Mike Tomlin explained why Chase Claypool isn’t being used in the Steelers offense, and the answer is not great.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are losers of their last two games, and still aren’t out of the woods as far as losing the AFC North title.
To go from potentially going undefeated to now facing a reality in which you don’t even win your division is exactly the opposite of what anyone is looking for. But that’s where the Steelers are, and if the Ravens had failed to pull out a victory on Monday Night they’d be even closer to disaster.
One of the harshest criticisms of the Steelers recently has been how bland the offense looks. All anyone could talk about leading up to the team’s first loss was how quickly Ben Roethlisberger was getting the ball out of his hands. He’s still getting the ball out faster than he has in over a decade, but he’s not getting the ball to one of his best targets — Chase Claypool.
Mike Tomlin’s explanation for the dip in targets isn’t going to make any Steelers fans feel better.
Chase Claypool’s lack of production has been explained, sort of
Chase Claypool has only been targeted 10 times in the last two games, compared to nearly ten or more targets in each of the five games prior. Since breaking out against the Eagles in Week 5, Claypool was targeted less than 5 times only twice until the Steelers game against Washington.
Now that Pittsburgh has lost back-to-back games, the pressure is on more than ever before to turn things around in time for the playoffs. Tomlin has established over the course of his career with the Steelers that few hands are steadier than his. Pittsburgh is still in great shape to make a deep playoff run, but how well Tomlin seals the cracks that are showing will ultimately determine how far the Steelers go.