The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to clinch a playoff berth in Week 15, even after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In what's been a promising season so far, the Steelers only picked up their fourth loss of the season, although it wasn't pretty. Poor drives on offense, penalties and a costly turnover set the Steelers up for a loss against one of the best teams in the NFC. This was a week to prove that Pittsburgh can play against one of the top teams in the NFL, but came up pretty short. The Steelers' offense finished with only 163 yards compared to the Eagles' 401 yards of total offense. Granted, the Steelers were without top wide receiver George Pickens, but without him, the offense looked completely different.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson reads the defense as he's about to take a snap against the Eagles in Week 15.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin also put blame on the defense for missed tackles as he wasn't pleased with the loss during his postgame press conference. A reporter asked Tomlin how to not let this loss carry over into the next few games. Tomlin quickly shut the reporter down and chalked it up as a loss -- and to not get too dramatic. On ESPN's Get Up, former NFL coach Rex Ryan disagreed with Tomlin's message about the loss and said Steeler Nation should be panicking.
"You should [be panicking]. They’re not as good as their record says they are. I mean, they really aren’t," Ryan said. "He’s [Tomlin’s] a great coach, don’t get me wrong, but ever since Russ took over - this is why I never… I liked Justin Fields better. The impact that Russ has had on the rushing game, they’re absolutely atrocious running the football now."
Although the Steelers have the 10th most rushing yards in the NFL with 1,773, they are 30th in the league with 3.9 yards per carry. Justin Fields definitely added a threat to the running game, but Russell Wilson is still 6-2 as the starter and is able to read defenses a lot better, as well as spread the ball out to different receivers. It would've been a great offensive plan to scheme Fields in more than Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has been, but Fields did go down with an injury during the Eagles game and his status is questionable moving forward.
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Steelers' Justin Fields warms up pregame before a Week 15 matchup against the Eagles.
There was some glimmer of hope during Week 14's game against the Cleveland Browns as the Steelers found a way to win without Pickens. Wilson found nine different receivers to throw to during that game and Mike Williams was targeted a lot more than previous games. However, against the Eagles, the offense did look stagnant and didn't convert a first down until the middle of the second quarter. The Steelers had a prime opportunity to tie the game in the third quarter, but Najee Harris couldn't catch a toss from Wilson that was recovered by the Eagles.
Even though the Steelers clinched a playoff berth, it's hard to swallow this loss as the offense looked so much different without Pickens. It also comes at a bad time as the Steelers still have to travel to the Baltimore Ravens and host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, both tough matchups as Pittsburgh's fighting for homefield playoff advantage. The Steelers have earned the 10 wins they've played for this year and Tomlin will look to get them ready to finish out the season strong.
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Steelers' TJ Watt looks on in pain after suffering an ankle injury against the Eagles.
Steelers Are Underdogs Heading Into Week 16 At Baltimore
The Steelers have already won one against the Ravens, but now they're heading into Baltimore potentially without Pickens, DeShon Elliott and even TJ Watt. Watt rolled up his ankle during the Eagles game and although X-rays came back negative, it's still to be determined if he suits up Saturday. Pittsburgh opens as 6.5 point underdogs against Baltimore and have a 33% chance to win, according to ESPN Analytics.
The Ravens and Lamar Jackson have given some teams problems, but the Steelers were quick to shut down a red-hot Ravens team in Week 11. Tomlin has John Harbaugh's number as of late and with another win against the Ravens, the Steelers can clinch the AFC North division.
Do you agree with Ryan's comments that the Steelers are worse than their record? Let us know in the comments below!
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