It took only a mere eleven seconds for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season to come to a screeching halt. Their front office has a lot of work to do if they want to return to an elite status team.
Their defense did not look like a typical Steelers defense that has dominated the NFL for years. Their secondary played horrendous during crucial stretches of the game. They did not tackle well. They were not able to apply adequate pressure on Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow. They let him stand in the pocket and pick out the open receiver down field, and this was usually Demaryius Thomas. Tebow completed less than 50% of his passes, but the big plays down the field is what ultimately cost Pittsburgh.
Despite all of the injuries, not having running back coach Kirby Wilson, and having to face arguable the most polarizing player in the NFL, the Steelers took an early 6-0 lead against Denver and were in position to take control of the game. This game had the feel of a typical Steelers game.
This all changed on one play.
Early in the 2nd quarter, Broncos’ wide receiver Eric Decker was hit low by Steelers linebacker James Harrison and was forced to the sidelines with a knee injury. Decker’s injury allowed fellow wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to finally live up to his 1st round talent. Thomas burnt Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor for 204 yards, and the game winning 80 yard touchdown on the first play in overtime.
For the first time in recent memory, it is the Steelers offense that is in better shape heading into the off-season. Pittsburgh needs to acquire a cornerback or two this off-season, either via free-agency or the NFL draft. They need to get younger at all three levels of their defense.
Simply put, Pittsburgh needs to shape up their defense. They have a reputation of consistently being one of the best defenses in the league, this will change if they sit back and do nothing. Defense wins championships.
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Maybe if they got rid of the two girls on defense they might have a chance!