Dec 10, 2021 6 min read

MINNEAPOLIS – The Steelers season is turning into a bad movie.

The Steelers fall behind early, as they did Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium to the Minnesota Vikings, then mount a furious comeback, at least most of the time.

Sometimes, it works. Ben Roethlisberger has five comeback wins this season. Other times, such as Thursday, when the Steelers were throwing the ball into the end zone with a chance to tie the game on its final play, it doesn’t.

It’s exciting – at times. But it’s becoming too predictable.

The Steelers continue to start slow offensively and have complete lapses where they look like they couldn’t stop any of the teams in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Against the Vikings, it was Dalvin Cook ripping them up for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. … in the first two quarters.

“It’s ‘Groundhog Day,'” said defensive captain Cam Heyward. “It’s unacceptable. We have a long weekend to think about it.”

Nah, this movie the Steelers find themselves stuck in isn’t anywhere close to the Bill Murray classic about a man who relives Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney.

That movie was way too good to be blasphemed by comparing it to what’s happening to the Steelers.

The Steelers continue to be beaten up front on both sides of the ball. And when you can’t control the line of scrimmage in football, you’re in big trouble.

“We’re getting beat on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “Really, I’m not going to make it any more complex than what it is. Football is a complex, yet simple game. You’ve got to whip blocks. You’ve got to make tackles. And you’ve got to sustain blocks. We’re not doing those things.”

On the plus side, we only have to watch this repeat performance for four more weeks.

• It’s actually a shame that Roethlisberger is going out this way.

If the Steelers could consistently protect him, he can be highly effective, as he showed in the second half against Minnesota.

After the Steelers went to the no-huddle offense late in the third quarter, Roethlisberger completed 20 of 26 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns.

Why the Steelers continue to wait until they fall behind to break that out remains a mystery. Roethlisberger, by nature, is a gunslinger. Always has been. He’s at his best when he’s on the attack.

The Steelers need to let him – even at age 39 – attack.

• The largest lead ever overcome in an NFL regular-season game was 28 points. The Steelers very nearly came back from being down 29-0 with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter.

If you’d just watch the fourth quarter of their games this season, you’d likely be highly entertained.

• Chase Claypool was called for his ninth penalty Thursday night – the most of any receiver in the NFL – for smacking Brashaud Breeland in the facemask after a catch.

Then, with the Steelers moving downfield in the final two minutes, Claypool chose to pose after a catch, wasting five to 10 seconds, rather than hurrying back to the line of scrimmage.

Claypool was benched briefly by Tomlin in favor of James Washington. This just a couple of weeks after Claypool suggesting that playing music during practice would change things up for the Steelers.

It might be time for a more lasting benching. Claypool is playing through a turf toe injury. For that, he deserves credit. But if he simply gets up and hurries back to the line of scrimmage, then the Steelers get one, maybe two, more plays and the game doesn’t end with the ball being knocked out of Pat Freiermuth’s hands in the end zone.

This week’s picks

Ravens (plus 2½) at Browns: The Marlon Humphrey injury just might cause the wheels to come off for the Ravens. It was such a big deal that John Harbaugh decided to go for 2 at the end of the game against the Steelers rather than risk overtime. The Browns also are rested coming off a bye. Take the Browns, 24-20

49ers (plus 1) at Bengals: The Bengals show all the signs of being a young team that’s learning how to handle success. Win a big game against a division rival? Lose the next week. If they want to be a serious player in the AFC, this is one they have to get. I think they will at home, but it won’t be easy. Take the Bengals, 27-24

Giants (plus 10½) at Chargers: This looks like it will be Jake Fromm making his first start for the Giants after being signed off the Bills practice squad just a week ago. The Chargers defense isn’t great, but it should be able to hammer Fromm on a week’s notice, even with top receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on the COVID-19 List. Take the Chargers, 24-10

Falcons (plus 2½) at Panthers: The Panthers took the time during their bye week to fire their offensive coordinator. They want to run the ball more. The defense is solid. And Carolina beat the Falcons, 19-13, in Atlanta earlier this season – with P.J. Walker at QB. Take the Panthers, 24-17

Saints (minus 5) at Jets: Taysom Hill has a finger issue on his throwing hand. Star defensive lineman Cam Jordan is on the COVID-19 List. And the Jets have shown a lot of fight in recent weeks. I’ll take the points in this one. Take the Jets to cover in a 20-17 loss

Last Week: 2-3 ATS; 2-3 straight up; Overall: 24-40-1 ATS; 37-29 straight up.