By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
Sitting in Bada Bing, a sports bar in Buffalo, my girlfriend Taylor and I looked on to a room completely full of fans donned in blue and red. While it might have been less than a hundred Bills fans around us, you would have guessed it was a thousand from the sound reverberating off the walls.
Around those walls were about 20 large screen TVs broadcasting the Bills vs Lions game and as the Bills inched closer to the endzone and ultimately scored, the room exploded, emphasized by a four-sided jumbotron equipped with not just a siren but also flashing lights and a smoke machine. Meanwhile, Taylor and I, her wearing a worn in Jesse James Steelers jersey, sat at a small table by the door, watching the Steelers vs Eagles game on a single screen that lay the length of the room away.
As the Bills fans’ deafening jubilation echoed around us, we sat in near misery, watching the most embarrassing Steelers performance of the season.
There’s no shame in a loss, especially against a team that is in the midst of a nine-game win streak. However, there is plenty of shame, frustration and disappointment in the way that Pittsburgh flopped against Philly. Especially at the start of the grueling final throes of the NFL season.
The Steelers’ offense has always been a weak spot. Some weeks, they would take the field looking like the true contender. Other weeks, they’d be a complete no-show, relying on their kicker Chris Boswell to carry the load – while I love Boswell, that’s not an exact winning formula.
Against the Eagles, Pittsburgh walked away from the first quarter with just 11 yards. Even against the top-ranked defense in the NFL, 11 yards is absolutely pitiful. Between poor play calling to constantly overthrown passes to no man’s land, there were no flashes of optimism on that side of the ball. Even when the defense and special teams forced two fumbles, eventually taking over on the Phillies’ 11-yard line, the dreadful Black and Gold offense walked away with just three points. You couldn’t have gift wrapped better field positioning.
Later on, in the second half when it was still a one-score game, the Steelers looked as if they were finally building momentum. “Second half team!” But still, the circus continued. A routine underhand pass to Najee Harris resulted in a bone-head fumble and a receding Yinzer tide.
As always, the defense has been a strong point for the Steelers, with TJ Watt and Co. continuously proving their worth as the reason why Pittsburgh has double-digit wins. But unable to get much rest on the sidelines, being constantly pulled back onto the field, that sharp weapon became dulled. They can only do so much.
As I previously said, any of these mistakes or the loss in general would be forgivable had it not been at the start of this stretch. Nothing will come easy for the Steelers as they will face the Ravens (9-5), who are always eyeing the top spot in the AFC North, and the Chiefs (13-1), needless to say, a tall mountain to climb. The matchup against the Eagles stood as a test, a thick and complex test but one that could serve as an omen for the following three weeks to come. Ultimately, the Steelers failed. Big red F.
The only shred of silver lining was the fact that Pittsburgh clinched a playoff berth. At the end of the day, it’s not about the work in progress as much as it is the final product. Beating the Browns two weeks ago shows something of an ability to adapt and learn from their mistakes – albeit, it’s still the Browns. Maybe, this will serve as the Steelers’ wake up call. Maybe they can bounce back and earn some redemption.
Either way, they better tie on a tourniquet for the next two weeks. There’s already too much blood in the water.
