to say after that debacle we witnessed at home against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers had an opportunity to take control of the race to the AFC North crown with a win, but, alas, it was not meant to be.
What was meant to be was what we witnessed at the hands of the Chiefs. A methodical offensive performance that was complimented by a smothering defensive performance. Unfortunately for us, those performances were not ours.
Steelers' offense can not get out of their own way
Without knowing the final score, if I were to tell you that the Steelers' offense amassed over two hundred yards on the ground, won the time of possession, and converted exactly fifty percent of our third down conversion opportunities, you would probably assume a favorable outcome.
I would have assumed a favorable outcome as well, but we would both have been mistaken and sadly, mistaken at that. Russell Wilson, who frankly played poorly yet again, threw a game-altering interception in the end zone.
With the Steelers trailing by thirteen points, we were driving for what probably would have resulted in a touchdown. Instead, Wilson threw a pick in the end zone and that was that. I would argue that we never fully recovered from that pick.
Look, I appreciate the fact that Arthur Smith has been able to revitalize a once-stagnant running game, but the passing game has been downright atrocious. There's no two ways about it. Entering the game against the Chiefs, the Steelers were ranked twenty-fifth in passing yards per game.
Conversely, the running game was ranked eleventh. That is a cavernous disparity. The modern NFL is a pass-first league, right, wrong, or indifferent. If Smith cannot figure out a way to get the passing game going, we will be watching the second round of the playoffs from home.
Pittsburgh's defense simply cannot stop the pass
I don't know how else to put this but the Steelers' defense simply cannot stop the pass and I blame Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin, The buck stops with them. Entering the Chiefs game, the Steelers defense was ranked twenty-fourth against the pass.
Frankly, if we play a 'pass-happy' team, like the Chiefs, why run the ball? You don't have to run it to move the ball against us. To put this into perspective, we gave up sixteen first downs via the pass. I find it hard to believe that with all the decades of experience we have on the defensive coaching staff, we can't figure out a better scheme to stop the pass.
It did not help our cause that we were unable to generate even a single sack against the Chiefs. Rush and coverage go 'hand-in-hand', so to speak. If the rush doesn't get 'home', the coverage has to hold up and it has not held up for pretty much the entire season.
The Steelers may not win another game this season
That may sound like an overreaction to what we witnessed against the Chiefs, but we have now lost three games in a row. Make no mistake, we could easily lose our last game of the season. While that would be terrible, I think it would serve as the 'wake-up call' we may need.
READ MORE: Mike Tomlin doesn't mince words when talking about Steelers loss to Chiefs
One week left in the season may sound like it's too little, too late for a 'wake-up call', but maybe it's not. In the last three games, we have been outscored, out-schemed, and outcoached. That's embarrassing or at least it should be embarrassing.
There is no 'magic elixir' at this stage of the 2024 season. Our team is our team. While we could sign a free agent, it's almost pointless. There's not enough time for any player to 'get on a moving train', as Tomlin like to say.
Unless we figure out how to right the ship quickly, the 2024 season will go down as yet another 'one and done' season, meaning we made the playoffs, but got bounced in the first round. That would be par for the course.