The Steelers Have Questions, But No Answers, Amid a Late-Season Collapse
From the quarterback position to the culture of their locker room, they’re going to eventually have some explaining to do.
They had no answers in Indianapolis — against the Colts or at the postgame podium.
“I don’t necessarily have the answers as we sit here today,” an apparently bewildered Mike Tomlin admitted last Saturday after Colts 30, Steelers 13, a loss that extended the Steelers’ losing streak to an almost-inconceivable-given-the-quality-of-the-opposition three consecutive games.
“Bewildered,” by the way, is not an emotional state to which Tomlin has often if ever succumbed. But it’s been that kind of season for the Steelers.
“If I had that answer, I would tell you,” was about all a just-as-bewildered T.J. Watt had to say after the Steelers allowed 30 unanswered points at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Not this second we don’t,” Mitch Trubisky added regarding the answers no one seems to have. “But we’re going to find them.”
At least Trubisky appeared convinced they’d eventually get a handle on the circumstances that have pushed a once-promising season to the brink of the abyss, if not entirely off the cliff.
Unfortunately for Trubisky, the initial response to the Steelers’ debacle in Indianapolis was to prepare Mason Rudolph to start at quarterback in the event Kenny Pickett remained unavailable.
That’s at the top of the list of questions that eventually have to be answered moving forward: Why did a depth chart at quarterback that was initially perceived as promising prove to be so disappointing?
There are others, including:
Why have some of the draft picks the Steelers have seemed the most excited about in recent seasons — Pickett, Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens, to name four — seemingly plateaued or gotten worse, not better?
Why is Pickens comfortable enough to publicly insist his lack of blocking effort on a goal line run in Indy was justified because “I didn’t want to get an injury,” and what can and must be done about a player who so clearly has no concept of what it means to be a teammate?
Why has the offensive line continued to be inconsistent at best and a glaring weakness at worst since the departures of center Maurkice Pouncey, guards David DeCastro and Matt Feiler and tackle Alejandro Villanueva following the 2020 season (a campaign that ended at 12-4 and atop the AFC North Division, but also with a meltdown at home in the playoffs against Cleveland)?
When a professional of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s stature publicly bemoans the presence of too many players who “don’t want to toil for it,” as Fitzpatrick said to ESPN.com following the debacle against New England, is that frustration talking or does it betray a crippling internal issue beyond on-field execution?
Why have miscommunication, a lack of effort and a lack of detail, presumably the inspiration for Fitzpatrick’s angst, continued to show up 14 games into a 17-game regular season?
Why are the Steelers so committed to a punter who so consistently lets them down?
And, last but not least, have the Steelers been flat-out cursed at inside linebacker ever since Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury in 2017, to the extent that they finally found capable replacements this season only to lose Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander to season-ending injuries and Elandon Roberts for more than half of the mess against Arizona?
That’s way too much to unpack before Saturday’s hosting of Cincinnati.
Too much to sort out before the regular season concludes on Dec. 31 at Seattle and on Jan. 7 at Baltimore.
From now until then the Steelers have been reduced to damage control and hope.
“We’re trying to figure it out, how to win these last three games,” Diontae Johnson offered. “There’s nothing really else to think about, just figuring out how we’re gonna win these last three games and try to get into the playoffs.
“That’s all we’re really worried about.”
They’ll have to answer for all of the rest eventually, particularly if it happens to be Steelers president Art Rooney II who does the asking next time.
