Jan 22, 2022 5 min read

So, the Steelers’ season ended as pretty much everyone expected last week, with the team losing its playoff game at Kansas City in a Wild Card game, 42-21.

And the game was pretty much a microcosm of the regular season.

The offense, which started slowly for most of the season, didn’t just start slow in this game, it was a negative drag, particularly against a team like the Chiefs.

That set the defense up for failure. The defense held the Chiefs scoreless on five consecutive possessions and even forced a couple of turnovers, returning a fumble for a score.

But because of the ineptitude of the offense, the Chiefs had eight possessions in the first half of that game. NFL games typically have nine or so possessions per team.

The defense was bound to crack.

So, what now?

Earlier this week, Mike Tomlin didn’t sound all too interested in firing first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada, despite the fact the offense averaged six points less per game than it had in 2020.

“I’m optimistic about Matt and what he’s capable of doing,” Tomlin said. “I acknowledge that we took a step back. There are some obvious, tangible reasons about what that occurred. I’m not going to seek comfort in that. We’ve got to be better. We intend to be. That’s going to require a lot of planning and work, players and coaches.”

What were those obvious, tangible reasons?

Four rookie starters on offense and a brand-new offensive line would be a good place to start.

But the Steelers also were a Frankenstein’s monster on offense, mixing some of Canada’s concepts – pre-snap motion and quarterback movement – with what Ben Roethlisberger wanted and was capable of doing.

“I think we did a great job this year of collaborating the stuff Canada wants to do, the pre-snap motion, shifts. We had some drop back passing that Ben likes to do from previous offenses,” backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins said. “I feel like whatever quarterback is playing, he’s able to adjust the plan. I feel like it will be different with a younger guy back there.”

That’s no shot at Roethlisberger on his way out the door. Even he would admit his mobility was, well, highly compromised.

But the Steelers also wouldn’t have won nine games without him. After all, he engineered six fourth quarter comebacks – the most in the NFL this season.

The Steelers’ plan going into this season was to play shutdown defense and give Roethlisberger the opportunity to win games late.

Sometimes, it worked. Other times, because of defensive injuries, it didn’t.

They’ll try to get back to that game plan in 2022, whoever the quarterback might be.

The defense should get key starters Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu back next season. If that happens, it can be a dominant force again.

And if the offense can average more than the 20.2 points per game it did this season – a low bar to be sure – the Steelers won’t need to rely on a quarterback’s late-game heroics to pull their bacon out of the fire.

n There are a number of national reports out there saying the Steelers will definitely take a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft. But that’s not the case.

The Steelers will only take a quarterback in the first round if they feel there’s one available who can be a long-term starter. They won’t take one simply to take one.

They’ll get their first up-close look at a number of those guys in two weeks at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

In addition to Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati, Carson Strong of Nevada, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Malik Willis of Liberty are scheduled to play in that game. The only top-rated quarterback missing from this game will be underclassman Matt Corral of Ole Miss.

But this isn’t a particularly strong quarterback class. None of those aforementioned quarterbacks is a slam-dunk top-10 pick.

That could certainly change, but that’s the reality of things right now.

This week’s games

Bengals (plus 3½) at Titans: The Bengals are a chic pick to make it to the Super Bowl, but they’re just not quite ready to make that leap. The Titans were 6-1 this season when Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown played this season. They’re both playing in this game. The Bengals might keep this close, but they’ll come up short against a well-rested Tennessee squad. Take the Bengals to cover in a 27-24 loss

49ers (plus 5½) at Packers: Like the Titans, the Packers are well-rested. And like the Titans, the Packers are getting key members back for this game. San Francisco wants to play in a very specific way. And the 49ers are capable of doing that. But the Packers were unbeaten at home this season, winning all but one game by nine or more points. Take the Packers, 30-17

Rams (plus 3) at Buccaneers: These two teams met back in September, with the Rams winning 34-24 in L.A. The Bucs aren’t nearly as healthy now as they were then, missing several key pieces on offense. The Tom Brady factor matters, but the Rams’ pass rush will bother him and the Bucs’ offensive line got banged up last week. Take the Rams, 27-23

Bills (plus 2) at Chiefs: The Bills have looked good over the past six weeks because they dedicated themselves to actually running the ball a little bit. This is yet another rematch of a game won by the Bills in Kansas City, 38-20, in October, when the Chiefs turned the ball over four times. They won’t do that again, but the Bills defense is very solid. Take the Bills, 28-27

Last week: 3-3 ATS; 6-0 straight up; Overall: 39-56-1 ATS; 60-37 straight up.