Steelers Looking to Get Rid of ‘Stench’ after Three Straight Brutal Losses
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have dropped their last three games by at least 14 points. That hasn’t happened for the franchise since 1988. To say the least, the Steelers are reeling right now. But head coach Mike Tomlin is looking forward to getting back to work this week and beating the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals.
“Certainly, they’re a motivated group trying to play their way into this tournament. But certainly, we’re a motivated group to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said during his Monday press conference.
“We’ve got to get the stench of the last few performances off of us. There’s no better way to do that than a home divisional win versus a formidable group going into the tournament. That’s our mentality as we stand here today.”
Prior to Wednesday’s lackadaisical 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Steelers got stomped by the Philadelphia Eagles 27-13 and Baltimore Ravens 34-17. The three-game stretch clearly displayed that the Steelers are not in the same class as the elite teams of the NFL.
“We looked at some trends in most recent performances, and specifically some things that we have been talking about in this setting,” Tomlin said. “Things that have been building blocks for engineering victory for us. The turnover culture, our ability to safeguard the ball, our ability to get the ball really in recent weeks has been compromised. We looked at that and analyzed that in an effort to flip that trend.”
During their loss to Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon, the Steelers didn’t generate a turnover or even a sack. It was a far cry from what the Steelers’ defense was able to do earlier in the season.
The Steelers entered the matchup with the Chiefs with more takeaways (31) than any other team in the NFL. Their 15 fumble recoveries are also the most in the league. Pittsburgh has forced a handful of loose balls over the past two games, but hasn’t been able to fall on them.
“Certainly, we’ve done a nice job largely over the course of the season of taking care of the ball and on the other side of getting the ball. But I think our inability to do those things really kind of shaped the most recent performances, particularly on Christmas Day,” Tomlin said.
“Coupled with that, because there are two sides to the coin, we haven’t seized opportunities when the ball has been on the ground or tipped up in the air. Our punt team, I think for the second time in two or three weeks, has had a ball on the ground that we weren’t able to recover. We had a ball tipped up in the air that we had an opportunity to catch that would have given us great field position around the 30-yard line. We didn’t catch that, and you just need those type of splash plays particularly in tight ballgames versus good people. Oftentimes it shapes the outcome of the game.”
Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith reiterated what his head coach said. The unit wants to get rid of the stench of getting out-scored 90-40 in three straight losses.
“I think it’s important. We need to get this three-game losing stench off us,” Highsmith said. “Just have the momentum going to the playoffs. You see a lot of teams who are successful in the playoffs and are winning going towards the playoffs. We’ve just got to be playing our best ball during this time.
“So, this Saturday is going to be a huge step for us to take.”
The Cincinnati Bengals have been the hottest team in football since the clubs last met in November, and the Steelers have real problems to address on both sides of the ball.
Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins has been on a tear of late. In the last seven games, Higgins has recorded 44 receptions for 599 yards (13.6 average) and eight touchdowns. The Steelers will have their hands full with the Bengals’ trio of quarterback Joe Burrow and wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins on Saturday night. Tomlin mentioned on Monday that Burrow is putting up MVP-like numbers.
“A lot of our issues or challenges are multi-layered and complex,” Tomlin said. “It’s just business in the NFL. It’s chess, not checkers. So, we’ve got to make some schematic adjustments. We’ve got to make some division of labor adjustments. But those are discussions that are ongoing week-in and week-out, even when you’re successful. And so, I’m not going to try to elevate that or mislead you like something is going on different. We’ve got to put together a good plan this week. We’ve got to do a really good job of presenting it to the guys. They’ve got to do a real good job of absorbing it and preparing individually and collectively, and then we’ll go into the stadium and play.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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