Under Russell Wilson, the Steelers looked like a force but the Eagles crushed them 27-13 in the week 15 game. The fans and the HC Mike Tomlin passed it off as a one-off loss. The coach stated, “It’s a loss. I mean, let’s not get dramatic,” but how right was he? Alas, in week 16, it happened again; another loss! The Ravens defeated them 34-17 at M&T Stadium. When the Steelers and Ravens face each other, it is often a question of which team makes fewer mistakes and which team can take advantage of those mistakes. This time, it was the Ravens who were sharp.

It was a tough loss for the Steelers and the vast score difference lowered their morale further. Even the HC couldn’t help but feel bitter. During the post-game conference, the Steelers HC did not mince his words. He put his O-line under the bus and said:

“We didn’t do what we needed to do in order to secure victory today. So I congratulate the Ravens on their performance and the victory. Very specifically, we didn’t control the run game. We never did. And when you don’t, man, you gotta do some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way. We didn’t do that either.”

“We had opportunities of some balls on the ground that we didn’t get. And then obviously, we turned the ball over going in and took seven points off the board and they had a pick-six and you know, the rest is history as they say,” said the disappointed coach.

While both teams had an equal number of passing yards, 198 yards each, the Steelers’ defense failed to stop the run ball. The home team had 38 attempts in 220 rushing yards and was far ahead of the visitors, with 24 attempts in 117 rushing yards. But in all fairness, the Steelers were without defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, safety DeShon Elliott, and cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. Not having four of their 11 starters can make it tough for any team.

“You gotta control the run, the line of scrimmage. The turnover game is always significant in matchups like this. And we failed in both areas and so, when you do that, you should expect to lose,” Tomlin further stated.

Even Russell Wilson was not in the best form on Saturday. While Lamar Jackson was sacked only once, the Ravens’s defense sacked ‘Mr Unlimited’ thrice. At the end of the third quarter, the scores were 24-17 in the home team’s favor. But the 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by the Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey took the scores to 31-17, and the Steelers could not close the difference.

The Steelers HC has also other problems to deal with as their players got injured during the week 16 matchup.

Mike Tomlin revealed Joey Porter Jr.’s injury…

The Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. got injured against the Ravens. While talking about it during the post-game conference, the HC Mike Tomlin said, “Joey Porter had a knee injury, don’t have a lot of details there. He wasn’t able to finish.” That was evident in the game.

At the 7:44 mark in the first quarter, he injured his knee. Initially, his return was questionable, but he returned at the 13:45 mark in the 3rd quarter. However, he wasn’t comfortable running and was declared ‘out’ of the game at 8:51 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. He had 3 tackles in the matchup.

It was initially called a calf injury but the HC later called it a knee injury, causing referred pain to the calf. This incident also reminds us of Porter’s shin injury last month (against the Ravens), when he exited the game in the fourth quarter because of lower-body injuries. It was his second departure from the game as he earlier left during the third quarter due to leg injuries. We later got to know it was a shin contusion. One can only hope that his new knee injury isn’t too serious.

Their WR Ben Skowronek also suffered a hip injury in the game. That adds to Mike Tomlin’s worries.

He and Russell Wilson have to sit together and make new plans. They need to win the games before the playoffs. Only two games remain now. Next up for the Steelers is the Kansas City Chiefs on December 25 in Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh.

Can they win it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.