Three times in 11 days, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced a team aiming for the Super Bowl, the kind of elite company the Steelers have spent most of the season trying to prove they belong.
And three times in 11 days, Pittsburgh found itself doing all the little things wrong — and some big things, too — en route to a lopsided loss, the most recent a 29-10 loss at the hands of Kansas City on Christmas Day. Which presents the stark contrast of two teams going in opposite directions.
The Chiefs — who have grown as much as they are chasing a third straight championship — scored twice early, forced two momentum-shifting turnovers, had five sacks and shut it down the second chance they had.
The Steelers (10-6) spent three hours “running the beach,” as coach Mike Tomlin put it. The defense could do little to slow down Patrick Mahomes. The offense had trouble protecting Russell Wilson or generating any sort of sustainable rhythm despite wide receiver George Pickens returning to the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury.
The result became familiar. Pittsburgh walked off the field looking for answers that might not come, not in time to make a serious playoff run anyway.
“We just need to continue to find ways to get better,” Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt said. “As the season goes on, the margins get smaller.”
Too short right now, for Pittsburgh to be at anything less than its best. The Steelers have been far from it during a three-game slide that has seen their grip on the AFC North diminish with each passing week.
Against a Kansas City team that is finding itself, Pittsburgh has fallen away from the identity it built during the first three months of the season. The NFL leader in takeaways failed to cause a single turnover. Wilson forced a pass into triple coverage in the end zone that ended a scoring threat. And Watt and the rest of the Pittsburgh defense didn’t bring Mahomes’ familiar No. 15 to the ground once.
“You can’t allow them to find points and move around in the pocket and give them time,” Watt said. “We have had no success.”
No, they didn’t. And the Steelers are running out of time to regain their swagger before a postseason berth they locked away weeks ago. Yet all optimism that they were capable of making a playoff run for the first time since 2016 has dimmed amid a slide that has seen them outscored by an average of 16 points.
“The bottom line is that junior varsity is not good enough, we have to own that,” Tomlin said.
Pittsburgh gets a bit of an extended break before hosting Cincinnati in the regular-season finale. How the Steelers respond over the next 10 days is crucial.
“Our faith cannot waver,” Wilson said. “If anything, we have to change it even more on our faith.”
Maybe, but it would help if they could also avoid the injuries that plagued them during another trying part of Tomlin’s long tenure.
A two-play streak late in the first quarter shows how things have gone for Pittsburgh since a Dec. 8 win over Cleveland that put the Steelers 10-3 and tied for the top seed in the AFC. Made a strong contender.
Pittsburgh was driving down 13-0 when Wilson orchestrated a crisp drive that went 69 yards in three plays. Jalen Warren appeared to end it with an 8-yard touchdown run. Darnell Washington blocked a penalty on tight end to negate the score.
On the next snap, Wilson tried to thread a pass between three defenders to tight end Pat Friermuth. Kansas City’s Justin Reid picked it up easily.
“It’s on me,” Wilson said. “I was trying to give Pat a chance. He did a good job in the red zone for us and they played well.”
Although the Steelers managed to get within 13-7 at the break, the defense paid off almost immediately. Kansas City scored on each of its first three possessions after halftime, including a pair of touchdowns in just two minutes early in the fourth quarter to pull it away.
The Chiefs headed to a jubilant locker room where they celebrated in Santa suits after clinching home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers headed in the opposite direction, their chances of claiming the AFC North mediocrity and the promise of a season once trending toward a familiar outcome: exit after a quick season.
“The bottom line is we’re not doing well enough,” Tomlin said. “I’m less concerned about control of the division and more concerned about the quality of our performances at this juncture.”
Reporting by the Associated Press.
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