The Pittsburgh Steelers have found a number of ways to falter during their four-game losing streak. One week, the offense is stagnant. The next, the defense can't make a stop.
The latter was the case on Sunday.
The Steelers acquired a total of 448 yards, with Ben Roethlisberger piling up 408 passing yards and three touchdowns. With the game on the line, Big Ben connected with Antonio Brown to give Pittsburgh a 30-29 lead with 42 seconds to play. Victory appeared to be in hand.
Then, just as they had all day, the Steelers' defense wilted under the pressure. Dak Prescott led Dallas' offense promptly down the field on just five plays, capped off by a 32-yard Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run. Pittsburgh's defensive line was flattened on the play.
Not a happy Harrison
After the game, veteran James Harrison was disgusted by his unit's performance, which gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns on the heels of Steeler scores.
Here's his analysis of the game, courtesy of Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network:
James Harrison wasn't interested in discussing any one #Steelers defensive breakdown: “It was totally sh*tty. We are quite terrible.”
The Cowboys' 35 points are the most that Pittsburgh has given up all season. It was especially painful given their inability to succeed in the clutch, and Dallas' 5.1 yards per carry average.
As of today, the Steelers have the 25th-ranked defense in the NFL, a far cry from units Harrison has played on in the past. Hopefully, his harsh words will ignite a fire underneath this team as they make a playoff push (they're currently 4-5).
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