Steelers Read & React: December Panic Meter

With Steelers Nation up in arms following Pittsburgh’s loss in Thursday Night Football, Read & React play Legit or Quit with some of the fanbase’s biggest gripes this week.

After a frustrating loss to the Browns on Thursday — and a Ravens win on Monday — Steelers Nation has been airing out its grievances this week like Festivus came early. Some would have you believe the Steelers are pulling another 2020, an early-season mirage that will wilt in the home stretch. This week, we’ll take a look at some of the areas of concern voiced by Steelers fans and whether the Steelers’ demise is as imminent as the internet would have you believe.

Legit or Quit?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

If you’re new to Read & React, this recurring series is pretty straightforward. We present current commentary we are hearing about the Steelers and decide if we think those takes are legit or if we need to quit that narrative.

Gripe No. 1: The Steelers losing to the Browns means they won’t win the division.

RP: Last year on my birthday, the Steelers fired Matt Canada. This year’s present was a significantly less thrilling loss on Thursday Night Football that appeared to be played in a Macy’s snow globe. There’s no denying it was a disappointing loss in a game that featured a comedy of errors from both squads.

Still, I couldn’t believe how quickly the sky seemed to be falling for much of Steelers Nation. After three days of many fans and outlets telling anyone who would listen that this was a classic trap game, no less.

I won’t make excuses for the Steelers. They didn’t look prepared. Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin both made some questionable decisions. And it’s true that if the Steelers have aspirations of making a deep run in January, they should beat 2-8 teams.

But there’s a tone of fatalism I’m hearing among some Steelers fans that is truly eye-roll worthy. The Steelers can have a bad game and rebound from it. I still contest that Thursday night games hurt the NFL product more than they benefit it. Teams have minimal rest and time to prepare. Throw in a weather event that obscures the field during a road game and it shouldn’t be shocking that a team that has played close games all year finally didn’t catch all the breaks.

And if we’re being honest, Cleveland’s record doesn’t reflect the amount of talent on that roster. If their nonserious ownership hadn’t forced the issue with a quarterback who hasn’t looked good on a football field since 2019, I’d have a hard time believing they wouldn’t be at least competing for one of the final Wild Card spots. The NFL is a nutty league. The team trying to win a Super Bowl three-peat needed a field goal as time expired to beat a team that’s averaged less than five wins a season since 2017.

Something I think that gets forgotten during the ebbs and flows of a season is that losses are character revealers. Despite only one team in history ever finishing an NFL season with an unblemished record, fans still seem to demand perfection. I get it. No one ever wants to lose, but expecting perfection only sets you up for disappointment. The Steelers fought to the end of that game, taking the lead late before losing it in the final minute. I’d be much more worried if they had been blown out or if they visibly gave up on the field. Maybe we watched different games, but that’s not what I saw.

This team certainly has its warts and improvements that need to be made, but they didn’t lay down. They have won more battles than they’ve lost this season. I still think this is the best team the Steelers have rostered since 2017. As fans, we’re often prisoners of the moment. This loss stings, but the Steelers are not 8-3 by some fluke.

RB: Quit. The Steelers’ recent loss to the Browns has me leaning more towards “Legit” than before, but let’s not forget that the Ravens have lost to that same Cleveland team this season. The Steelers’ Week 12 loss did make their odds of winning the AFC North a bit steeper, but it doesn’t “mean” they’ll lose the division.

If the Steelers don’t look good and lose to the Bengals this week, then sure, we can start sounding some alarm bells. But one bad game against a divisional rival on Thursday night doesn’t make a trend.

Don’t forget that the Ravens still have to play the Eagles this week, and the Browns face the Broncos, as well. A loss for Pittsburgh doesn’t even guarantee a drop in the division rankings.

This week’s game against Cincinnati isn’t a must-win in the reaching the playoffs sense, but it is a huge matchup in terms of setting the trajectory for the rest of the Steelers’ season. Week 13 is an important one in the AFC North.

Gripe No. 2: T.J. Watt no-showed against the Browns and hasn’t reached double-digit sacks yet. Is he washed?

