The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 19-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals, closing their 2024 season on a four-game losing streak and setting themselves up for yet another “one and done” trip to the playoffs.

There’s nothing mystical about why the Steelers lost this one. Their defense played well. Their special teams played above the line. But they have a junior varsity offense.

George Pickens with one of various drops. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

#ICYMI Steelers Defense Rebounded

When Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense took the opening kick off and moved down the field with methodical precision to score a touchdown after a six minute drive, it looked like we were in for a long night.

And when Burrow, after a 3-play negative 6-yard drive by the Steelers offense stitched together another 11 play six minute drive that reached the Steelers 26 things were looking grim.

• But Patrick Queen delivered a sack on third down, and forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal.

In fact, that first touchdown was the only one the Bengals would score all night. If you had known going into the game that the Bengals would achieve a 16-minute time of possession advantage, you’d have probably thought Burrow and Company would have put well over 30 points on the board.

Conversely, if you knew going into the game that the Steelers were going to limit the Bengals to 19 points you’d have probably thought that indicated a Pittsburgh victory. The truth is that the Steelers defense stepped up multiple times throughout the night:

• Cam Heyward batted back 3 passes and should have been credited with a half sack
• Cory Trice  DeShon Elliott and Payton Wilson all made key stops for losses
• Keeanu Benton, Preston Smith and Nick Herbig all came up with sacks at critical moments
• Patrick Queen and Beanie Bishop killed a drive with a pass-deflection, interception combo
• Joey Porter Jr. deflected a pass to Jamar Chase late in the game

By any measure, the Steelers defense played well enough against the Bengals to win.

Unfortunately, they needed the offense to do its share. The offense wasn’t up to it, as two critical series at the end of both halves reveal.

Defense Delivers, Offense Does Not, First Half

With 3:36 left in the first half, Preston Smith sack Burrow, forcing a Cincinnati punt. Calvin Austin was in route to a decent return, when he put the ball on the ground, with the Bengals recovering and Pittsburgh’s 33.

That seemed to gift-wrap at least 3 if not 7 points for the Bengals. And the Bengals did make it all the way to Pittsburgh’s 21, but there Queen and Bishop combined to pick off the ball, giving Russell Wilson a minute and 10 seconds to get into scoring range.

Wilson hit Pat Freiermuth twice to get things going, but after Replay assist turned a 10 yard gain into a 9-yard gain, the Steelers faced a third and 1. Mike Tomlin chose to be aggressive.

After the game he defended his decision making this way, “If you can’t get a yard you don’t deserve to win.”

• The Steelers tried a sneak with Russell Wilson on third. It failed.
• They ran it to Jaylen Warren on 4th down. He failed.

That gave the Bengals the ball at the 37 with 0:48 seconds remaining and allowed the Bengals to kick a 3 point field goal what would ultimately be a two point game.

Special Teams, Defense Deliver, Offense Does Not, Second Half

With 5:25 remaining Corliss Waitman took to the field to punt after yet another three and out. But the ball bounced off of a Bengal’s shoe, and Connor Heyward made the heads up play to recover it.

• Once again, the Steelers had secured a turnover when they needed it most.

Yet the Steelers offense could only manage 2 yards on 6 plays, thanks to sacks and penalties, and instead of a go-ahead touchdown, the Steelers had to settle for a Chris Boswell field goal.

But the Steelers defense followed with might have been its best effort all night. Joe Burrow only needed to burn 2:29 off the clock on a night when the Bengals already had a 15 minute time of possession advantage.

Burrow only added 29 seconds to that advantage thanks to stout run stuffing by Alex Highsmith, smart pass defense by Corey Thrice and Patrick Queen and Keeanu Benton getting his first sack of the season on third down.

• The Steelers had a full two minutes to get into field goal range.
• They managed to run 7 plays during that span.
• Wilson completed two passes
• He was sacked once and took off on an ill-advised run on another occasion
• He missed an open George Pickens

Pat Freiermuth also let a pass slip through his hands on 4th down although it is doubtful that the Steelers would have had time to line up for a field goal had he caught it.

Junior Varsity Offense, Plain and Simple

Seventeen games and four straight losses have revealed a harsh reality about the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers: They have a junior varsity offense.

• It is as simple as that.

On Steel City Insider, Jim Wexell began arguing at mid-season that “The Steelers have a run-focused offense that lacks a running game.”

In The Athletic Mike DeFabo argues that while the Steelers want their identity to be one as a physical team that pounds the rock, “There’s a serious disconnect between what the Steelers want to be … and what they actually are.”

Both reporters are right, and their comment expose the roots of why the Steelers lost to the Bengals.

And while it is easy to look at how well the Steelers threw against the Bengals just one month ago, Pat Freiermuth Pittsburgh’s only reliable receiving threat when the Bengals visited Acrisure. To wit, on the Steelers last two drives, they tried to air it out instead of “pounding the rock” (the inane pitch to Cordarrelle Patterson notwithstanding) and came up short.

• Are the Steelers offensive woes rooted in deficiencies of talent or coaching?

That’s a question for Art Rooney II must begin answering next Sunday morning — unless Mike Tomlin can figure out a way to out score “Mr. Jackson” and “Mr. Henry” with a Junior Varsity offense.

Yeah, maybe Art better start thinking long and hard about this question right now.

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