The coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers start to the 2022 season is starting to make the fans of the Mudville Nine seem downright giddy. Pittsburgh has not played very well against the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns and were just good enough to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. Veteran Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer, Ron Cook called this version of the Steelers Mike Tomlin’s worst team on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers post game prayer after losing 29-17 to the Cleveland Browns. | Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
‘It has become obvious it can’t win without T.J. Watt,’ Cook writes. ‘It is 0-6 when he does not play. In the unlikely win at Cincinnati in the opener with Watt, the Steelers forced five turnovers and had seven sacks. In the past two losses against New England and Cleveland without Watt, they had one turnover and two sacks. On average, the defense is giving up about five more points a game and getting two fewer sacks without Watt.’
The defense was responsible for 10 of 17 points against the Patriots. Gunner Olszewski’s fumble deep in Pittsburgh territory was not their fault. They couldn’t get the ball back for the offense at the end of the game, but it may be a little unrealistic to expect a defensive unit that was coming off of a 70-minute game and was being dominated again in time of possession to rise up at that point.
The Steelers' Larry Ogunjobi (#99), T.J. Watt (#90), and Devin Bush (#55) get ready for a tough matchup against the Bengals. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
It is a fair point that Watt makes this defense much better, but when you are constantly watching your offense go three and out, it has to be disheartening as a defender. During the first half on Thursday night, the offense was moving the ball and the team as a whole was playing well enough to lead at halftime. Unfortunately, that didn't hold.
‘Can we agree an offense that can’t hit big plays and can’t score points,’ Cook continues. ‘And a defense that can’t stop the run and can’t get off the field is not a good combination?’
It is not ideal, and it has to get better if the Steelers are going to turn the season around, but it is hardly time to panic. The Steelers have had some very ugly starts throughout the Super Bowl era. They started 0-4 in 2013 and stormed back to go 8-4 down the stretch to finish 8-8. They are currently 1-2 and sit 1 game out of first place in the AFC North.
‘It doesn’t help that Watt will miss the next two games and probably more because of his pectoral muscle injury,’ Cook concludes. ‘Good luck to Tomlin keeping his team on track. I predicted an 8-9 record before training camp. I dropped it to 7-10 after seeing the exhibition games. Now, I’m thinking 7-10 is a pipe dream.’
The Steelers have a winnable game against the New York Jets this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium and make no mistake, it is a must win. After that, they play three of the next four on the road against Buffalo, Miami and Philadelphia. The sole home game after the Jets will be against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Watt may return as soon as the Miami game, but if he suffers any kind of setback, he could easily miss all four games. The Steelers have to win at least two of the next five games. If the black and gold can enter the bye week with a 3-4 record and then host the New Orleans Saints with a chance to get back to .500 with T.J. Watt on the field (and likely by that point, Kenny Pickett at quarterback), November and December should be very interesting to watch.
Coach Tomlin does not panic, and fans shouldn’t either. Ben Roethlisberger was a two-decade gift from the football gods and when you do not have a franchise quarterback, this is what it looks like in the NFL. It is not pretty, but there is still more joy in Pittsburgh than Mudville, despite reports to the contrary.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you giving up on this team after just three games? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
