Steelers unscathed in the hunt, but major issues still need to be fixed.
Pittsburgh — Even after two losses that would have been embarrassing to any other team in the NFL, the Steelers find their playoff chances all but unassailable. Their egos and self-esteem may be different.
The Steelers (6-6) are the last team standing in the AFC race for one of three wild card spots. But don’t confuse the playoff position with the playoff chances.
“I think our players are aware of that,” Tomlin said at the team’s weekly news conference on Monday. “I’m not trying to encourage them. I’m trying to talk to them about the urgency of these weeks and the opportunities in games because the road has narrowed. And for a good reason.”
The loss to Arizona on Sunday was the worst of Tom Tomlin’s 17-year coaching career, and the loss to New England on Monday was the most embarrassing.
The Steelers (6-6) blew a chance to lock up a playoff spot by losing to a second-year quarterback in Cleveland and then losing twice in a row to the woeful Arizona Cardinals and second-to-last New England Patriots in four games. Now they must hope to beat the Colts (6-7) on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium to keep their playoff hopes alive. “We’re halfway through December, and I’m just acknowledging the truth — these are opportunities to solidify your position,” Tomlin said. “These games are huge. This one is huge — huge for us, huge for them.
The Steelers were the fifth-seed in the AFC before losing to the Patriots, and then dropped to eighth after losing to the Indianapolis Colts 21-18 on Thursday. However, when the Houston Texans beat the New York Jets on Sunday and the Colts beat the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers moved back into the sixth spot, trailing only the Cleveland Browns at 8-5 in the race for one of three wild-card spots. That will likely change next week, however, as the Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals after the Colts. Cincinnati and Indianapolis are two of five AFC teams with the same record.
Still, the Steelers’ playoff position should not hide the reality of what is happening: The team is 1-3 in its past four games and has not looked like a team that can make the playoffs. Most likely, the Steelers will need to win at least three of their final four games.
There aren’t many positives to take, though, largely because some of the problems that have plagued them all year are still present, as even Tomlin acknowledged. The offense, whether it’s with Pickett or without him, continues to struggle to produce points and touchdowns, although it did manage two against the Patriots, the first time in four games they’ve scored twice in a game.
Tomlin did say he thinks Mitch Trubisky will be better next week because he’ll have a full week’s worth of practice against the Colts, as opposed to the one-day he’d have leading up to the game against the Patriots. Trubisky, who was off to a slow start, completed 19 of his first 27 passes for 172 yards and a score.
Trubisky is set to make his second start in Pickett’s absence, who is projected to be out for the next two weeks and won’t be back until at least the New Year’s Eve game against Seattle. “I thought Mitch played better as the game went on,” Tomlin said, “and it’s fair to expect him to play even better because he’s had a full week of preparation this week.” On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears have been running the ball through the middle with tight ends, taking advantage of the myriad injuries at inside linebackers. But they’ve also been taking advantage of the mismatches against the free safety, who is being forced into a strong safety role in Keanu Neal’s absence (injury-injured-reserve) despite being 6-foot-2, 175 pounds.
The result? The Cardinals and Patriots have combined to score on all five red-zone possessions against the Steelers, with a sixth score coming from the Steelers’ own 24-yard line. Three of the red-zone touchdowns have been passes to tight ends, with one going to the Arizona’s Trey McBride and two to the New England’s Hunter Henry. “I think our situational defense has been significant, in that we haven’t been able to hold anyone to a field goal in the red,” Tomlin said, “and what that’s done to us is, some schemes and some people have made some big plays against us, and we need to do something about it.”
Pittsburgh’s red-zone woes continue this season.
