The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into the playoffs with little to no momentum.
Pittsburgh ended the season on a four-game losing streak and now everyone is asking questions. Should they fire Mike Tomlin? Should Justin Fields start the playoff game over Russell Wilson? When will the Steelers get over the hump? All of these are reasonable questions for Steelers fans to be asking due to past struggles over the last month.
Granted, the Steelers’ last four losses were all against tough opponents. But that is what they are going to see in the playoffs. They are going to have to beat the good teams to make a run in the playoffs, and they have not proven that they can do that very well this year.
One of their main problems is their offense and their lack of ability to push the ball down the field. Less of that falls on Wilson and a lot more falls on the coaching in Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has only been a slight step up from Matt Canada last year.
Wilson also does not have a lot of help on the perimeter at wide receiver. That really showed in the games where George Pickens was hurt.
Another problem for the Steelers has been their secondary and their inability to match up with elite wide receivers. That showed in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, where A.J. Brown had 110 yards and a touchdown.
With that being said, there is a lot to do this week to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card round. Tomlin really has to prove that he can win a playoff game – and that starts with shutting down the two-headed monster of MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and star running back Derrick Henry. Henry rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns in his last game against the Steelers.
Another thing that could help the Pittsburgh defense is avoiding three and outs on offense. This would take a lot of the pressure of the defense and keep them more rested, which would lead to a better performance.
The bottom line is that this is a must-win game for the Steelers and even more so for Mike Tomlin.
