Dec 27, 2015 5 min read

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I’m sure there have been teams more dependent on turnovers than the 2015 Steelers, but it’s difficult to think of any.

Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t really very good by any definition of how those units are typically judged other than points allowed.

And much of the reason it has teetered on the edge of being a solid defense in that category this season is because of the turnovers. The Steelers are 7-1 when they win the turnover battle, 2-5 when they do not.

More importantly, the Steelers have now had four games this season in which they have not forced a turnover. They are winless in those games.

When you have issues stopping opponents, you’d better do something to get off the football field.

The Ravens played keep away from the Steelers Sunday and it worked because neither the offense nor the defense was very efficient.

@ Ben Roethlisberger was not good Sunday. He officially threw two interceptions, but had another called back because of a penalty and had at least one other dropped.

The Ravens were playing the safeties very deep and daring the Steelers to run the ball and throw underneath. And Roethlisberger didn’t always seem willing to do that.

DeAngelo Williams had 11 carries for 84 yards in the first half. With a player considered by pretty much everyone to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, that should produce some points.

Instead, Roethlisberger was 7 of 12 for 66 yards and an interception and the Steelers scored three points.

That’s inexcusable with the offensive weapons at Roethlisberger’s disposal.

@ Some have suggested that the Steelers don’t miss Le’Veon Bell. But if there was a game that Bell would have helped greatly in, it was this one.

With Baltimore taking away the deep ball and playing the safeties deep, Bell would have torn them up both running and in the passing game.

That’s no knock against Williams. He was very good Sunday, running for 100 yards on 17 carries and catching six passes for another 53 yards.

But it says here that if the Ravens had played that style of defense against Bell, he would have gone over 200 yards in this game.

@ The Steelers’ playoff hopes aren’t cooked but they are certainly in serious trouble.

They need to beat Cleveland next week and hope one of two other things happen: the Jets lose at Buffalo; or Denver loses its final two games.

Either could happen, realistically, but if Roethlisberger and the defense aren’t going to play better on the road, what’s the sense?

Roethlisberger has now thrown two TD passes and seven interceptions in five road starts this season. And all four of the defense’s games in which it has not forced a turnover also have come on the road – at New England, Kansas City, Seattle and Baltimore.

Considering the Steelers will be playing on the road if they do make the playoffs, it’s unlikely they could make a sustained run in the postseason because of those two things.

They might be able to win a game. Possibly even two. But winning three in a row when you haven’t shown any kind of consistency away from home? That’s not bloody likely.

@ I don’t know if James Harrison took HGH or not as alleged in an Al Jazeera report.

But I do know that the guy who said he did said this week that he made the whole thing up. And I know Harrison vehemently denied doing it.

Nobody is going to own up to something like that. But at the same time, seeing how upset Harrison was by the whole thing and hearing Peyton Manning’s denials as well, I tend to believe them.

Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows?

And I don’t doubt there are guys putting things in their bodies to help themselves that aren’t always on the up and up.

But the guy who made the accusations was a pharmacy intern at the time. Do we honestly believe an intern would be privy to the kind of information he claimed and later recanted?

@ The Steelers “only” allowed 121 rushing yards on Sunday. It seemed like a lot more than that.

Baltimore gashed them again with its zone blocking scheme and Ryan Mallett dinked and dunked his way down the field.

The defensive line was getting penetration at times, but it still left some open running lanes for rookie Javorius Allen and Terrence West, neither of whom is going to be confused for Adrian Peterson anytime soon.

@ I didn’t have a problem with the Steelers going for it on fourth-and-1 on their opening drive.

I did have an issue with the third-down play. A tight end screen to Jesse James?

Nothing against James, but there are far more playmakers on this team than a third-string tight end.

@ I’m sure social media is abuzz with people calling out Mike Tomlin for his team coming out “flat” or any number of the other buzzwords people like to throw around when the Steelers lose.

I didn’t see that this week at practice. The Steelers lost because the quarterback had a bad game and the defense was, well, the defense.