Heinz Field covered in snow once produced happy thoughts among the Steelers faithful, visions of sugar-plums and Jerome Bettis dancing in their heads, blasting through Brian Urlacher and into the end zone, and, eventually, the Super Bowl. Snow games often bring out the best in cold-weather teams in northern cities, an enhanced home-field advantage courtesy of Mother Nature.
But not Sunday. With the season on the line in Pittsburgh, a snowed-over and half-empty Heinz Field served only as the backdrop of a rare sight: a once-proud team arriving firmly at rock bottom.
It should not have been this way. The Dolphins – an inexperienced, warm-weather team teetering on the brink of playoff contention, riding a season-long controversy that already claimed their two best linemen, and featuring a quarterback who had never before played in wintry conditions – arrived in Pittsburgh seemingly ripe for the picking. Instead, they played with a calm intensity rarely seen in their not-so-worthy opponent. They battled hard, overcame multiple deficits, and scored a season-high 34 points, while quarterback Ryan Tannehill zipped the ball around like he was playing in the South Florida sun. He even turned in a lumbering 48-yard run on the easiest read-option play since Terrelle Pryor went 93 yards against…well, you know.
But the true nail in the Steelers’ coffin – for the game, the season, and perhaps this second-generation run of greatness – came in the fourth quarter. Up by four with 4:31 to play, needing only to keep Miami out of the end zone to possibly save their season, the Steelers surrendered a 4-play, 80-yard drive – repeat: the Dolphins 24th-ranked offense went 80 yards in 4 plays – culminating in a catch-and-run that almost perfectly symbolized the Steelers’ fall from grace: Dolphins’ tight end Charles Clay easily shook off two poor tackling attempts before waltzing into the same end zone where Bettis scored his iconic touchdown so many moons ago.
And so the Steelers find themselves at 5-8, almost guaranteed to miss the playoffs and clinch their first consecutive non-playoff seasons since the late-90s. Squarely in sight are now the 2003 Steelers, who for many represent the modern nadir of so-called Steeler Football, and even the 1988 Steelers, whose 5-11 mark is still the franchise’s worst record since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. But no matter the final tally, the 2013 Steelers – underachieving and unlikable on their best days – will have a special seat at that same table.
These are your Pittsburgh Steelers, who laughed off their 0-4 preseason before losing the first four that counted. They insist, against contradicting evidence, that the OC and QB are on the same page and get along just fine, nothing to see here. They balk at any talk of decline or rebuilding, right up until playoff elimination day. They haven’t played a complete game or beaten a quality team all season. Look around, and you’ll find poor performances everywhere, or, as they say in Steeler-speak, the proof is in the pudding.
An offense that hasn’t featured a 100-yard runner in 21 games and counting. A defense that has given up 11 plays – and counting – of 50 yards or more, including a 55-yard run by Dolphins backup running back Daniel Thomas on that fateful 4th quarter drive. A special teams unit that hasn’t made a single positive game-changing play all season. A defensive coordinator who is either too old for the game or who can no longer get his players to execute. A head coach who’s most notable achievement of 2013 was stepping on the field and nearly upending Ravens’ return man Jacoby Jones.
It all adds up, so far, to 5-8, which looks even worse when viewed alongside a roster flush with enough talent for that record to be flipped. The real disappointment with these Steelers is not that they are missing the playoffs; it’s that they have the horses to get there. And even though there are still three games left, and the immediate future after this season in some ways seems murky, it’s hard to imagine a more disappointing performance than Sunday’s loss. In fact, it brings to mind the Steelers’ last low point, one decade ago.
Almost ten years ago to the day, the Steelers and Jets, both 5-8, squared off in a blistering New York snowstorm. Those Steelers, in what can probably be viewed as rock bottom of the Bill Cowher era, lost 6-0. In a strange twist, they would also have a chance to win that one with the clock at 0:00, but Antwaan Randle-El could not produce a miracle punt return for a touchdown.
Sunday, too, the Steelers would have a slim chance to win on the game’s final play. And they nearly pulled off one of the more remarkable multi-lateral plays in NFL history, tossing the ball to a variety of players, including tackle Marcus Gilbert, before Antonio Brown improbably raced down the sideline and into the end zone.
But Brown clearly – and unnecessarily – stepped out of bounds at the 13-yard line. The Football Gods surely were not going to permit the Steelers to cancel out their pitiful showing with a W. Not after the way they played all game and all season. It was a perfectly fitting way for it all to end: once again, they failed to make a play when they needed it most. Rock bottom has arrived for the Steelers, and they’ve done just about everything they can do to completely deserve it.
