Winners and losers: Steelers play like bird droppings in Week 15 loss to Eagles

Against a genuine Super Bowl contender, the Steelers offensive impotence reared its ugly head. It would be hyperbole to call their 27-13 loss a shellacking. Pittsburgh’s fourth loss of the season was chock-full of missed opportunities.

Philadelphia made a splash out of the gates and never looked back. In their first five drives, Pittsburgh gained negative-19 yards. Overall, the Eagles outclassed Pittsburgh, generating 401 yards of output to 163 from Pittsburgh. Saquon Barkley was held below 100 yards for the first time in five weeks while Jalen Hurts breached the 200-yard barrier for the first time in four weeks. Russell Wilson threw for a measly 128 yards, As a result, Philadelphia dominated possession time two-fold. And yet, the final score doesn’t describe how resilient Pittsburgh was.  Up until the point when Najee Harris dribbled the pigskin they were hanging around.

Philadelphia was able to play with a larger margin for error, allowing them to surrender a pair of first-half turnovers and still lead by multiple touchdowns. Pittsburgh has been proficient at creating those turnovers all season, but capitalizing on them is entirely different. Early on, the Steelers turned two turnovers into three points. It was unusual to see the Steelers lose by more than one possession this season, but stylistically they were their same old selves. In that vein, here are the mostly familiar winners and losers from Week 15 and a few surprise guests.

Winners: T.J. Watt

Watt was spectacular despite being up against the best right tackle in football. Fortunately, Jalen Hurts also holds the ball longer than all but one starter in the league on the average dropback. In addition to securing a pair of sacks, he spooked Lane Johnson into a false start by merely existing. He forced a Hurts fumble and on his second sack attempted to swipe down on Hurts’ arm to force a second. Unfortunately, he left with a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter during Philadelphia’s interminably long final drive and never returned. 

Winners: Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs

Both teams had an opportunity to make a move on higher seeding in the postseason. The Steelers lost on two counts. A Steeler win would have put them comfortably in position to move into a tie for second in the AFC alongside Buffalo. Given the status of Patrick Mahomes following his final ankle sprain and the fact that the Chiefs also play two more games over the next nine days, including one against Pittsburgh on Christmas they would have been within striking distance of the first-round bye as well. Alas, that possibility died on the vine when the Eagles marched up and down the field on the Steelers with ease. 

Losers: Detroit Lions

Sunday was a total victory for the Eagles playoff outlook. The Lions are still in the NFC’s VIP suite, while Detroit is losing the war of attrition allowing Philadelphia inside the velvet rope. On Sunday, the Lions may have lost running back David Montgomery for the season and defensive tackle Alim McNeil tore his ACL, joining Aiden Hutchinson on the injured reserve. 

The Eagles' win coupled with the Lions' loss, reduced Detroit’s odds of earning the first-round bye from 75% to 61%, while the Eagles’ odds improved to 31 percent. Considering how depleted the Steelers were against a team that had a one-in-three shot of being the NFC’s top seed, you can understand why Mike Tomlin was ready to move on during his postgame availability 

“It’s a loss,” added Tomlin.  “I mean, let’s not get dramatic.”

Losers: Arthur Smith

His obsession with dialing up toss plays has been one of the banes of this Steelers offense’s existence.  Harris’ fumble was in no way his fault, but any run that gets Harris running parallel to the line of scrimmage should be scrapped from the playbook. Jaylen Warren wasn't much better, gaining 12 yards on three carries. 

He cooked up something with the flea-flicker call on what was nearly the game-tying drive, but that ingenuity and daring play calling was non-existent. The Steelers operate at times like a playoff team that doesn’t want their opponents to see their brilliance before postseason. However

Losers: Training Staff

Steeler bodies are crumbling faster than wet paper tissue. T.J. Watt rolled his ankle, but he may be fine. Justin Fields was sidelined with an abdominal injury after a late slide led to safety Reed Blankenship made contact because of a late slide.  It was unfortunate timing because Fields’ only snap sparked the Steelers' lone touchdown drive. There’s also still the timetable over George Pickens’ hamstring injury to get more clarity on this week. The Steelers training staff should be getting hazard pay for their work.

Losers: Najee Harris

Harris and Saquon Barkley’s individual seasons are moving in opposite directions. On Sunday, Harris’ downward spiral continued. George Pickens’ hamstring strain further hampered an offense already hanging on by a shoestring.  When Harris bursts through holes, the Steelers need him to channel his inner Beast Mode. He could barely muster 14 yards on six carries and put the ball on the turf deep in Eagles territory with a chance to tie. 

Harris is leading in the polls as mayor of Struggle City as his streak of sub-100-yard games reached six games. He’s not able to generate yards in Arthur Smith’s scheme. The offensive line has been lackluster, but overall he’s struggled to make a difference in the second half of this season. Harris’ current production doesn’t bode well for his odds of re-signing in 2025. In his last six games, Harris has tallied 93 carries for 299 yards, averaging 3.2 yards per carry, and three total touchdowns.