Things may look bleak for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They just lost to the Cleveland Browns, who are in last place in the AFC North. Not only did they lose, they looked terrible throughout most of the game. Their offense appeared stagnant and the defense struggled to put pressure on Browns QB Jameis Winston. Even the Special Forces units seemed out of sync. Former Steelers offensive tackle Ryan Harris believes they are still in a good spot.
“I really think this is a department the Steelers should lose in,” Harris said Friday. On the NFL, CBS, and Twitter. “It could happen in the last quarter of the season. We’re talking about Mike Tomlin, a Hall of Fame coach, can he go on an 18-game undefeated streak?
“It’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. Will Russell Wilson be ready by the fourth quarter? It’s inevitable. They don’t want to play because most teams don’t want to play for patience. Play style soccer.”
Harris isn’t wrong. The Steelers’ season doesn’t end just because they lost to the Browns. It was disappointing and frustrating, but it wasn’t the end of the world. The Steelers still lead the AFC North with an 8-3 record.
However, it is also true that it could easily lose its top spot. The Steelers’ schedule isn’t going to get any easier. The next game is against a high-octane offense against the Cincinnati Bengals. It won’t be long before they see the Browns again. If we don’t fix some of the issues starting Thursday night, we could be in trouble.
Fortunately, the Steelers’ problems appear to be solvable. Their offense started the game too late and was unable to finish in the red zone. But they have a weapon to change that. Arthur Smith didn’t have his best game in Week 12, but he proved to be a solid play-caller. During his upcoming short vacation, he might be able to resolve some of those issues.
The Steelers’ defense also had a concerning performance against the Browns, but that may have been just a byproduct of just a week away from the Ravens game. This unit was elite throughout most of the season, making several splash plays to keep the Steelers in the game against the Browns. Now is not the time to press the panic button with that group.
The reality is the Steelers had a bad game. The Browns had a chance to win but couldn’t capitalize. It happens. There was little chance they would be perfect by the end. One bad game shouldn’t ruin all the good games they’ve had this year. If the same issue surfaces next week, you may need to be more concerned. Until then, the Steelers are a record-setting team.