Sure; Ben Roethlisberger threw the interception that put to rest any hopes the Steelers had of launching an overtime victory drive, but the game was lost long before Dan Bailey kicked the “nail-in-the-coffin” field goal that secured a Dallas victory in Week 15.
Upholding its tradition of pointing the blaming finger in the quarterback’s direction, Steeler Nation should know that Big Ben is hardly the only player to blame for the loss. If Pittsburgh is to point the finger at anyone, that person should be receiver Antonio Brown, whose fourth quarter punt return flub was arguably the catalyst for the Cowboys’ surge in momentum.
Brown watched helplessly from the sidelines as the Dallas offense marched effectively downfield, capping off a 31 yard drive with a three yard DeMarco Murray touchdown rush. The score tied the game at 24, and ultimately led to overtime.
Brown’s fourth quarter fumble was hardly his only mental lapse of the evening. Multiple dropped passes, a punt-return fumble in the third quarter (recovered by Pittsburgh,) and a questionable run out of bounds at a time the Steelers were trying to waste time off the game clock are all parts of the list of mistakes on Brown’s part.
The remaining Steeler offensive players hardly made up for the lack of production on Brown’s part. Mike Wallace’s play was nothing short of lackadaisical. His half-hearted performance was capped off by ill-spirited attempt to catch Brandon Carr as he raced toward the end-zone after intercepting Roethlisberger’s overtime pass, a prime example of the team’s collective waning enthusiasm in the past weeks.
The team’s growing frustration was visibly manifested on the face of Ben Roethlisberger throughout the game. The typically laid back, unenthused quarterback was noticeably irate on multiple occasions, at times even screaming in the faces of his teammates during the huddle.
The Steelers‘ Week 15 loss is a near-fatal blow dealt to a team struggling to achieve a coveted playoff berth, but it’s hardly the death of Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes. A weak showing on the part of the division-leading Baltimore Ravens, who lost to Denver tonight, has left the door to a playoff birth somewhat cracked open for the Steel City. A Week 16 win at home against the Cincinnati Bengals is a must for the Steelers to begin to think about clinching a playoff spot, but Pittsburgh’s historic success against the Bengals leaves a bit of optimism on the table for a team and a city currently lacking.
