The Steelers are going nowhere.
Their offense isn’t good.
Their quarterback isn’t good.
Their defense is very good but can’t always overcome the offense’s shortcomings.
Sunday night’s 20-17 home loss to Dallas proved all of the above.
The Steelers won the turnover battle, 3-0. (The fumble the Steelers lost trying to string together laterals on the game’s final play doesn’t count.)
Two of the Steelers’ takeaways came when Dallas was in the red zone.
The Steelers blocked a field goal.
Dallas committed 11 penalties for 87 yards.
The Cowboys’ defense was minus injured star players Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Yet, given all those advantages, the Steelers couldn’t score enough to win.
That’s because their offense isn’t good, and their quarterback isn’t good.
The Steelers’ defense buckled late in Sunday’s game, getting manhandled in the fourth quarter. Dallas had the ball for 32 minutes, 29 seconds, but that’s an inconsequential edge. The pressure of having to be near-perfect to win is more likely what made the defense sag.
But the defense couldn’t get off the field on third down: Dallas converted nine of 15 attempts. That’s what gave the Cowboys the possession advantage, not three-and-outs by the Steelers’ offense.
The Steelers have eight touchdowns in five games, none by their No. 1 wideout or No. 1 running back.
The Steelers gained just 89 yards in the first half Sunday, 226 for the game.
Dallas made some bad mistakes. But at least the Cowboys tried to make plays.
The Steelers turtled on offense right away, handing off to a practice-squad running back on third-and-8 from Dallas’ 28-yard-line on their first possession, laying up for a field goal and establishing their usual offensive cowardice.
That’s not on Arthur Smith, who’s in his first year as offensive coordinator.
That’s on Mike Tomlin.
Smith’s offense looks as rotten and frightened as his predecessor Matt Canada’s, just with more tight ends.
That’s not scheme. That’s living in your fears.
George Pickens’ marvelous potential has been rendered moot via lack of offensive ambition: Just three catches for 26 yards vs. Dallas. He played only 34 snaps and let his frustration show at game’s end when he wrestled a Dallas player to the ground by his face mask.
Pickens is a baby. But, in this case, his petulance is understandable. Not least with Pickens hoping for a contract extension after this season.
Justin Fields was terrible. His good games and moments for the Steelers have been overrated.
Fields was 15 of 27 for 131 yards. That’s a Kenny Pickett stat line, albeit with two touchdown passes.
Fields’ penchant for turnovers during his three years in Chicago has been tempered since he came to the Steelers via putting the offense in bubble wrap.
But Fields had three subpar seasons with the Bears. Now with most of the aggression trimmed from his game, Fields has morphed into Pickett with better mobility. (Which isn’t utilized enough.)
The Steelers don’t take the quarterback position seriously.
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, the Steelers have seen Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Pickett and Fields line up under center. Not exactly murderers’ row.
Russell Wilson, 35, has been hampered by a calf injury. Will Wilson start when he’s ready? That’s logical, given that Fields has lost twice in a row and because Wilson was signed to be QB1.
But Wilson isn’t likely to be good enough, either. Or maybe he has the brains to maximize the Steelers’ scared offense.
The Steelers should have tanked when Roethlisberger popped his elbow in the second game of the 2019 season. Go 5-12, maybe draft Justin Herbert.
Instead, they traded their first-round pick in 2020 to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick and limped to 8-8. Fitzpatrick is excellent, but he’s only a safety and he’s not Troy Polamalu.
Rather, Fitzpatrick used to be excellent. Like the Steelers’ offense, he’s had all the courage siphoned out of him. Fitzpatrick hasn’t been involved in a turnover for the last 17 games. He plays center field instead of finding the ball. You need better out of a $21.4 million cap hit.
Tomlin prefers safe, boring, low-scoring games that the Steelers can win in the fourth quarter.
To Tomlin’s credit, the Steelers do that a lot. His career record in games decided by one score or less is 100-63-2, including 2-2 this year.
Is that model sustainable now?
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If it isn’t, the Steelers will go an eighth straight season without winning a playoff game. That method seems their only choice.
That’s because their offense isn’t good, and their quarterback isn’t good.
Fields isn’t the answer. Not now and not long-term.
Taking Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft set the Steelers back years.
Maybe that doesn’t matter because Tomlin won’t let the offense escape the stone age.
It’s like that 3-0 start never happened. (It was always fool’s gold.)
Steelers games are excruciating to watch. Zero entertainment. It already feels like Week 12.