3 Pittsburgh Steelers to blame for degrading Week 14 loss to Ravens
By Mark Powell
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, perhaps ending any chance they had at a late-season playoff run.
In 32 meetings between Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, 24 of them have been decided by a touchdown or less. Despite the records of the two teams, there is rarely much separating them due to familiarity.
Pittsburgh entered the contest on a two-game win streak, their first of the season. But, after an early injury to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, the Steelers had to rely heavily on their defense and backup Mitch Trubisky for field position.
The defense, despite giving up over 100 rushing yards yet again, did give up just 16 points. Trubisky didn’t hold up his end of the bargain, with three interceptions on the day.
Pittsburgh Steelers to blame: Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan
Yes, I’m aware this is a bit of a cop-out.
Neither Kevin Colbert nor Omar Khan suited up in a Steelers uniform on Sunday, but they did assemble the current iteration of Pittsburgh’s team. Colbert isn’t even the GM anymore, but his imprint is all over this roster.
The Steelers have the highest-paid defense in all of football. Yet, that defense was routinely gashed in the running game. Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward can only do so much. Not to mention, by spending the majority of their capital on their defense, the offense has suffered.
Steelers have allowed 333 yards rushing over their last six quarters. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) December 11, 2022
Even with a backup in play, the Steelers were able to score just 14 points — and seven through the first three quarters — against Baltimore. Against the likes of the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills, two elite teams in both conferences, Pittsburgh’s offense has looked rather pedestrian. It’s easy to blame all of that on Matt Canada, but at some point we have to aim our finger at the roster construction.