The Bengals put the Steelers’ embarrassing flaws on display

The Steelers have failed to address their issues and continue to be exposed by opponents as a team that just isn’t good.

The wheels have officially fallen off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wagon. There isn’t much going right for this team, and that’s putting it mildly. All of their issues came to a head on Sunday as they were absolutely routed by division rival Cincinnati Bengals. This peak of embarrassment came on the heels of a string of embarrassing games, all compounding on one another. It seems safe to say – this is just not a good football team.

So what in the world is going on? Why, for all their issues, do they refuse to change anything?

For starters, in order to fix a problem, you have to admit you have one. And from management to the coordinator level, heads are buried deep in the sand. By all accounts they have no intention of removing them any time soon.

The Steelers have gaps at every position and in every area of play. Ranging from their porous front seven, which allowed over 100 rushing yards in the first half …

… to their anemic secondary letting Tee Higgins absolutely light them up …

… to their receivers making bone-headed plays …

… to just, well, overall lack of effort …

These are problems this team has struggled with on-and-off dating back to 2017, and after years of crossing their fingers and putting off finding a solution, it’s all come to haunt them in major ways.

Instead of addressing the weak offensive line with their remaining cap space, they let it stand. And let it crumble. They saw fit to toss a bunch of young players lacking experience on the field and allow them to be torn apart limb-from-limb. And boy, with the exception of a couple games, it has been brutal.

Instead of telling Melvin Ingram to suck it up and get on board with his role as a depth-piece (you know, the agreement they had in place when they brought him in), they obliged and traded him away, tails between their legs. And now they have no linebacker depth to speak of.

Instead of pulling Devin Bush from action until he deals with whatever has been plaguing him, coach Mike Tomlin throws him to the wolves week by week and watches his run game suffer as a result.

Instead of telling their young receivers to use diplomacy on the field and in media scrums, they let them run loose with suggestions, like one from Chase Claypool, of “playing music at practice.” The lack of self-awareness after such a defeat at the hands of a divisional opponent is…something.

Seriously. Check this out.

Wow.

For a team that prides itself on never having a losing season under its current head coach, they are well on their way to making history. This is a group who seems poised to potentially lose (or tie) the rest of their games. And as for the future of the franchise, a dark cloud is settling overhead; if the last 5 years are actually a pattern, then the next several are probably going to get even worse.

Buckle up, Steelers fans. This may not be pretty.

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