Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is in peril. For a third straight season, Mike Tomlin’s team is entering the season’s final month with a possible playoff spot hanging in in the balance.
Things are much different this year, though. In fact, you could say that the sky is falling in Pittsburgh and it wouldn’t be an understatement. That’s what happens when you become the first team in NFL history to have a winning record and lose consecutive games to teams that are at least eight games under .500. In doing so, the Steelers went from 7-4 to 7-6 and on the outside of the AFC playoff picture.
Fortunately, the Steelers have three winnable games on the horizon: at 7-5 Indianapolis, at home against 6-6 (and Joe Burrow-less) Cincinnati and on the road against 6-6 Seattle. Pittsburgh ends the year with a daunting road game against 9-4 Baltimore, but that game may not determine the Steelers’ playoff fate if they can handle business over the next three weeks.
Can the Steelers do that? While the last two weeks would suggest otherwise, Pittsburgh can right the ship while savaging its season. Here’s three things the black and gold can do to improve its odds at turning things around just in the nick of time.
1. Refine the offense
With nine days in between games, the Steelers have time to refine an offensive game plan that is sorely in need of one. They won’t be able to overhaul it, but the Steelers’ offensive brass can make adjustments to the game plan while eliminating some of the plays that have held the unit back so far.
Horizontal plays, for instance, should be largely banned from the offense. They’ve mostly resulted in negative plays that have too often put the Steelers in obvious passing situations on third down. Eliminate those and replace them with plays that have a higher chance of working.
The trick plays also need to be either revised or taken out of the game plan….
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/three-ways-the-steelers-can-save-their-season-including-necessary-changes-to-the-offense/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2023-12-09 21:19:13
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