There is a finite line between having a thin roster and having a roster devoid talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers found out what the wrong side that line was against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. The Steelers went in beat up and by the middle of the third quarter you needed your program to sort out who was on the field for the Steelers offense.
The final score ended up 21-7 but when you consider the Steelers lost five players to injury including three starters, you have to wonder why the game ended up as close as it did. On offense, starting running back James Conner and starting wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson were all lost during the game, Smith-Schuster and Johnson both suffered concussions.
Having said that, quarterback Mason Rudolph was terrible. He finished with only 221 passing yards, one passing touchdown and four interceptions. Those picks were not a product of the injured Steelers, they can from a guy who looked lost out there and as the game slipped away his decision-making just got worse.
The defense did it’s best to keep the Steelers in it until late in the second half but even they were off their mark. Pittsburgh’s defense had been forcing buckets of turnovers in the last four games but came up empty against Cleveland. Additionally, the vaunted Steelers pass rush was only able to sack Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield one time.
Now the Steelers have an extended rest before traveling to Cincinnati to take on the hapless Bengals. But falling to 5-5 means they are once again on the outside looking in for a playoff spot and have to start counting on help from other teams to remain in the playoff hunt.