RB: Quit! But let’s not ignore all the bad. Watt had a quiet game against the Browns and his sack numbers are down for the year. I even think it’s fair to say he’s in the tail end of his prime. But “washed”? Talk of the Steelers moving on from Watt? That’s a comically massive overreaction.

Let’s not forget that Watt was a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year all of two weeks ago.

Watt’s impact this year goes far beyond the stat sheet: He’s one of the league’s most double-teamed pass-rushers this season. He’s a gravitational force at the line of scrimmage, drawing offensive lineman away from other matchups.

He’s still wrecking games, as well. Against the Raiders Watt had no sacks but two forced fumbles (he’s tied for the league lead with four total this season). He’s tied for a respectable 13th place in the NFL with 7.5 sacks (still on pace for double digits), and he’s tied for the fourth-most tackles for loss this season with 13. Just look at how the Steelers shut down Lamar Jackson in Week 11 — Watt’s run defense has been exemplary.

Watt’s not above a bad game from time to time, and it’s fair to say he’s disappointed a bit this season. But his 2024 has still been undeniably good; it’s just the absurdly high expectations that he’s set as the NFL’s only three-time season sack leader that make it feel like a letdown.

I’m not sure if Watt will ever challenge to break Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record again, but I’m also confident he has plenty of seasons left in the upper echelon of his position group. There are plenty of historical and recent examples of pass-rushers remaining quality starters late in their careers — three of the NFL’s top-10 sack leaders this season are 30 years or older. There’s no reason to worry about T.J. Watt yet.

RP: Quit. This one is a little tongue-in-cheek. Most Steelers fans are of sound mind and know ball, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some overreacting to the Watt-Garrett matchup. I mentioned before about fans being prisoners of the moment, and nothing exemplifies that like the idea that TJ Watt is having a bad season. Despite what Browns fans would have you believe, one game doesn’t mean that Myles Garrett is a vastly superior talent or that Watt hasn’t outproduced him historically.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Garrett trailed Watt by half a sack coming into the game and that more than half of Garrett’s sacks have come in the last three games. Browns fans can taunt Watt for “no showing” all they want, but it doesn’t change that Garrett has gone without a sack in just as many games as Watt this year (5) or that they have the same amount of QB hits (18). It remains one of the most misguided and annoying debates in NFL circles.

I sound like a broken record, but the season is a marathon, not a sprint. Watt, being the premiere pass rusher that he is, is going to get a team’s full attention every week. There will be weeks where he doesn’t make the ridiculous play just in the nick of time. But as Ryland pointed out, Watt’s presence has a ripple effect. As teams gameplan to limit him, they leave themself vulnerable to Pittsburgh’s other talented pass rushers. It didn’t end in a victory, but Thursday was one of Nick Herbig’s best games as a pro and that’s in no small part thanks to Watt.

Gripe No. 3: Russell Wilson and the offense have only scored two touchdowns total over the past two weeks. Is the Steelers offense in trouble?

RP: This one is unfortunately legit, but it’s not hopeless. The Steelers are not the NFL’s worst offense, but you’d be forgiven for believing that if you only watched the first half of games this year. The Steelers have yet to score a touchdown on their opening drive of a game this season. In fact, the last time the Steelers did was Week 16 of last season against the Bengals. That’s less than ideal. However, it isn’t a death sentence. The Eagles haven’t scored an opening drive touchdown in that timespan either, and they’re one of the top contenders in the NFC.

That doesn’t mean the Steelers should feel complacent. They’ve said all season they’d like to start games quicker. I don’t know if that can happen under Russell Wilson. Russ has a reputation for being able to make fourth-quarter comebacks in part because he plays an inconsistent brand of football that often necessitates some late-game heroics. The Browns game was the first time he’s lost as the Steelers starter and it highlighted some of Russ’ flaws. He holds onto the ball a long time. He can take drive-killing sacks, and sometimes it’s from pressure he created by leaving a clean pocket.

