PITTSBURGH: Mike Tomlin has spent the higher a part of the season — truly, test that, the previous 4-plus seasons — glossing over the Pittsburgh Steelers relentlessly stagnant offense by pointing to the scoreboard.
Now, that may not even be sufficient.
Frustration internally appears to be mounting with every passing week, even with the Steelers (6-4) within the thick of the playoff combine as Thanksgiving looms.
Three weeks in the past, proper deal with Chukwuma Okorafor misplaced his beginning job — doubtless for good — for popping off late in a listless loss to Jacksonville.
Two weeks in the past large receiver George Pickens needed to be consoled when he wasn’t the one who caught the sport-clinching landing cross in opposition to Tennessee.
On Sunday in Cleveland, large receiver Diontae Johnson had an prolonged trade with Tomlin on the sideline between the third and fourth quarters of what ultimately grew to become a 13-10 loss to the Browns.
In the subdued postgame locker room, working again Najee Harris dismissed the crew’s media crew and continued to take questions in a compelling session full of pregnant pauses the place he gave the impression to be looking for the fitting factor to say combined with candid revelations corresponding to he’s getting “tired of this (stuff).”
And whereas Tomlin has tried repeatedly to downplay any signal of dissatisfaction — likening issues corresponding to Pickens momentarily scrubbing his Instagram account of all Steelers-related posts just lately as a lot “reality TV,” the fact is it’s truthful to begin questioning how for much longer he’s going to maintain all of it collectively.
While offensive coordinator Matt Canada has taken the brunt of the criticism because the weeks cross and Pittsburgh continues to sputter, the reality is there’s loads of blame to go round.
The offensive line couldn’t comprise Browns defensive finish Myles Garrett. Canada’s play calls — corresponding to a primary-quarter swing cross to working again Jaylen Warren wherein no participant in an orange helmet appeared in the slightest degree fooled — flip-flopped between weird and ineffective.
And Pickett appeared to behave as if there was a forcefield 15 yards downfield, choosing brief and (in concept) secure throws that went nowhere. He didn’t high 100 yards passing till the sport’s ultimate snap and has two landing passes because the calendar flipped to October.
Tomlin has steadfastly protected the previous Pitt star since selling him to the beginning job a month into the 2022 season. He has pointed to the intangibles Pickett offers — toughness and grit chief amongst them — as proof of progress whilst Pickett’s numbers trace that simply the other is true.
There was no scoreboard to cover behind on Sunday. No magic within the ultimate moments that “Fourth Quarter Kenny” has summoned semi-frequently (if at all times briefly) to avert catastrophe.
Instead, the Steelers had been uncovered but once more by a crew in playoff competition, this one an AFC North rival that occurred to have a rookie quarterback on the controls.
Squint and there’s no cause to panic. The upcoming schedule appears to be like manageable, significantly with Bengals star Joe Burrow out for the remainder of the season.
Yet sooner or later, the Steelers might want to seem like a playoff crew when the offense is on the sphere. They haven’t for any sustained stretch because the peak of the “Killer B” period led by Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell within the mid-2010s.
Pickett continues to say all the fitting issues. And loads of lengthy-time period NFL starters have wanted greater than 22 video games to seek out themselves.
Yet most of these starters didn’t play on a crew with a high-10 scoring protection that options potential Hall of Famers in any respect three ranges, a protection constructed to win proper now.
That’s a part of the frustration that’s beginning to creep in.
Pittsburgh doesn’t want Pickett to show into Patrick Mahomes, however a bit of sustained competence would go a great distance. The listing of gamers with extra landing passes this season than the six Pickett has mustered by way of 10 video games embrace Bryce Young, Jimmy Garoppolo and Mac Jones.
More is predicted. More is required. Merely not costing his crew video games is now not ok.
And whereas there isn’t any cause to imagine Tomlin would flip to backup Mitch Trubisky or hearth Canada in midseason — strikes which can be antithetical to “The Steeler Way” — it may be time for Tomlin to cease trying the opposite approach and take his not-so-younger 25-12 months-outdated franchise quarterback in identify solely to activity.
WHAT’S WORKING
The working sport. The Steelers have piled up 543 yards on the bottom over the previous three weeks, the crew’s most in a 3-sport span since Weeks 1-3 of the 2007 season.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
It feels unfair to criticize a protection that hasn’t allowed greater than 20 factors since Oct 1., however the late-sport “bend but don’t break” philosophy — see Green Bay’s ultimate two drives in Week 10 — didn’t work in opposition to the Browns. The Steelers had been oddly passive on Cleveland’s ultimate drive whereas rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson guided the Browns into subject-objective vary with relative ease.
STOCK UP
Warren’s really feel-good rise from former undrafted rookie free agent lengthy shot to respectable NFL-high quality starter appears to be gaining momentum by the week. He’s the primary Steeler to go over 100 yards speeding in consecutive video games since James Conner did it in 2020.
STOCK DOWN
On a crew with a bit of wiggle room, punter Pressley Harvin III must be a weapon and never an occasional legal responsibility.
INJURIES
All-Pro security Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) may return to apply this week after lacking every of the previous three video games. … One of Fitzpatrick’s replacements, S Elijah Riley, tweaked an ankle in opposition to the Browns and was positioned on injured reserve.
KEY NUMBER
0 — the variety of groups the Steelers play over the following 5 weeks which can be at the moment over .500.
NEXT STEPS
Another week, one other largely unknown first-12 months quarterback awaits on Sunday in Cincinnati, the place Jake Browning — a 27-12 months-outdated who has been a profession apply squad participant till this season — will make his first NFL begin.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
