The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season has been a mess so far, and that mess continued in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles trampled the Steelers by a score of 35-13, which doesn't even begin to show how big of a gap there is between these two teams. The Eagles, now 7-0, are on a completely different level than the 2-6 Steelers.
Not much has gone right for the Steelers this season, and that continued into this contest against Philadelphia. There aren't many bright spots from 22-point losses, and that was certainly the case for Pittsburgh here. They will head into their Week 9 preparation wondering whether they should actually unload some of their veterans, such as wide receiver Chase Claypool, at the trade deadline.
Regardless of what the Steelers end up doing at the deadline, it's abundantly clear their season is going nowhere, and another disappointing loss to the Eagles will only reinforce that notion. Let's look back at this game and pick out three players who shoulder much of the responsibility for Pittsburgh's embarrassing loss.
3. Najee Harris
The follow up to Najee Harris' excellent rookie campaign has been quite a step back. It's clear some of the blame doesn't fall on his shoulders, as the Steelers offensive line hasn't given him much to work with, and neither has Pittsburgh's passing attack. But Harris hasn't done much of anything all season long, and he looked terrible against the Eagles.
Harris only had eight carries on the day for 32 yards (which is actually his second highest yards per carry in eight games this season) while also hauling in six passes for 26 yards. The Steelers are trying to get Harris, who is arguably their best offensive player, the ball in order to take pressure off of their passing attack. But his inability to do anything with his touches is killing Pittsburgh's offense.
Harris ended up ceding carries to Jaylen Warren late in the game, and it was a bit concerning to see him pick up 50 yards on just six carries. Harris complained about his offensive line after the game, but maybe the problem is him rather than the offensive line. If that ends up being the case, the Steelers could be in a lot of trouble.
2. Ahkello Witherspoon
Ahkello Witherspoon finally suited up for the first time since Week 3, but he didn't last long in his return, and it wasn't because he suffered an injury. Witherspoon was tasked with covering A.J. Brown in this game, and it's telling that Witherspoon was quickly benched in favor of James Pierre in the second half.
All Brown did in the first half was haul in five passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns, with Witherspoon the primary culprit for his huge first half performance. The Steelers even tried to give Witherspoon safety help over the top, but it didn't matter; Brown was burning Witherspoon so badly that the extra help was totally ineffective.
Considering how Brown and Jalen Hurts linked up for the Eagles first three touchdowns, you can make a case with Witherspoon should get the top spot since he almost single-handedly allowed Philly to score all the points they needed to in this one. The Steelers have problems all over their roster, but it will be interesting to see how they handle Witherspoon's horrid outing moving forward.
1. Kenny Pickett
In the end, the offense couldn't move the ball enough to keep up with the Eagles, and while he has a lot on his plate, much of that falls on Kenny Pickett. Pickett ensured the Steelers offense would be stuck in the mud for much of this game, and he shot himself in the foot on more than one occasion. After Mitchell Trubisky led the Steelers to a shocking victory in Week 6 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it may be time to give him a second chance as the starter.
Pickett didn't do much throughout this one (25/38, 191 YDS, 1 INT, 7 CAR, 37 YDS) but he struggled with the same problems the Steelers starting quarterback has struggled with all season long. Pickett seems too focused on not making mistakes rather than making winning plays. Pickett, instead, didn't even throw for the Steelers lone passing touchdown on the day, and committed two big turnovers (he also lost a fumble) on the day.
Pickett was on the run all day long, as his offensive line failed to protect him at all, leading him to be sacked six times in the game. But at some point, the Steelers are going to need one of their quarterbacks to step up. Pickett hasn't looked any better than Trubisky lately, and it may be time to send him back to the bench.
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