But the Steelers can do more to help him out. There are spacing issues on route concepts, and Arthur Smith needs to make easier answers built within a play for when the first read doesn’t pan out. Jaylen Warren isn’t getting enough touches. Connor Heyward and Van Jefferson are still getting too many reps for the body of work they’ve put on tape. The Steelers need to improve their third-and-short playcalling. They need to figure out how to integrate Mike Williams after he has seen less than 32 percent of the offensive snaps since catching the game-winning touchdown against the Commanders. Most importantly, they need to start converting red zone trips into touchdowns. The Steelers currently rank 30th in the NFL in Red Zone touchdown percentage (44.74 percent). I’ll be highlighting some of these red zone issues in a Film Room article near the end of this week.

There isn’t an easy fix, but I’ve been consistently telling you that fans would have to live with volatility this season with Wilson or Fields under center. It’s a stressful way to live, but it can still win ball games.

RB: Legit. But I say it hesitantly. The Steelers offense is miles above where it was last year; Pittsburgh is now ranked 14th in the NFL in points per game vs. 2023’s 28th place. Arthur Smith has been far from perfect, as have the quarterbacks, but for once this group isn’t among the worst in the NFL — even if it can feel that way at times.

As Ryan pointed out, one of the few guarantees of being a football fan is that you will hate your offensive coordinator. After an ugly past two weeks, it’s easy to do, but there’s still no reason for the “Arthur Smith is as bad as Matt Canada” takes. Stop it.

However, after scoring in the high 20s and low 30s for four straight games, the Steelers have since come down to earth, failing to break 20 points against both the Ravens and Browns.

The Bengals matchup this Sunday looks like a “get right” game, but as we learned the last two weeks, stereotypical AFC North football can happen no matter what offensive rankings indicate (but a repeat of 2023’s Week 16 would be appreciated).

It’s going to be hard for Pittsburgh to climb out of its rut in AFC North games, and then the only two non-division matchups remaining are a top-10 scoring defense in the Chiefs and then the Eagles, a team Pittsburgh always struggles against on the road. Getting back on track is possible, but it’s not going to be easy.

The Steelers offense has failed to do anything consistently over the past few weeks, with penalties, red zone miscues, and an offense that runs almost exclusively through a hit-and-miss run game and George Pickens one-on-one opportunities. When it works, it’s fun to watch, but when it doesn’t, the Steelers can’t find a way to manufacture production.

Pat Freiermuth has yet to break 60 yards in a game this season, Mike Williams has just one catch as a Steeler, and the young offensive line has shown its inexperience. Calvin Austin III is playing well, but he had -1 yards against the Ravens and just 20 the week before. Consistency remains an issue.

I don’t think the offense is a failure, but with a tough end-of-season schedule, Pittsburgh needs good — not just average — performances from Russell Wilson and co. But they’re not trending in the right direction, and are “in trouble” until proven otherwise.

Let’s get into the holiday spirit: Do you prefer Steelers games on Christmas or Thanksgiving?

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

RB: The correct answer here is neither. I love holiday football in the background, but when it’s my team and I feel the need to pay attention, it’s an annoyance. Steelers holiday games are just the worst.

But if I had to choose, I’d rather the Steelers play on Thanksgiving, where at least football is already baked into the usual routine of the day. Christmas? There’s just too much going on, and family and food get top priority.

That being said, if the timeline (and the final score) work out, there is an added layer of football magic when it’s a holiday game. The Antonio Brown “immaculate extension” game simply feels more classic as a Christmas Day matchup. Is there any chance Steelers-Chiefs this year achieve that same feeling?

RP: Like Bickley, I’d rather they not play on the holidays and I think I’ve made it clear how I detest Thursday games. But at the risk of playing Scrooge, I have to say I would remove a Christmas game from the Steelers’ schedule in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. For starters, at least Thanksgiving has the sense to happen on the same day of the week every year. If the NFL is insisting on make Christmas games a yearly tradition, that means more teams will be subjected to strange and brutally short weeks some years. That includes this year where the Steelers will have to play the Chiefs on a Wednesday, three days removed from a game against the Ravens and their third game in 10 days.

Give me the Thanksgiving game every time. The food’s better on Thanksgiving anyway.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Are the Steelers’ AFC North chances doomed? Is T.J. Watt on the decline? Is the offense in trouble? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia.