By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
Was it all a fluke? Was it luck? Did they tally a 10-win season by chance? Maybe, but at least the Steelers still have a ticket to the postseason.
Pittsburgh entered the final weeks of their season looking strong but now after suffering back-to-back losses – the latest coming by a 21-point margin – it seems as if it was all for naught. As much as I hate thinking about it, Pittsburgh might be pretenders rather than contenders.
Unlike the loss against the Eagles, the Steelers’ offense was competitive against the Ravens. Did it take going down a score early? Yes but that kick in the butt sparked a retaliatory touchdown, a drive that looked pretty flawless as they marched 73 yards in 10 snaps. Of course, from there Russell Wilson gave up a fumble-turned-Baltimore-touchdown, but I can’t blame him for taking the initiative to scramble – that was a glimpse of his younger self we’d been looking for. Had the ball not been knocked loose, that may have been the play of the game.
Ending the half, Pittsburgh once again looked strong as they streaked down for a field goal, bringing it back to a one-score game. The offense looked the strongest they’d been in a long time – especially against a top-tier team such as the Ravens. However, from there, it fell apart.
Besides the touchdown in the third quarter, there wasn’t much to celebrate on that side of the ball for the final two quarters. There were, however, a few head shaking moments, the interception produced from a poorly timed throw to MyCole Pruitt being the obvious one.
Facing the two toughest teams in their schedule, the Steelers crumbled. A combined 61-30 scoreboard in Weeks 14 and 15 should dissolve any belief that Pittsburgh is anywhere near the ‘team to beat.’ And with the Kansas City Chiefs coming into town this Wednesday, the last legs of the regular season don’t look all that pretty.
But, like I said, at least we have the postseason to look forward to, and with that in mind, I think it’s time to do some last-minute tweaking to the offense.
It’s no secret that I have been a fan of Justin Fields in the Black and Gold. Through the first six weeks, he helped Pittsburgh off to a 4-2 start, collecting over 1,100 yards through the air and 231 yards on the ground along the way. Obviously both quarterbacks offer different things – with Wilson you get battle-tested experience and with Fields you get athleticism – and both have proven they can contribute to wins in the regular season. My thinking is, now that the Steelers are locked into a playoff berth, why not do some experimenting?
Throughout the season, I have loved the thought about a dual-quarterback option and we’ve seen flashes of this system in play. Wilson starts and looks for long gains downfields and Fields will come in to cover the ground on short downs. Although it has paid off more than a few times, it’s far from frequent. Given the state of the Steelers’ offense, it seems like now they have a window to really lean into the duality of Wilson and Fields.
If Pittsburgh really wants to make some waves in the postseason – I’m not exactly picturing a Super Bowl berth but rather avoiding another first round exit – something’s got to give with the offense. The defense can’t do everything. And while I firmly believe any team can beat any team on any given night, taking down the 14-1 Chiefs is already a tall order.
Ideally, I’d like to see both quarterbacks get an even amount of snaps throughout the next two games. With Pickens’ injury still looming, the Steelers already need another avenue to get downfield. Why not let Fields use his natural athleticism to make up some of those missing yards? Along with opening up another threat, it also lets him get some more snaps under his belt, in turn tending to a seed planted in the Yinzer’s garden.
No matter what, the 2023-2024 campaign will go down as a positive one for Pittsburgh. Coming in with new QBs, they have risen to the occasion. But staying in the moment, it’s time for the Steelers to switch gears a tad in an effort to revamp their offense. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but trying never hurts.
