The Pittsburgh Steelers and choking in a big moment – name a more iconic duo.
In what should have been a runaway win over an inferior opponent in the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers never even got out of
their runner’s stance in a 13-6 loss in what was yet another game under Mike Tomlin in which the Steelers came out flat against lesser competition.
The Browns jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead off the strength of a Shedeur Sanders touchdown to Harold Fannin, and the Steelers would never catch them. Two Chris Boswell field goals sandwiched around bad situational play-calls would be the only points Pittsburgh would put on the board.
A Jack Sawyer interception went to waste due to a go-ball to Scotty Miller on 4th-and-1 instead of running or kicking a field goal. A Kyle Dugger interception is all for not because after a 15-yard run, the Steelers decided to pass it three times and then punt. The Steelers’ defense may have started off slow, but they quickly put a lid on the Browns and didn’t allow another point until Cleveland’s final drive, in which they were set up in plus territory after a failed fourth-down attempt by the Steelers. The Steelers held the Browns to just 262 yards on the day, they were +2 in the turnover battle, and they had fewer penalties. None of that matters, though, when your offense doesn’t show up.
Regardless of whether DK Metcalf was on the field or not, there is no excuse for only putting up six points in a game that could seal your division and lock up a home playoff game, especially when it comes against a three-win team playing a fifth-round rookie at quarterback who kept giving you chance after chance to win the game.
It’s days like this where this team painfully reminds us why investing and believing in any sort of potential success feels like a pipe dream. I’m sure if we cut to Week 17 in 2026, the Steelers are 9-7 and need a win to get into the postseason after making a move for someone like Kyler Murray. It doesn’t matter all of the rotating pieces at quarterback and wide receiver, nor do any defensive trades make a difference. The crew doesn’t make a difference when an incompetent captain is guiding the ship.
Now the Steelers will have to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 in a game that will have the winner host a playoff game, and the loser go home. Even if Pittsburgh wins, though, does anyone believe they can beat a Bills team that already beat them by three scores? And if it isn’t Buffalo, it will be the Chargers or Texans, both of whom have top-tier defenses and good quarterbacks. A lot needs to change and look different between now and then should the Steelers have a chance in any of the potential wild card matchups. Before then, though, they will have to beat the Ravens in a winner-take-all tilt in Acrisure Stadium to close out the regular season.
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