Dec 26, 2024
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Kansas Metropolis Chiefs defensive finish Mike Danna (51) throughout the second half of an NFL soccer sport, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Picture/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — 3 times in 11 days, the Pittsburgh Steelers confronted a workforce aiming for the Tremendous Bowl, the form of elite firm the Steelers have spent many of the season attempting to show they belong in.
And thrice in 11 days, Pittsburgh discovered itself doing the entire little issues flawed — and a few of the massive issues too — on its approach to a lopsided loss, the newest a 29-10 defeat by the hands of Kansas Metropolis on Christmas Day that supplied a stark distinction of two groups heading in reverse instructions.
The Chiefs — who’ve slogged as a lot as they’ve surged whereas pursuing a 3rd straight championship — scored twice early, pressured two momentum-shifting turnovers, had 5 sacks and closed it out the second they’d the possibility.
The Steelers (10-6) spent three hours “operating on the seaside” as coach Mike Tomlin put it. The protection may do little to decelerate Patrick Mahomes. The offense had hassle defending Russell Wilson or producing any form of sustainable rhythm even with broad receiver George Pickens again within the lineup after lacking three video games with a hamstring harm.
The end result turned a well-known one. Pittsburgh trudged off the sphere looking for solutions that will not come, not in time to make a severe playoff run anyway.
“We simply must proceed to seek out methods to get higher,” Steelers exterior linebacker T.J. Watt mentioned. “Because the season goes on, the margins are smaller.”
Too small for the time being, for Pittsburgh to be at something lower than its finest. The Steelers have been removed from it throughout a three-game slide that’s seen their grip on the AFC North reduce with every passing week.
In opposition to a Kansas Metropolis workforce that appears to be discovering itself, Pittsburgh has gotten away from the id it carved out throughout the first three months of the season. The NFL chief in takeaways failed to provide a single turnover. Wilson pressured a go into triple protection ultimately zone that ended a scoring menace. And Watt and the remainder of the Pittsburgh protection didn’t deliver Mahomes’ acquainted No. 15 to the bottom even as soon as.
“You may’t afford to identify them factors and permit them to scramble round within the pocket and have time,” Watt mentioned. “We didn’t have any success.”
No, they didn’t. And the Steelers are operating out of time to regain their swagger forward of a postseason berth they locked up weeks in the past. But all of the optimism that they had been able to making a playoff run for the primary time since 2016 has dimmed amid a slide by which they’ve been outscored by a median of 16 factors.
“The underside line is the junior varsity shouldn’t be adequate, we’ve acquired to personal that,” Tomlin mentioned.
Pittsburgh will get a little bit of an prolonged break earlier than it hosts Cincinnati within the regular-season finale. How the Steelers reply over the subsequent 10ish days is significant.
“Our perception can’t waver,” Wilson mentioned. “If something, we’ve acquired to show it up much more on our perception.”
Possibly, however it will assist if they may additionally keep away from the form of self-inflicted wounds which have hounded them throughout one of many extra attempting stretches of Tomlin’s prolonged tenure.
A two-play sequence late within the first quarter symbolized the way it’s gone for Pittsburgh since a win over Cleveland on Dec. 8 pushed the Steelers to 10-3 and made them a fringe contender for the AFC’s high seed.
Pittsburgh was driving down 13-0 when Wilson orchestrated a crisp drive that wolfed up 69 yards in three performs. Jaylen Warren appeared to complete it off with an 8-yard landing run. A holding penalty on tight finish Darnell Washington nullified the rating.
On the subsequent snap, Wilson tried to string a go in between three defenders to tight finish Pat Freiermuth. Kansas Metropolis’s Justin Reid simply picked it off.
“It’s on me,” Wilson mentioned. “I used to be attempting to provide Pat an opportunity. He’s completed a superb job for us down within the purple zone and so they made a superb play.”
Although the Steelers managed to get inside 13-7 on the break, the protection yielded nearly instantly. Kansas Metropolis scored on every of its first three possessions after halftime, together with a pair of touchdowns in simply over two minutes at first of the fourth quarter to place it away.
The Chiefs headed to a joyous locker room the place they celebrated in Santa fits after clinching home-field benefit all through the AFC playoffs. The Steelers trudged in the wrong way, their probabilities of claiming the AFC North dimming and a season as soon as brimming with promise trending towards a well-known end result: a fast postseason exit.
“The underside line is we’re simply not performing properly sufficient,” Tomlins mentioned. “I’m much less involved in regards to the management of the division and extra involved in regards to the high quality of our efficiency at this juncture.”
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