The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to be slowly improving offensively heading into their Week 11 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Despite the Browns having the best defense in the NFL, the Steelers felt confident they would be able to do enough to win. And the defense did. Once again, Pittsburgh's defense did enough to keep them solidly in the game, even causing a turnover, but the offense was rarely able to move the ball and was unable to capitalize upon the opportunity handed to them on a silver platter down the stretch. Now, one member of the Steelers offense is expressing his frustration over the struggles the team has encountered and notes that he doesn't think the solution is as easy as team meetings.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a crushing loss in Week 11 of 2023 to the Browns, 13-10, against rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Now, as the team is recovering from the terrible offensive showing against the Browns, many members of the team spoke with the media. There are plenty of questions to go around as the team had only 249 yards of total offense, 77 passing and 172 rushing. The Steelers managed only 12 first downs to the Browns 20. Pittsburgh ran 57 plays as compared to the Browns' 73 and had five more penalties.
Steelers center Mason Cole spoke with ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor in the locker room and "downplayed the healing effect" of team meetings. With plenty of mistakes and blame to go around, it is hard to imagine those meetings are enjoyable to sit in on.
"At some point, we're going to have to do something about it. We can't just sit here every time after a loss and come in here and have a big kumbaya and try to figure out the world's problems, right? It's about execution and playing good football, and we didn't do that yesterday."
To be fair, neither team played stellar football. The Browns were without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, but newly minted backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson was able to do enough to get the job done.
Steelers' Mason Cole And Company Need To Take A Look In The Mirror
Cole has spoken up before about the Steelers' offensive woes. He has admitted that the offensive line is not blocking well enough and quarterback Kenny Pickett is paying the price for that. The offense has been struggling to run the ball all season which has left Pickett winging it all over the field. That has led to him having both 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his career.
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Cole, who has been with the Steelers since 2022, has an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 53.0. While the PFF rankings must be taken with a grain of salt, they do provide some context. After being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round in 2018, he was thrust into a starting role. After struggling in his first season, he was demoted to be a backup lineman.
He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 for a sixth-round pick as a backup. He filled in some during that season prior to sustaining an elbow injury.
The Steelers' offensive line has come under fire the past several years, not allowing the quarterback enough time or protection. The sole exception to that criticism has been rookie Broderick Jones. Jones was the Steelers' first-round selection in 2023 and spent the beginning of the season developing.
Jones only played a handful of offensive snaps before having to fill in for the injured left tackle Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle against the Houston Texans. He is versatile enough that he replaced Chukwuma Okorafor on the right side of the line against the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers.
The addition of Jones had the Steelers run game looking improved until the game against the Browns. The team had managed to pull out a six-game streak of one-score wins, but weren't able to continue to magic. The Browns were able to jump out to a 10-0 lead and while the Steelers managed to tie the game in the second half, they couldn't win.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, Broderick Jones (#77) sets up at the line of scrimmage and prepares to block during a 2023 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
While there is enough blame to go around, all of the blame rests with the lackluster offense. While Pickett has not been lighting up the scoreboard, this appeared to be his worst game as a pro.
What is your take on Cole's comments? Do you think any team ever fixes all their issues in a team meeting? Click to comment below.
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