Fans, Media Divided on Ultimate Blame for Steelers Missing Playoffs
The coroner has been called on the 2018-19 Pittsburgh Steelers.
While the Black & Gold did its part on Week 17 with a 16-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, a Baker Mayfield interception led to Baltimore beating Cleveland and knocking Pittsburgh out of the playoffs in the process. The Steelers tied the Browns 21-21 in Week 1, a bitter result that helped lead to a 9-6-1 record and disappointment in Steeltown.
There is plenty of blame to go around. Many fans are pointing back to the late-summer months, when the franchise failed to reach an agreement with tailback Le’Veon Bell. The 26 year-old wound up missing the entire season in an acrimonious dispute.
Whether it was Bell’s absence or a lack of push from the offensive line, the Steelers’ trademark ability to put games away on the ground was missing in ’18. Pittsburgh finished the season ranked 31st in rushing yards.
Ageless veteran “Big” Ben Roethlisberger led a fantastic passing attack, targeting receivers like Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster for big plays. But the Steelers’ skill players are getting their share of blame on talk radio, thanks to a plague of turnovers that doomed the team in crucial moments. RB James Connor fumbled away a potential win over the Denver Broncos, and Roethlisberger tossed 16 interceptions in 16 games.
Finally, the Pittsburgh defense played like an ordinary unit in the 4th quarter. The Steelers gave up game-winning drives to the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders in consecutive weeks. The latter loss was especially galling as the Silver & Black are in midst of a rebuilding project under Jon Gruden and finished 4-12.
A few editorials are pointing the finger at veteran head coach Mike Tomlin. But Tomlin’s track-record of success will ensure that the skipper remains in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. He’ll have hard decisions to make in the offseason.
