From 8-2 to...

[955876]

If they fix

Just stop there.

They can’t fix what they don’t know is broken.

To Jibbs it’s all execution. Never dawns on him that maybe the very stale and predictable way he wants to go bout playing offense might be a big part of the problem.

Just doesn’t get risk/reward. Plays it extremely close to the vest with slow developing telegraphed Najee up the gut multiple times early in the game on 3rd/4th down but then has his QB who hasn’t thrown a pass all game chuck it deep on 3rd and the game.

Just dumb.

So ya. They’ll fix this I’m sure.

Probably not.

[Stillerz Bar]

If they fix the red zone scoring problems and figure out how to mitigate the double teams on Watt or take advantage of it there's a good chance they will be in the AFC championship game.

Najee Harris has 36 carries in the red zone this year. He's averaging 2.5 yards an attempt and has 2 TDs.

One of those TDs came when we were up 15 points with 30 seconds left against the Jets on a 4th down at the 10 yard line in a game already over and the Jets conceding. Take out that play, and it's 35 carries for 2.29 yards an attempt and 1 TD.

Literally 95% of the time we hand the ball off to Najee in the red zone it is a wasted down.

This is year 4 of the Steelers yet again having a below average overall offense with an incredibly inefficient rushing offense that can't score enough points and can't make enough game-winning and game-changing plays.

And yet, we've been perfectly content with Najee as our starting RB, the featured bell cow, and handing the ball off to him 20+ times a game if it goes to plan. Year after year after year.

The fact that we have just blindly accepted this as some sort of certainty for 4 straight years is mind-numbingly stupid to me. Why haven't we brought in or drafted anyone to challenge him if they don't see it with Warren?

Thankfully, Omar Khan said a big fat "Yeah.....no" when it comes to throwing any money at that sunken cost. Let's draft a new dude, bring back Warren as a RFA, and if they don't trust a rook and/or Warren then bring in a dude via FA. Let Najee go elsewhere. I'm sure he'll just explode (a shirt button or two).

How is it that we can all see 35-36 carries in the RZ with only one meaningful TD but Tomlin / Smith can't? Seriously, it is SO OBVIOUS that giving the ball to Najee as often as we do down there just isn't effective but wash, rinse and repeat week after week. (heavy sigh )

[Gonzo]

10-7 … book it

[Jizz Mop]

10-7 … book it

Yep

Death, taxes, Tomlin fucking up another season

Sick of it

[swissvale72]

I’m going to be a contrarian and say the Steelers go 4-2 or at least 3-3:

Bengals. We beat these bitches twice. I feel very strongly about this Sunday, didn’t one of the Bengals already predict a win?

Browns. We hand them an ass whipping.

That’s three. I can make an argument that we will get swept in the three game gauntlet against the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs, but I’ll give us a fighting chance to eke out one of the three somehow.

I'm going with 4-2, all the division games...#3 seed

[W&M_Steeler]

10-7 … book it

Yep

Death, taxes, Tomlin fucking up another season

Sick of it

Most people here thought the Steelers would go 6-11 or 5-12 this season, so is 10-7 really fucking up a season? This season feels less miserable than the last three at least, even if we know the end is probably going to be the same.

At this point, I think 10-7, beating the Browns and the Bengals, with a shot at 11-6 if the Steelers beat the Bengals this week and the Bengals have packed it in for the last game of the season.

[breeze]

Yep, this. Tomlin's collapses:
2019 (may cut Tomlin some slack with no Ben that season)
2020 (if not for the Indy last minute win, they lose every single game after going 11-0 and miss the playoffs)

We knew the Steelers were winning despite themselves in 2020. Ben was in fast decline. Over the last couple seasons they’d seen the loss of Shazier, AB and Bell. It wasn’t that they shouldn’t have lost 4 of their last 5 that season. It was that they shouldn’t have won all of the first their first 11 games.