The Steelers went into the postseason with momentum, fire, hope… and it’s all over. The Jacksonville Jaguars made their return to Heinz Field on this frigid day and once again left as victors. While the Steelers fought and rallied, it wasn’t enough to overcome terrible coaching decisions and the Steelers fell, 42-45.

I’m not sure what to think of this loss. Normally, I’m the type of person who tries to see the big picture and not point fingers, but I have some fingers to point.

Here are my quick thoughts on the game…

Offense

Todd Haley. At this point this name is a curse word in Western Pennsylvania. The Steelers’ offense coordinator called one of worst games of his career. Yes, the scoreboard indicates a high-powered offense, but the score doesn’t tell the whole story. Todd Haley repeatedly made questionable play-calls that left everyone scratching their heads, including two failed fourth-down conversions. The Steelers touchdowns largely came from incredible effort and play from their stars. They scored in spite of Haley.

Now let’s talk about the B’s. Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown all had incredible days today. This trio proved why they are all elite players in this league. While the game started off a tad bumpy, once this team got rolling they were unstoppable. Bell repeatedly made guys miss, Brown constantly made inhuman catches, and Ben was firing darts all over the field.

Martavis Bryant also deserves a special shout out. While not his biggest day, he made one of the most clutch plays of his career on his touchdown at the end of the first half. He gave the Steelers a ton of momentum going into halftime.

Defense

There’s a lot about the offense to rave about; the defense… not so much.

There are a lot of words to describe the defense’s performance today. My favorite at the moment is “flat.” I chose this term because the unit ended the day with no sacks and no turnovers. More often than not, the team leading in that category wins the game.

While the players certainly deserve blame, we need to talk about Kieth Butler. Yes, he has been creative this season with dialing up pressure, but what happened today? This defense had no identity, no focus, no fire. All day the defense had the Jaguars on third down and gave up the conversion thanks to blown coverages. Players and coaches alike deserve blame.

I can’t even think of a defender to spotlight here. Sure some guys like Stephon Tuitt made a play here and there, but overall the unit was so bland today.

Special Teams

I normally don’t have much to say about special teams, but this unit headlines one of the worst decisions in recent Steelers history. With momentum on their side, coming off of a touchdown, rather than trusting their defense to make a stop, the Steelers attempted an onside kick. It was terrible to say the least, not even bouncing the minimum 10 yards. The Jaguars got the ball back, kicked a field goal, and won the game.

Final Thoughts

This loss stings. Within this game we saw the potential this team has. This offense is truly elite at times, but unfortunately the unit is hindered by questionable decisions and poor play-calling. Again, I’m not normally one to point fingers, but there needs to be serious talks about moving on from Todd Haley.

As for the defense, I’m not sure what to think. Kieth Butler could be on the hot seat despite leading the defense to a record number of sacks. But who cares about sack numbers when in the biggest game in the season you can’t even touch the quarterback once.

The loss of Ryan Shazier resonated louder today more than ever. His fire, speed, and playmaking ability were glaringly absent. This team also desparetely needs pass rush help. I still have hope for TJ Watt to develop and grow but Bud Dupree isn’t cutting it. But hey, we have a lot of time to discuss draft needs now.

The Steelers need to do a lot of reflecting this offseason and examine the entire roster. There’s no reason this team, with a Hall of Fame quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, has it’s season end in this fashion.

On to the Draft.