Steelers fans headed for the exits early in the 29-10 loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Pittsburgh loses its third straight game by double digits and the season that looked promising now has a gloomy outlook. For the fourth time in six seasons, the Steelers have lost three straight games in December. Unfortunately, December has unleashed hell on them. 

The Steelers ruined their Christmas, shooting themselves in the foot every chance they got in week 17 against the Chiefs. Both sides of the ball made fatal mistakes that have led Pittsburgh to the brink of squandering the AFC North. Winning the time of possession battle means nothing against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. 

Steelers Defense Continues To Underperform

Toppling Mahomes and the back-to-back defending champions who are 15-1 is no easy task, but the Steelers gave the future Hall of Famer no pushback in week 17. Mahomes continued to own the Steelers, posting 320 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Pittsburgh didn’t sack him once on the day and got no pressure. 

Mahomes has owned the Steelers during his career. Against Pittsburgh, Mahomes is 4-0, throwing 17 touchdowns and just one interception. He only has 30 incompletions against them in four games. It has been pure dominance from the league’s best quarterback. His eyes lit up when he saw a chance to attack Steelers cornerbacks James Pierre or Cam Sutton.

The once-elite Pittsburgh defense hasn’t been able to find a way to get off the field on third-down citations over the last three weeks. They haven’t had the turnover luck that they usually do, making life hard for them at times. Pittsburgh should explore options to replace the defensive coordinator this offseason. Teryl Austin hasn’t pressed the right buttons with the NFL’s highest-paid defense. 

Steelers Offense Goes Stale Waiting For Santa

Despite Chris Jones being ruled out, the Steelers offensive line got shredded in week 17. Russell Wilson played his worst game in Pittsburgh so far. He might have to take those Christmas gifts away from his offensive lineman. They let him get sacked five times and he dealt with pressure all day. Wilson threw for 205 yards, throwing one interception. He rushed the ball six times for 55 yards and a touchdown. 

The Pittsburgh offense didn’t have a pulse until Wilson and George Pickens hooked up for a 41-yard completion. Jaylen Warren tried to cap off the drive with a touchdown, but the refs pegged Darnell Washington with a holding penalty. On the next play, Wilson threw an interception in the end zone to Justin Reid. The next time he touched the ball, Wilson ran it into the endzone himself. That was all the Pittsburgh offense had in the tank for the day. 

Pickens caught three of his seven targets for 50 yards in his return. Freiermuth led the way for the Steelers in the receiving game, catching seven passes for 60 yards. Najee Harris led the Steelers on the ground with 74 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Jaylen Warren had a great game with 11 rushes for 71 yards and five receptions for 41 yards. Unfortunately, running the ball did nothing for Pittsburgh down 19 points. 

End Of Rant

The Steelers’ final game of the 2024 season will be an AFC North battle with the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. The game could have gargantuan playoff implications for both teams. For the Bengals, it could be a win and get into the playoffs situation. If there is one team that nobody in the AFC wants to see in the playoffs, it’s the Cincinnati Bengals led by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. 

For the Steelers, a win could send them to Houston in the first round of the playoffs or win them the AFC North if the Browns can beat the Ravens in week 18. A loss could send Pittsburgh into Baltimore or Buffalo for the first round of the playoffs. Pittsburgh has finally ended the gauntlet portion of the schedule, playing the three best teams in football in 11 days. If they want to break their seven-year playoff win drought, they have to figure it out quickly. 

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