Dec 8, 2023 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

Well, that escalated quickly.

In the span of five days, the Steelers went from controlling their own playoff fate in a crowded AFC to perhaps being on the outside looking in after inexplicable losses at Acrisure Stadium to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday and Thursday night to the New England Patriots.

Actually, the loss to the Cardinals wasn’t all that inexplicable. The Steelers made plenty of mistakes in that game – too many to overcome – even against a team that came into the game with a 2-10 record.

Thursday night against the Patriots, the Steelers just didn’t execute well enough early in the game to get the win.

They dug themselves into a 21-3 hole and couldn’t get out of it.

“I think you play a game on Sunday, you lose, and then Thursday you lose a game the way we lost, you know, got some time to think about it,” said Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward.

There are two ways to go with this. They can either pick themselves up off the ground and try to right the ship. Or, they can wallow in this and go into a downward spiral.

“I think you keep guys together by being accountable,” said Heywad. “Not running from the mistakes. I’m not someone who is going to shy away from what’s going on. I know a lot of our guys are going to think the same way.

“When we’re out there or in meetings, there is a standard, a level of play that needs to be accustomed to everybody, and when we fall short, everybody is accountable for it.”

Everyone is accountable, from the head coach to the last guy on the roster.

Many people will point to who the Steelers lost two in this two-game stretch and write this team off.

But this also is a team that handed Baltimore one of its three losses. It’s a team that won at Los Angeles against the Rams and beat the Packers, who have rattled off three wins in a row since. Both the Rams and Packers would be in the playoffs if they started today.

The Steelers have shown that when they don’t beat themselves, they can be hard to beat.

But in the past two games, they’ve made mistakes they have been unable to overcome.

“To be honest, we don’t even look at records,” said Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts. “We’re in a situation where we had back-to-back losses and we have to regroup. In December, it doesn’t matter if you’re going against a 13-1 team or a 1-13 team. All December games matter. The losses in December, you can’t have. We have to get on this and get back into the winning category.”

Are the Steelers capable of turning this around?

They’re the same team that started the season 7-4 before losing these two games. But they’re not a team that’s capable of overcoming multiple miscues to win.

Their margin of error is more thin than some of the top teams in the league. And when they don’t play well, they can lose to anyone.

The past week has shown that.

• With Kenny Pickett out after suffering an ankle injury in the loss to the Cardinals, it will be incumbent on backup Mitch Trubisky to be more careful with the football.

Trubisky threw a costly interception against the Patriots that set up their second touchdown. And the Steelers have been living off turnovers this season.

Some have questioned Pickett’s long-term value to the Steelers because he’s only thrown six touchdown passes this season. But perhaps more importantly, he’s only thrown four interceptions, none of which have come in his last eight games.

Again, that’s a tough line to walk. No quarterback is going to never throw an interception. But the way this team is built, it can’t afford for the quarterback to be loose with the ball.

This week’s games

Rams (plus 7) at Ravens: Lamar Jackson doesn’t lose to NFC teams. He especially doesn’t lose to NFC teams at home. They just don’t see him often enough to have a true grasp on his athleticism. Take the Ravens, 31-17.

Colts (minus 1) at Bengals: The Bengals put together an impressive showing last week with Jake Browning doing a pretty good Joe Burrow impersonation against the Jaguars. But the real key was that, unlike the previous week against the Steelers, the Bengals actually ran the ball against Jacksonville. The Colts can be run on, as well. Take the Bengals, 23-20.

Jaguars (plus 3½) at Browns: It appears that Trevor Lawrence will play for the Jaguars despite suffering a high ankle sprain in a loss to the Bengals. But Cleveland’s defense is allowing 30.7 points per game on the road and 10.2 points per game at home. This game is in Cleveland, so we’ll say the good Browns defense shows up. Take the Browns, 17-13.

Seahawks (plus 10½) at 49ers: This seems like a lot of points to give, but the 49ers have their act back together and are playing at a higher level than everyone else. Pity the Seahawks. Take the 49ers, 34-17.

Bills (plus 1½) at Chiefs: The Bills are coming off their bye week but are just 1-4 on the road, including losses to the lowly Jets and Patriots. The Chiefs are coming off a tough loss last week at Green Bay. This should be a close game, but we’ll go with the home team and Patrick Mahomes. Take the Chiefs, 27-24.

Last Week: 3-2 ATS; 3-2 straight up

Overall: 37-26-2 ATS; 42-24 straight up

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.