The Pittsburgh Steelers were riding a two-game winning streak when they traveled to Oakland to take on the Raiders in Week 8. The Raiders were on a 10-year streak of losing after their bye week, as it seemed to be a great opportunity for Pittsburgh to get a third consecutive win, and stay within reach of the AFC North title race. Unfortunately, for the Steelers, the 2013 season may have ended on Sunday.
The loss as we all know brings the Steelers record to a dismal 2-5 on the year. At this point, the Steelers are lacking in execution, which can be fixed moving forward. However, there is another glaring hole that continues to get bigger every week; injuries. The lack of depth is and will be a major factor down the road for the Steelers. Steelers players and fans had to endure watching three offensive linemen leave the game Sunday and Roethlisberger get absolutely teed off on throughout the game. I would have to think that if the losses continue to build and the offensive line continues to struggle, the best way, the only way, to protect Roethlisberger from serious injury is to shut him down for the season.
The Cincinnati Bengals led by their stifling defense are on fire right now. The Steelers have had their moments of catching fire, only to be stomped out by a costly interception, poor execution or a frustrating road loss. The Steelers, at the halfway point of the season, are four games behind the Bengals in the AFC North. However, even though I don’t see the Steelers catching the Bengals, there is still a small window for a wild card spot.
For the Steelers to get back into contention would be asking a lot at this point. A healthy offensive line, consistent running game, force more turnovers, fewer turnovers for the offense, a consistent passing game and a bulldozing pass rush will be needed.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, we have not seen this team click on all levels at the same time, and with injuries continuing to stack up, the road will only get tougher from here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to bounce back after finishing 8-8 in 2012. At this point, 8-8 would be a good ending for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would continue the Steelers non losing streak since 2003 and there have been 10 teams in the history of the NFL with 8-8 records to make the playoffs. The window of opportunity is small, but there is still a window.
