Takeaways: Door slamming shut on Steelers season after loss to Colts
Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways from every Pittsburgh Steelers game of the 2023 NFL regular season.
What the Pittsburgh Steelers are showcasing lately is not “December football” in any real sense of the tradition of making a late-season push for dominance or success. After leading 13-0 early in their NFL Week 15 game on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers took their third demoralizing loss in as many weeks as the Colts ate up clock – and yardage – to win, 30-13.
Penalties and injuries were a factor, but what slammed the door shut on Pittsburgh was an inability by the defense to stop the run attack and middle of the field strikes the Colts utilized offensively as well as a lack of positive execution with any consistency when their own offense took the field. Coaching decisions were ineffective in producing the desired outcome, as well, resulting in a loss that knocked the Steelers to the lowest rung of playoff contention with a 7-7 record.
Early hope
The Steelers offense came out looking motivated. A Mitchell Trubisky keeper past the plane of the goal line came loose, and despite Najee Harris‘s recovery was blown dead. On review, it was determined that – by rule – a Steelers player could not advance the ball… but film also showed the ball had made it into the required end zone area. Touchdown Trubisky. And then Chris Boswell missed the PAT.
Trubisky led another drive that was spearheaded by a fabulous play by both Connor Heyward and Nick Herbig on a punt block and recovery that was ruled by officials to have been downed just outside of the end zone. Giving the ball to the offense, Trubisky found Diontae Johnson open on a short rub route to the left for what would be the final points Pittsburgh would score in the game (not counting Boswell’s successful PAT on his second attempt.)
That the Pittsburgh offense and defense looked primed for a big bounce back game gave fans a sense of relief that was quickly eliminated.
Safety Damontae Kazee was ejected from the game on a play that had both he and the Colts receiver diving for a poorly thrown Gardner Minshew pass; the opponents’ upper bodies collided and officials determined Kazee had used unnecessary and dangerous force. Officials didn’t appear to consider that the receiver was “helpless” because he was stretched out to catch a ball thrown behind him as Kazee also attempted to make a play on the ball.
Tom Brady’s entire point, before Alex Smith started ranting about the AFC East, is that offensive players should not be rewarded for putting themselves into these positions pic.twitter.com/1EXJrc9zuV
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) December 16, 2023
On the very next play, Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured in an eerily similar situation as he and a Colts receiver collided while both making an attempt for another Minshew pass.
The loss of those two players, and an injury to fellow safety Trenton Thompson (who was able to return to the game) seemed to remove the energy from the Steelers, especially on defense.
More questions, no answers
Offensively, Pittsburgh would have a few good plays sprinkled in with poor decision making and lack of focus. That George Pickens, who’d been calling for more balls to be put up for him to battle for, got out high-pointed by the Colts on what would have been a big play was deflating.
Even more of a let down was a three play Hail Mary slingfest put on by Trubisky at the end of the first half that didn’t end there. His best throw was arguably when he finally stepped up in the pocket and hit Johnson on a route that was timed well.
The questions surrounding Trubisky being a starting NFL quarterback was answered by the player, the announcers, and the fans as a resounding “no,” but head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t have his coordinators switch to Mason Rudolph until after a decision was made to not allow Boswell attempt a field goal inside the domed stadium and the Steelers were looking at a two-touchdowns to win situation in the final minutes of the game.
Who made what play calls? Why not allow a field goal try? Why wait to have Rudolph attempt to give the offense a different approach?
Defensively, Pittsburgh was run on again and again for a huge amount of time on the game clock and big chunks of yardage with no success in stopping it. What happened? Where were the adjustments?
The outcries of a fanbase at its breaking point was at a fever pitch following the game. It’s hard to validate suggestions that the Steelers “tank” the rest of the season for a better spot in the 2024 NFL Draft because the team is already in the middle of the pack in selection order and unlikely to gain much better of a spot if they did lose their remaining games. It is becoming harder to not see that many questions have gone unanswered for long enough this season, though, to not honestly make some of the same inquiries.
Pittsburgh does not look to have enough in the tank to navigate their way back into contention this season. Time, injuries, indecision, hindsight; it all very well may have caught up to them.
