The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost five of their last seven games and are back to just being tied atop the AFC North. Everything seemed to fall apart in the second half of their most recent loss against the Buffalo Bills. Despite going against two backup offensive tackles, Pittsburgh showed no ability to stop the run, and the unit only had a 24% pressure rate on Josh Allen. The final score does not do justice of how poorly the black and gold played in a game that had very strong implications for the playoffs down the road.
David Dermer / AP Photo
Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen runs on the field during a home game.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin opened up his post-game press conference by stating the obvious, but it was still something that everyone in the facility needs to understand at this point.
"Not a lot needs to be said," Tomlin said. "That's an awful performance by us, but it's us. We didn't do a lot well tonight obviously. We didn't possess the ball or maintain ball security on offense. We were highly penalized. We allowed those guys to run the ball; didn't play 60 minutes of action [and] didn't play complementary football."
The two takeaways in the first half were the only reason Pittsburgh held a lead at halftime. The one score that the Steelers got was from a short field after an interception, but they repaid the favor quickly in the second half. With a 7-3 lead, Aaron Rodgers got stripped on a sack and it got returned for a touchdown. On the next drive, Mason Rudolph came in and threw an interception, which later led to another touchdown.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph in the locker room before a Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots during the 2025 season.
The Steelers' offense only had 162 total yards all game long. For reference, the Bills had 249 yards just from the rushing attack. Buffalo did so much more on the ground than Pittsburgh did all game long. Nobody was in sync, and it was very rare that a wide receiver got open, and that did not always result in a completed pass either. This was one of the worst offensive performances of the season for the black and gold.
Once again, the defense allowed 249 rushing yards. It doesn't matter how good of a team you are playing, it wasn't a great outing. Cameron Heyward was visibly angry throughout the course of the contest, but he could not turn that into production, and neither could anyone else.
The team has not created a good reputation for itself. Tomlin has yet to provide any answers for why this supposedly "historic" defense has been one of the worst units in all of football. The offense looked great for a while, but that collective has not scored more than 21 points since their six-takeaway game back in Week 9. Nothing is working for either side of the ball.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin yells at an official during a home game in Pittsburgh.
At the end of the day, it starts with the coaching. The players have been very vocal about what they want defensively even though Tomlin seemingly won't listen, and the offense is having the same issues it had around 2020 when it comes to not using the middle of the field and being very predictable. Until the men up top are willing to admit the way they do things isn't working, seasons like this one will keep happening.
Steelers Are On Track For A Historically Bad Feat
Facing the Baltimore Ravens on the road is a very tough task. If Pittsburgh ends up losing that game, if will have a three-game losing streak in every single season since 2018, with most of them coming near the end of the year. That kind of stat would get almost every American football coach fired, especially since the Steelers think they can compete for more than just a chance to squeak into the playoffs.
What do you think about Tomlin's assessment of the Steelers' loss to the Bills? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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