Sunday was an ugly one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was supposed to be an easy win. After slipping up at home last week against the Buffalo Bills, this game was supposed to be how the Steelers got their groove back heading into the playoffs. But instead, it was a case of more injuries and less offense en route to another loss.
Here are our four big takeaways from the loss.
Mike Tomlin is still a great coach
At this point, the media is going to all-but forget about Tomlin as the coach of the year but make no mistake, the work he’s done with this team in spite of all the injuries and turnover has been nothing short of miraculous. Even this week, being forced to shuffle starting quarterbacks the team never gave up, never stopped playing hard and that is a reflection of the coach.
This is not a playoff-caliber offense
We all want to see the Steelers make the playoffs this season. But when you look at this offense compared to the other playoff offenses, it’s hard to imagine this team as being competitive. This group gets harder and harder to watch. Even the guys who were supposed to be great have been awful and it all starts with the quarterback.
Where has that defense gone?
The Steelers defense did a nice job this week against a very average Jets offense. This is a group many have touted as elite. But an elite defense has to show up every week and against a team like the Jets should be smothering. This didn’t happen. Linebacker T.J. Watt is the most consistent player on the team and really the one guy the team can count on to bring their best every game.
Who plays quarterback next week?
As of right now, Devlin Hodges will be the starting quarterback this week due to the shoulder injury to Mason Rudolph. It’s hard to feel confident about this situation regardless of which guy is under center but Paxton Lynch could find himself the No. 2 and possibly the starter at some point before the end of next week’s game.
