5 Issues the Steelers need to fix before the playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers have already exceeded preseason projections and adjusted their trajectories to pursue loftier goals. Pittsburgh is essentially a playoff lock, whether they win or lose Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. How they conduct themselves on the field will go a long way toward cluing us in to which Steelers team will arrive in January. Will it be the one that lost to the Colts, Cowboys, and Browns? Or will it be the expectation-shattering Steelers who lead a division so tough that the league decided to greenlight a season of Hard Knocks focused entirely on its four teams?

In the postseason and under the HBO lights, all of their warts will be magnified tenfold. If the Steelers are going to maximize this season, they only have six more weeks to iron out a variety of issues. 

The Disappearing T.J. Watt 

The Steelers' defensive MVP hasn’t been his usual self in the second half of the season. Throughout the first eight games, he was a game-changer and the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last three weeks, he’s registered just a single sack while defenses throw chip blocks in his direction at a prolific rate compared to his pass-rushing peers.

The linchpin of Pittsburgh’s defense has been resistant to the idea of rushing from the right side of the formation. In the long run, that may be something for Watt to explore. However, if the Steelers are going to advance deep into the upcoming postseason, Watt has to be able to disrupt the timing of opposing passers with his trademark quick pressures.

The pieces are there when the Steelers are healthy. However, Watt is playing a career-high 91 percent of his snaps this season out of necessity. Alex Highsmith has missed chunks of the season rehabbing a pair of injuries suffered weeks apart. Nick Herbig has emerged as a viable pass-rushing partner-in-crime despite also missing weeks with a hamstring issue of his own, but he has to pick up the slack on the weak side of formations when passing protection schemes are geared towards throwing obstacles in Watt’s path to the quarterbacks. 

Offensive red zone woes

The collective blame for Pittsburgh’s 30th-ranked red zone defense has been placed on Russell Wilson’s feet. It’s the one facet of the offense that has regressed since Wilson replaced Fields. Inside the 20, Wilson has completed merely 9 of his 26 pass attempts.

The fortunate part for Pittsburgh is that Wilson's red zone shortcomings aren't a product of advancing age or analogous to Wilson's issue throwing to the middle of the field which has spanned his entire career. A year ago, Wilson was berated and benched by Sean Payton after throwing 20 touchdowns to just one interception in the red zone throughout 15 games. Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Jordan Love were the only players better than Wilson at converting touchdowns inside the 20.

In a Week 10 win over the Commanders, Jaylen Warren’s fumble at the 1 nearly tanked the Steelers comeback bid. Instead, Wilson got the job done from 20 yards outside the red zone. Against the Ravens, the offense repeatedly fizzled in the red zone en route to an 18-point night. Early down success is crucial and it might behoove them not to get caught in 2nd or 3rd and longs once the field shrinks.

Figure out how they're utilizing Justin Fields

The Fields-Wilson debate has supposedly ended several times this season. Wilson was named the starter when he arrived before Fields appeared to have it Wally Pipp'd him in the first six weeks. Packages for Justin Fields operating under center in the red zone were a supposed antidote to what ailed their red zone offense.

However, the coaching staff may have gone overboard on Thursday Night Football by having Fields replace Wilson in short-yardage situations out of jumbo packages near midfield, and then on crucial late downs in the fourth quarter.

Overexposing Fields may have cost them a notch in the W column. The current reality is that Arthur Smith operates their offense like a family court judge. Wilson is the starter with custody of the offense while Fields gets every other weekend. There's a Goldilocks Zone Smith has to find in the next six weeks.

Steelers' No. 2 receiver 

For weeks leading to the trade deadline, the Steelers were shopping in the trade market for available receivers who could settle in as dependable targets. Notable names such as Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, and more obscure ilk such as Darius Slayton were all on the block. Instead, the Steelers chose to go with the low-risk Mike Williams, much to the chagrin of Steeler Nation. Since marking his arrival with a game-winning touchdown catch in the end zone, Williams has recorded one catch for a total of six yards. 

Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin have continued to throw together solid performances, but not consistently to attract attention away from Pickens. The last time Pittsburgh won a Super Bowl, Ben Roethlisberger was throwing to Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Tomlin last reached a Super Bowl with a young Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, and Hines Ward. Once playoff defenses get a chance to decide how they’ll cover Pickens, the Steelers need Williams to emerge as a reliable big-play outside receiver for Wilson.

Russell Wilson’s slow starts

A few weeks ago, the Steelers led the NFL in second half scoring margin by 80 points. Since Wilson was renamed the starter, the Steelers have outscored their last five opponents 80 to 42 in second halves. On Thursday night, the Steelers offense was dormant until the fourth quarter, then they inexplicably put Wilson back into a box for their final drive, brought out Justin Fields on a crucial third down, and lost as a result. This is a trend that dates back to his debut against the Jets.

Whether it’s Wilson taking the restraints off or Arthur Smith popping the top on more aggressive pass play-calling, Wilson is a much better second-half quarterback. Wilson’s completion percentage improves by nine points, his yards per attempt jumps from 6.6 to over 10, partially because his total number of 20-plus yard completions doubles after the intermission, and he takes a third as many sacks. The Steelers have gotten by with slow starts in Wilson’s first five starts, but the conservative first-half offensive play calling is doing the Steelers a disservice.