Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff hopes under threat: Bucky Brooks takes a closer look at what's wrong
Watch New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers, live on Sky Sports Action from 9.25pm on Sunday
Sunday 16 December 2018 15:04, UK
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a rut, and in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
All looked fine as recently as three weeks ago, with the Steel Curtain riding a six-game win streak which included victories over each of their AFC North divisional opponents including, most crucially, the Baltimore Ravens. They also registered 41-17 and 52-21 hammerings of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, respectively, and a hard-fought win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, clinched with a desperate diving touchdown from quarterback Big Ben Roethlisberger in the dying seconds.
But, three-straight losses to follow - to the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and most embarrassingly of all, to the previously two-win Oakland Raiders on Sunday - have their postseason aspirations in jeopardy.
The Steelers (7-5-1) still sit top of the North - occupying the No 4 seed in the AFC - but with the Baltimore Ravens (7-6) only a half-game back and ready to capitalise.
So why the sudden slump? With the help of NFL.com analyst and former player, Bucky Brooks, we take a close look at the problems in Pittsburgh…
Missing Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon who?
That appeared to be the sentiment coming out of the Steelers during their six-game win streak as their three-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro running back Bell continued to hold out over a contract dispute with the team.
The November 13 deadline - by which he had to register in order to be eligible to play this season, came and went - and anyway, Pittsburgh had a new toy to play with on offense: James Conner.
Some suggested the second-year back was even an upgrade as he racked up 706 yards - including five 100-yard games - and 10 touchdowns through the team's opening eight games. But his production has dramatically tailed off since, failing to top 65 yards in a game since, while an ankle sprain kept him out of the Oakland defeat.
"They miss Bell," says Bucky. "This guy is a legitimate star in this league, playing at a consistently high level throughout his career.
"You can replace that production for a little bit with a guy that is a solid player, but Conner is not Bell, and as the games get bigger and the stage gets brighter, you need to make sure your stars play like stars. Without Bell, we are seeing that they miss that extra threat.
"JuJu Smith-Schuster has been good and Antonio Brown has always been a dominant player, but he has been able to be bottled up in recent weeks because teams don't need to commit anything to stop the Steelers in the backfield. They have had more passing attempts than any other team in football. They are very one-dimensional from an offensive standpoint.
"And, I believe this is a bit of karma from celebrating the end of Bell's contract saga. Some of that unnecessary extra stuff - players clearing out his locker - is coming back to bite them."
Immaturity issues
It's the sort of off-the-field noise that is becoming all too commonplace in Pittsburgh.
As well as the Bell contract saga, Antonio Brown was a no-show to practice earlier in the season as the Steelers got off to a stuttering start. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has also been a vocal critic of team-mates, justifying his outspoken behaviour by saying he has "earned the right" to do so.
Bucky disagrees.
"The Steelers are a disappointment because of the level of immaturity they have shown as a team," he suggests. "I think some of that has to do with their lack of connectivity and chemistry as a squad.
"When you hear the quarterback taking shots at other players, and other players taking shots at Bell, to me, it tells me that this team does not necessarily like each other and are not on the same page.
"It's hard to win consistently at the highest level when your team does not feel a bond or connection with other players.
"This is a team as talented as probably any other in football. Yet they consistently play down to the level of competition. If they are playing a marquee game, they typically play up, play well. If they play a team that has no business being on the field against them, they will struggle in those games for whatever reason."
Is the coach to blame?
Mike Tomlin has a fine record in his time as Steelers head coach since 2007, returning a regular-season record of 123-65-1 and leading them to Super Bowl success in 2008.
But, as the recent firing of Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy (also a Super Bowl winner) proves, no one can be assured of their job in this league.
One of the key criticisms of McCarthy was his failure to milk more titles out of his partnership with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Is Tomlin too underachieving given the talent at his disposal in Pittsburgh?
"He's certainly going to get his fair share of criticism," says Bucky. "But I don't believe McCarthy should have been fired and I don't believe Tomlin should either.
"It is hard to win games in the NFL and both of those guys are the two most successful coaches behind Bill Belichick in terms of wins during the last decade. You owe him the opportunity to figure it out and turn it around.
"What I will say is coach Tomlin is going to have to do some soul searching and figure out what kind of squad he wants. Right now, this is a loosey-goosey squad that lacks an attention to detail. Ultimately that falls on the head coach's lap."
What next?
For a team in the midst of a losing streak, the last thing you want to see on the schedule of the coming Sunday is a date with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, particularly if you are a Steeler.
Brady is 11-2 in his career versus the Steelers (including playoffs), with a passer rating of 113 - the highest by a quarterback against any one opponent (minimum 10 starts) since the 1970 merger.
The Steelers have also lost their last five straight to the Pats, including a 27-24 defeat when the two teams met at exactly the same stage last season. Then, the No 1 seed for the AFC was on the line. Now, it's Pittsburgh's postseason future which is in jeopardy, particularly given the 11-2 NFC-leading New Orleans Saints are next on the slate in Week 16.
Yet, as Bucky mentions, this is a team that generally plays down to the level of competition, but gets up for the big marquee games. Could the chance to right some wrongs against the Patriots be just the tonic for this team?
"It could help them increase their focus, but it's a tough game to look at and say they are going to get this done," adds Bucky. "It's a matchup thing. The Patriots are ultimately a team that waits for you to self-destruct.
"They don't beat themselves, they rarely turn the ball over and don't give you silly penalties and extra yards. If you're not a team that can be as disciplined and as detailed as them, you are going to lose. That's why the Steelers have not had a lot of success against them.
"When it comes down to them playing the Patriots, the Saints, and other good teams, I just don't know what the Steelers hang their hat on. I don't know what the identity of this team is."
The Steelers need to find their identity, and fast. Any wiggle room they had between them and the Ravens in their division is now gone.
Pittsburgh's playoff hopes very much hang in the balance.
Follow the 2018-19 NFL season with us on Sky Sports, via our website skysports.com/NFL and also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL
