The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost two games in a row and are simply beginning to lag behind in the AFC hierarchy. Fortunately, the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns both lost in Week 8, but the Baltimore Ravens winning and soon getting Lamar Jackson back could change things.
But Pittsburgh had a golden opportunity to get back on track in Week 8. Aaron Rodgers got to play his old friends, the Green Bay Packers, and surely wanted to show his old team that he still had it. And while Rodgers was again rather efficient and has actually been solid this year, the entire operation, especially on defense, is falling apart.
For years now, the Steelers have failed to adapt to the modern-day workings of the NFL, and it might finally be catching up with them. Now 4-3 on the season, the Steelers feel like a weak, flawed, and flat-out embarrassing team and operation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are falling apart, and they might actually need this for the long run
The offense has done their jobs, for the most part, this season. Pittsburgh ranks 12th in the NFL with 25 points per game. It's a solid unit that has struggled to run the ball consistently this year, and with the run game making a bit of a resurgence in the NFL in recent years, this has definitely made the unit limited.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having a great year, though. He's tossed 16 touchdowns and has a strong 104.4 passer rating. The four-time NFL MVP has shown flashes of his old self, and he's absolutely far from the issue with this team.
The defense is another story. The unit has surrendered 33 and 35 points over their last two games. The unit now ranks 22nd in points allowed, averaging 25 points per game. Pittsburgh's point differential is zero, and the defense has not forced a turnover since September 28th.
The Steelers' defense is filled with a ton of new additions on the backend but also filled with aging players. TJ Watt is clearly regressing, and Mike Tomlin's outdated defensive scheme can't stop a nosebleed at this point.
For years, Pittsburgh was able to get by with a functional offense, strong run game, and elite defense that forced a ton of splash plays and constantly came through when the team needed them the most. However, the defense is getting old, the best players are regressing, and Pittsburgh continues to live in the past. Until this franchise gets with the times and embraces some much-needed change, what we saw this team do the past two weeks is going to become the norm.