The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at a crossroads, holding a 5-4 record as their lead in the AFC North begins to slip away, particularly with the Baltimore Ravens surging. Once again, the Steelers appear trapped in the realm of mediocrity.
True to form over the past decade, the Steelers followed a significant victory with a crushing defeat. Their Week 9 win against the first-place Indianapolis Colts represented the pinnacle of their season, as they managed to stymie the Colts” dynamic offense while securing five turnovers from quarterback Daniel Jones. However, just a week later, they stumbled in a dismal 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, mustering only 221 yards of offense. This two-game span encapsulates the current state of the franchise; while they are certainly more capable than many teams that consistently find themselves at the bottom of the NFL Draft, their numerous shortcomings prevent them from being true contenders for the Super Bowl.
The Steelers have made an unwelcome mark in the league this season, becoming the first NFL team since Super Bowl IX to allow a safety, miss a field goal, have a turnover margin of -3 or worse, and accumulate fewer than 75 rushing yards and 150 net passing yards in the same game.
Stagnation in Strategy
The franchise”s impressive streak of 21 consecutive non-losing seasons—tied with the 1965-85 Dallas Cowboys for the longest in NFL history—demonstrates stability, yet it also highlights a troubling adherence to conventional methods. The Steelers have been cautious in free agency, with only linebacker Patrick Queen receiving a contract exceeding $30 million. Aside from a notable trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019, they have largely refrained from leveraging valuable draft picks to acquire high-profile talent, resulting in a lackluster draft history.
Despite their attempts to revitalize the team this season by signing future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf, they failed to fully embrace an aggressive passing strategy, opting instead to trade away promising receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, who is now having a career-best season. This indecision has left the Steelers” offense caught between their traditional ground-and-pound approach and the aerial game that has characterized Rodgers” career, leading to disappointing rankings in both passing and rushing yards.
Defensive Dilemmas
The Steelers defense, orchestrated by head coach Mike Tomlin and featuring star linebacker T.J. Watt, has maintained a level of competence. However, years of uninspired free agency decisions and subpar draft selections have finally taken their toll. While they have drafted some effective players like cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and linebacker Alex Highsmith, the team has often pursued aging stars in free agency, such as cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. This strategy has proven ineffective, as they currently rank last in the NFL for passing yards allowed per game.
Despite the evident flaws, there remains sufficient talent within the Steelers” roster and ample experience among the coaching staff to keep them in playoff contention throughout the season. However, their inability to compete against elite teams was again underscored on Sunday, and without a significant shift in their roster-building philosophy, their streak of eight consecutive seasons without a playoff victory is unlikely to come to an end anytime soon.
