The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of significant injuries in the last few weeks. Having these players out is affecting how the team is playing.
The Steelers have lost 2 of their last games that everybody thought they should’ve won.
The most important injury the Steelers have is their quarterback, Kenny Pickett. He got hurt in the first half against the 2-10 Cardinals and ended up losing that game. Their backup QB is Mitch Tribusky, and he hasn’t shown much. In their next game against the 2-10 Patriots they took another devastating loss.
People are now counting the Steelers out of the playoff race following these two losses.
“In weeks 1-12, the Steelers somehow got to 7-4 despite being outscored and outgained. Still, they looked postseason-bound – until a disastrous five-day span in which they inexplicably dropped a pair of home games against two 2-10 teams. In a flash, Pittsburgh slipped to 7-6. And there’s no sign the fall will slow down soon,”says Adam Shein.
The defense also has many game-altering injuries. In just the last game against the New England, the Steelers’ two best edge rushers T.J Watt and Alex Highsmith both obtained a concussion. Watt was coming in and out of the game, and Highsmith was out for most of the game. Another one of their linebackers, Cole Holocomb, sustained a season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago which didn’t help.
These injuries have been killing the Steelers all year.
Inside linebacker isn’t the only position the Steelers are hurting. All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury, and Keanu Neal went down late with a rib injury after picking off Green Bay’s Jordan Love,” according to CBSNews.
Whether it’s because of the injuries or not. The Pittsburgh Steelers are not winning games anymore like they were in the first half of the season. They haven’t necessarily looked like a good football team, but they were coming away with victories more often than not. With the way the Steelers look, they needed to win their last two games to keep their playoff hopes alive. It is still very possible for them to get into the playoffs, but it’s not looking good.
The AFC playoff race is very close and anyone can make it in.
“Much of the league is clustered around six or seven wins, with six teams in the AFC tied at 7-6 and six teams in the NFC at 6-7,” Says Josh Dubow.
