Category: 2024 season Week 18 – Steelers vs Bengals

T.J. Watt with crazy stat line in loss to Bengals

Watt had an empty stat line for the first time this season.

2024 has been a down season for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt in terms of sacks. Going into Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt had 11.5 sacks and was well off pace to lead the league for a fourth time.

However, what Watt did against the Bengals was something no one could have expected. Watt was completely shut out by Cincinnati. That’s right. No sacks, no quarterback hits, no tackles for loss and not even a tackle. This is the first time this season Watt was completely shut out statistically.

In Week 10, Watt had zero tackles and zero sacks but he did have two quarterback hits and one pass defended. The Bengals schemed up stopping Watt on Saturday night and it worked perfectly.

All that attention on Watt, it did allow other players to have good games. However, this was a huge win for Cincinnati and still another failing of Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin who couldn’t find a way to get Watt involved on defense at all.

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Mike Tomlin’s old-school mentality is failing in today’s NFL

Mike Tomlin’s defense-first coaching style faces scrutiny as the Steelers continue to struggle to adapt in an offense-driven NFL.

While it’s no secret that the ‘fire Mike Tomlin’ supporters are gearing up for another call for change regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach position, those in favor of Tomlin may have little ammunition to back up their argument.

The age-old, ‘He’s never had a losing season’, argument looks weak after four consecutive losses to end the season. There’s a simple reason for this late-season collapse: Tomlin’s coaching style doesn’t work in 2024.

Tomlin is a great defensive mind, but his overreliance on defense is why the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to win a playoff game since 2017. The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have the most expensive defense in the NFL, while many of this season’s Super Bowl favorites have adopted a more offense-focused team and coaching style.

His inability to adapt in an offense-driven league, the basic Black and Gold playbook, and his overreliance on star players to compensate for questionable decision-making have caught up to him.

Tomlin stated that if the Steelers were unable to complete a 4th-and-1 in Week 18, the team didn’t deserve to win. However, another situation is clear: if Tomlin cannot earn a playoff win in 2024, perhaps the team should find a new head coach.

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George Pickens clashes with Steelers fans in frustrating Week 18 loss

George Pickens fires back at Steelers fans with trash talk after Week 18 loss, adding fuel to an already tense playoff atmosphere.

George Pickens appears to be one of the most disliked and disgruntled Steelers players in Pittsburgh right now, and it isn’t just for his poor Week 18 performance.

Fans of the Black and Gold are among the most outspoken and passionate in the NFL, and Pickens seems to have taken exception to their anger following the team’s Week 18 loss.

In what can only be described as the perfect storm—Steelers fans’ passion colliding with Pickens’ immaturity—viewers of the Week 18 AFC North contest between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati witnessed the Steelers receiver engaging in a heated exchange with fans in attendance.

While it may have seemed innocent enough at first glance, nothing involving Pickens ever is. The last thing the Pittsburgh Steelers need after their disappointing Week 18 loss is further distractions heading into the playoffs.

Pickens has shown inconsistency and immaturity in his decisions throughout this season, leaving his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers uncertain as the team approaches 2025.

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Is George Pickens positioning himself for a 2025 Steelers exit?

George Pickens’ inconsistent 2024 season raises questions about whether his play outweighs his attitude for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to trading away dramatic wide receivers. Antonio Brown, Chase Claypool, and Diontae Johnson ultimately positioned themselves as trade casualties once their baggage outweighed their on-field production.

The question that should be on the minds of all Steelers fans is this: Is WR George Pickens setting himself up for the same fate in 2025?

Pickens has undoubtedly produced his most dramatic season yet in 2024, though it seemed as if the Steelers were initially willing to tolerate his immaturity.  His rookie contract extends only through 2025, and his inconsistency on the field this season may have the Steelers ready to move on.

From fumbling away the Colts game to practically giving up during the Hail Mary attempt against the Browns, to causing an interception by running the wrong route in Week 17, and now his Week 18 performance, which saw Pickens drop three balls and catch one pass on six targets for zero yards, it may be time to find a potential trade partner next offseason.

Will Pickens rebound in the playoffs? And if he does, will it be enough to make up for his on- and off-field drama in 2024?

