In losing their fourth game in the last five, the Pittsburgh Steelers latest loss to the Chicago Bears 31-28 had much to do with their secondary and some to do with the fact that Aaron Rodgers could not start forcing Mason Rudolph into the game as the quarterback. While the secondary held up rather well throughout the game, however when a big stop was needed in Chicago, the secondary failed in coverage.
Without Aaron Rodgers behind center, Mason Rudolph was not terrible, but it became obvious that Rodgers has an advantage in his decision making and championship makeup. This loss by the Steelers was HUGE. Now tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North, the Ravens have an easier path the rest of the season while Pittsburgh has the Buffalo Bills in week 13 and then a trip to Baltimore for a game that could seal their fate for this season.
I’m already predicting the Steelers lose to the Bills and then the Ravens the next two weeks, which if that is the result would put Pittsburgh as 6-7. They also must play Detroit and another game with Baltimore and another with the Browns. It’s conceivable they could lose all three of those games which would then give them 10 losses. That would mean no playoff spot.
Mason Rudolph finished with just 171 yards passing and several of his passes were batted away at the line of scrimmage. The backup QB threw an interception and fumbled once which the Bears recovered. Rudolph’s rating was just 86.9. As for the running game, it was solid. Kenneth Gainwell is proving to be a good acquisition with 92 yards rushing and Jaylen Warren added 68. The offense held its own and would have been more productive with Aaron Rodgers starting but more of the blame on this loss falls on the shoulders of two things…the secondary and Mike Tomlin.
First and foremost, the Chicago Bears may have finally found their franchise quarterback. Caleb Williams is growing into everything believed of him and is coming into his own. Williams did an excellent job of finding his receivers last Sunday and while he missed on 16 passes, when he needed a big pass play, he got it. The combination of Jaley Ramsey, Kyle Dugger, Joey Porter Jr., James Pierre, and Darrius Slay was simply not good enough. Several times Chicago receivers got behind their defenders like they were not even noticed.
I put some onus on Mike Tomlin because as a head coach you are required to make sure you develop a solid game plan for an opponent and ensure your coaching staff is also on board with that plan. Given all the new defensive faces for the Steelers was supposed to make this unit “special” as in the words of Tomlin, they are hardly that. Given how much effort was put forth to bringing in Aaron Rodgers to be sure a playoff game would be won is also backfiring. For God’s sake, Pittsburgh may not even MAKE the playoffs.
This season is becoming more disastrous with each passing game. The safest way for the Steelers to win the AFC North and get into the postseason would be for the team to win out. That’s NOT going to happen. This Chicago game was one the Steelers needed and they didn’t get the job done. What is so frustrating for me and I’m sure any Steelers fan out there is the fact this team has a LOT of talent and it’s going to waste. This is Mike Tomlin’s fault and the idea that perhaps he doesn’t have the right coaches in place.
We all hear that the Rooney’s don’t fire coaches but as I’ve said before, if the Steelers fail to get to the playoffs and then once again lose in the first round, a breath of fresh air is needed in Pittsburgh and that means Mike Tomlin leaving his role. If it isn’t about firing him then Art Rooney II needs to convince him to resign. Omar Khan should also depart because his had a major part to do with the current personnel.
Another factor about Mike Tomlin that irritates me to no end is his visual lack of apathy. Seeing him on the sidelines emotionless and seeing a lackadaisical attitude rubs me the wrong way. The team needs to have a fire lit under their asses and be motivated to try harder. Tomlin’s clock management is also suspect.
All Steelers Nation can do at this point is draw a collective deep breath and hope for the best but knowing Buffalo is next, then playing in Baltimore, they then playing Miami, Detroit, the Browns in Cleveland, and a season ending game at home again with the Ravens. Whether that final game has any impact on the post season depends on how the Steelers do in the next two games.
The Baltimore Ravens, sharing the AFC North lead with six victories after a disastrous 1-5 start, is not surprising as they were expected with to win the division, rather they giving Pittsburgh a golden ticket to win the division only shows the Steelers have choked as they had begun their season at 4-1. The Ravens host Cincinnati next week, then the Steelers game, another game with the Bengals comes after that and then a huge showdown with the Patriots in Baltimore. Before that final Steelers game, Baltimore plays in Green Bay.
The best-case scenario for the Steelers? That Joe Burrow returns and leads his team to a win as they host Baltimore in a few weeks, then New England can stay hot and also defeat the Ravens as well as Green Bay upsetting the apple cart. Those three losses would give Baltimore eight and the Steelers a chance. It is ok to dream, right?
