I do not think that there was a better microcosm of the Steelers’ performance over their previous three games than their committing of an illegal shift infraction with two seconds remaining in the game, down 29-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Christmas Day, from the Chiefs’ 8 yard-line, and electing to let the clock expire instead of utilizing a timeout. Of course, why would you try and put points on the board and have something to build on for the final regular season game of the 2024-25 season when you could just roll over and die?

The Steelers’ MO over the past three weeks of football—in games against the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs—has been one of surrender. In the most recent game, why do you go for it on 4th-and-20 with 10:05 remaining in the game, but not on 4th-and-2 with 6:01 remaining? The deficit was 19 points in both instances. Field position is irrelevant when a team is down by three possessions in the fourth quarter. If anything, a punt on 4th-and-20 from the opposing team’s 42 is more justifiable than a punt on 4th-and-2 from your own 22, especially given the fact that there were over four more minutes remaining on the clock in the former scenario. 

Very little was done well by the team clad in black and yellow on Christmas Day. The offensive line surrendered five sacks to a Chiefs’ defensive line missing their best player in Chris Jones—and it could have been a higher number, had it not been for Russell Wilson’s legs allowing him to escape serious pressure. Wilson was poor himself, completing a meager 62% of his passes (4% below expected, per Next Gen Stats), throwing for 205 yards and a horrendous interception (which occurred in the red zone, immediately after a Jaylen Warren rushing touchdown was negated due to a holding penalty). Wilson did run for 55 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries, but that score accounted for the only points the offense would tally on the day as the team was held to ten points, their lowest mark in recent memory. 

What can I say about the defense? Well, the entire unit was comprised of players that were either blind and/or deaf. Not a series went by during which there was not a significant miscommunication that allowed the Chiefs’ pass-catchers to be wide-open. To that end, Patrick Mahomes had his best game of the season, dissecting the league’s highest-paid defense for 320 yards and three touchdowns on 29/38 passing (76.3%). Travis Kelce and rookie Xavier Worthy each caught eight balls, combining for 163 yards and two touchdowns. There were zero defenders within six feet of Kelce, a future first-ballot hall-of-famer, when he caught his touchdown, which is completely inexplicable. 

It is extremely difficult to reconcile what occurred during weeks 15-17 with the first 14 weeks of the season, over which the Steelers amassed a 10-3 record. Sure, the schedule was a bit less harsh, but they beat the Broncos, Chargers, Commanders, and Ravens in their first 13 games, all of whom would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. For them to go from 10-3 (with a 2-game lead in the division) to 10-6, needing a Ravens’ loss and a win of their own against the Bengals on Saturday night to win the AFC North. 

Beating the Bengals is itself a requirement (barring a shocking loss to the Raiders by the Los Angeles Chargers) for the Steelers to not have to face Baltimore in the wild card round. A win guarantees either a division win (and a home playoff game against the Chargers, should the Ravens somehow lose to the Browns) or a road playoff game against a very inconsistent Houston Texans team. Both of those are more desirable alternatives to traveling to M&T Bank Stadium to face the Ravens for the third time this season. 

Can the Steelers even beat the Bengals, though? A lot has changed since the 44-38 victory in Cincinnati on December 1st. The Steelers have lost three of their last four games, while the Bengals have won four straight. Joe Burrow has thrown for 250+ yards and 3+ touchdowns in eight consecutive games, the longest such streak in the history of the NFL. 

This is concerning, especially with the state of the defense over the past three games. For the first time since 1988 (and the second time since the 1970 merger), the Steelers have lost three-straight games by double-digits. They conceded 27 to the Eagles, 31 to the Ravens, and 29 to the Chiefs, while only mustering a combined 40 points on offense during that stretch. 

The first quarter could decide the game, too, as the Steelers allow 6.4 yards per play in the opening frame. That is the worst mark in the NFL, per Matt Williamson of The Athletic. 

When you combine one of the best offenses in the NFL with an underperforming defense, that is a recipe for disaster for the latter. Teryl Austin, the Steelers’ defensive coordinator, better figure something out schematically, or the game could get out of hand very quickly. If I were running the team, Austin would be coaching for his job over the next couple weeks—he is getting the absolute minimum out of the highest-paid defense in the NFL. 

It appears as though the inevitable will occur—a December/January collapse and a first-round playoff exit. How common is this under Mike Tomlin? Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this season is the fourth in the last six that the Steelers have lost three-consecutive games in December, and the fifth in the last seven that they have lost three-consecutive games after Thanksgiving. 

That is…atrocious. No wonder this team has not one a playoff game in eight years! They are always playing their worst football in the winter!

To further that point, here is a tabulation of the Steelers’ annual records in December since their last playoff victory in 2016:

• 2017: 4-1
• 2018: 2-3
• 2019: 2-3
• 2020: 2-3
• 2021: 2-2
• 2022: 3-1
• 2023: 2-3
• 2024: 2-3

By my count, that is a total of two winning records in the month of December in the past EIGHT SEASONS! If you have ever heard the phrase “peaking at the right time”, the Steelers have done the polar opposite of that! 

All of this is to say that I have no confidence whatsoever in any outcome other than a loss on Saturday and another first-round exit. It will be the same old story. At what point do serious changes come to fruition? The “Steeler Way” has, frankly, become “one-and-done” in the playoffs, and I am pretty damn sick of it. 

Happy New Year. Maybe the Pirates can win a playoff game this year…BAHAHAHAHAHA