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Steelers match 1999 Detroit Lions in futility

The Steelers are only the third team in NFL history to head into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were fortunate to clinch a playoff spot so early in the 2024 NFL season. It seemed that after that, the team went on cruise control in all the wrong ways, leading to a four-game losing streak to finish the regular season.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor, the Steelers are one of only three teams to ever go into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak. The last team to do it before the Steelers was the Detroit Lions in 1999.

In case you were wondering, those 1999 Lions team finished the season 8-8 and lose in the wild card round of the playoffs.

The Steelers now have to sit back and watch the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers play to determine who their first-round playoff opponent will be.

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Cory Trice Jr’s Week 18 struggles fall on team’s inability to adapt

Cory Trice Jr.’s struggles against Ja’Marr Chase in Week 18 highlight the Steelers’ recent failures to adjust defensively.

Several positional mismatches are to blame for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 18 loss, and one of the biggest was CB Cory Trice Jr. versus WR Ja’Marr Chase.

Trice, positioning himself as the future of the Steelers’ secondary—and still very well could be—struggled mightily against Chase. However, the Steelers’ defensive coaching adjustments offered little support.

The young corner was tasked with covering the projected 2024 Triple Crown winner in Chase and immediately gave up a touchdown on the first drive.

The commentary crew echoed what every Steelers fan was thinking: why was there no safety help? Help would remain scarce as Chase continued to tear apart the Steelers’ defense.

Eventually, the Steelers’ coaches switched starting lock-down CB Joey Porter Jr. to Chase’s side, and Black and Gold defensive success followed. however, the damage was already done, as Chase finished the night with 96 receiving yards and a TD on 10 receptions.

Although Trice’s elite play in Week 17 led to disappointment in Week 18, DC Teryl Austin and HC Mike Tomlin must be held accountable for not making a change earlier in the game—or providing Trice additional help over the top.

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Bengals mock Steelers in locker room after win

The Bengals chose to celebrate after their win with Renegade.

The comeback fell short for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night with the Cincinnati Bengals coming out on top 19-17. This allowed the Bengals to cling to the slimmest of playoff hopes while the Steelers now must wait and let the Las Vegas Raiders determine their playoff fate as far as seeding.

After the game, the Bengals decided to add insult to injury as they blasted Renegade in their locker room as they celebrated the win. If you don’t know, Renegade is the rally song of the Steelers. It’s played in Acrisure Stadium late in most games when the crowd wants to get hyped and to get the players amped up for a big finish. So you can see where this might be viewed as a little disrespectful after a loss.

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Comeback falls short as Steelers fall to Bengals

The Steelers offense were stuck in neutral in loss to Bengals.

On a night when the Pittsburgh Steelers needed the offense to pull its weight, they fell flat. The Steelers defense did its job against the Bengals but the Pittsburgh offense came up short time and time again en route to a narrow 19-17 loss.

The biggest story was quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver George Pickens. The first time these two teams squared off, Wilson threw for 414 yards but on Saturday could only muster 148 yards, many of which came in the final minutes.

A big reason for those struggles was the play of Pickens. After quitting on a route last week that caused a huge interception, Pickens struggled against Cincinnati. Pickens was targeted six times and finished with only one catch for zero yards.

The Steelers defense deserved better. They kept one of the hottest offenses in the NFL in check for much of the game. They held Joe Burrow to 277 passing yards and were able to pick him off one and sack him four times.

Now the Steelers must watch the scoreboard on Sunday to determine their playoff future. If the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Steelers travel to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs. If the Raiders pull off the upset, they will take on the Houston Texans on the road.

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Steelers squander opportunities and trail Bengals at halftime

The Steelers trail 13-7 at halftime.

In the biggest game of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, this one has shaped up about as expected. The Steelers defense has bent but not break, holding the Bengals to just 13 points in the first half. Meanwhile the Steelers offense has been anemic with no rhyme or reason to what offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is trying to do.

The Steelers had multiple opportunities to make plays on offense but an ultra-conservative gameplan and more lackluster effort was the theme of the first half. Quarterback Russell Wilson finished with just 45 passing yards on only four completions.

The Steelers now have 30 minutes to turn things around and hopefully get the win. It would not only eliminate the Bengals from playoff contention but lock in the No. 5 seed regardless of what happens in Sunday’s games.

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