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The Pittsburgh Steelers Week 16 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs was supposed to be one last chance for the Steelers to show that they deserve a playoff spot in the AFC. Pittsburgh stared that chance right in the face and then they fell flat on their own. The 36-10 loss puts Pittsburgh in a spot where their playoff odds are so small that they might want to consider getting some young guys some extra experience.
They won't do that, of course, because they are the Steelers and this is Ben Roethlisberger's final season. So, here are three takeaways from Sunday's Steelers-Chiefs game that might give you a little hope–even with this team's 14 percent playoff chances.
Steelers Week 16 Takeaways
3. They held the Chiefs to 3.6 yards per carry (good)
The Chiefs do not have the best running game in the NFL by any means, but they do average 4.4 yards per carry on the ground, so holding them to 3.6 yards per carry in this one was a very good job by Pittsburgh. To be fair to the Chiefs, most of their runs came in the second half while they were nursing a huge lead. Meaning the Steelers knew the run was coming for the entirety of the game's final two quarters.
2. The offense only averaged 4.5 yards per pass attempt (bad)
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Ben Roethlisberger's swan song may come to an end in a game vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 18, but Sunday was the day that he officially announced to the world–with his play–that he simply doesn't have it anymore. He has done a great job for almost two decades in black and yellow but it is time for both sides to move on. Roethlisberger will head to retirement and eventually to the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame in Canton, Ohio and the Steelers will be on the search for his replacement.
1. The defense allowed Mahomes to have 8.6 yards per pass attempt (ugly)
This one is a bigger issue than Roethlisberger and the Chiefs knew it, exploiting it time and again on Sunday. The Steelers are simply too easy to move the ball on through the air. Pittsburgh relies so much on their defensive line to get the pressure that the term “coverage sack” is probably a completely foreign concept to them. It is obvious that the Steelers need some help along the offensive line and at quarterback but none of that will matter if they don't get the secondary squared away first.
The Steelers are also set to see cornerback Joe Haden, linebacker Robert Spillane, safety Terrell Edmunds, and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon– all from the defensive side of the ball, become free agents. On offense, Pittsburgh's impending free-agents are wide receiver Juju Smith Schuster, guard Trai Turner, wide receiver James Washington, and tight end Eric Ebron.
It is also important to note that Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert's contract expires at the end of April. If an extension is not down soon, it likely spells the end for Colbert's tenure in Pittsburgh. The team will want whoever is the general manager of the team going forward to be the one drafting, especially in a year like this when you are most likely going to be drafting a rookie quarterback to replace the legendary Roethlisberger.
