The Pittsburgh Steelers recently lost to the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 25-10 in a matchup where the Black and Gold came out looking flat and unable to generate any kind of positive momentum on both sides of the ball. The offense could not get going until it was far too late to turn the game around, and the defense failed to stop Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert from adding another dominant performance to his record, throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
This performance comes on the heels of absolutely shutting down the Indianapolis Colts defensively, which is a recipe for confusion for everyone that follows the Steelers. Pittsburgh has mastered the art of playing great one week, and playing horribly the next week, whether that be offensively, defensively, or both, as is the case against the Chargers. The inconsistency of the team has been a big talking point ever since the Chargers loss, and recently, this was something insider Mark Kaboly brought up on an appearance on 93.7 The Fan where he discussed how the Steelers have been the most confusing he has seen the team be in over 20 years.
"I've been covering this team 22 or 23 years, and people ask me, 'What's up with the Steelers?' And I don't have a real good answer for you right now," Kaboly said. "I don't know what team's gonna show up. I have no clue who's gonna show up. Should they have went out to LA to win that game? Yes. Am I shocked that they got whipped around like that? Maybe a little bit, 'cause I thought they might have been past that point, but at this point, man, they're just a team that can beat anybody and lose to anybody at any given time and that has to be very frustrating to your fan base."
Kaboly's comments about being confused about which version of the Steelers are going to show up weekly are concerning, especially now that the team sits at 5-4 and only hold a one game lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had an abysmal performance that had him draw comparisons to a geriatric patient earlier in the week, which comes directly on the heels of Rodgers having an outstanding game against the Colts where he threw 203 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, compared to the game against the Chargers where he threw two interceptions.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker Malik Harrison (50) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
The inconsistency from the Steelers that confuses Kaboly and many others also translates to the defensive side of the ball as well. Just a week after holding Colts superstar running back Jonathan Taylor to his worst performance on the year, they allowed current Chargers running back Kimani Vidal to excel, going for 95 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. The team has not been able to put up consistent performances weekly, which is not only frustrating to the fans, but should be concerning to the team itself with how their lead in the AFC North has evaporated due to the inconsistent performances.
Kaboly mentioning that the Steelers look like a team that can beat anyone and lose to anyone at the same time reveals another concerning fact about them. As the schedule tightens up and the playoffs approach, the Steelers have to fix a major problem.
Steelers Need To Find Sustainable Method To Win Games
In the two best games the Steelers played all year against the Colts and New England Patriots in Week 3, they were able to force five turnovers against the Patriots and six turnovers against the Colts. 11 turnovers in two games is a great statistic on paper, and is a major reason why the Steelers won those games.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker TJ Watt (90) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
However, many would argue that the Steelers can't win every game like that due to not being sustainable week to week. To fix the inconsistent performances from week to week, the Steelers need to start with finding a sustainable method to win games that doesn't involve forcing five or more turnovers a game.
What did you think about Kaboly's comments about being unable to figure out this year's Steelers team? Let us know in the comments or on X at @SteelersSwamp7.
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