Former Steelers Player Tells Pittsburgh The Cold Hard Truth

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have mounted a fourth-quarter comeback against the Cleveland Browns, but they did not play particularly well in the 27-24 loss. After taking a 7-0 lead, Aaron Rodgers threw a bad interception, and everything unraveled from there. They got outscored 21-3 in the second quarter as the offense could not move the ball well and the defense gave up chunk play after chunk play. The first two touchdown drives for Cleveland only took four plays as it seemed like this unit could do nothing right. 

Even with the adjustments made in the second half, there were so many issues that should not have happened. The defense kept missing tackles, especially in that second quarter. Offensively, Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were clearly not in sync as the broadcast caught them cursing each other out in the first quarter. There are a lot of problems to fix in the extended time off.

These issues with the team may not be able to get figured out in time. While making an appearance on CBS Sports, former Steelers defensive back Bryant McFadden explained the state of the team at this point.

"Right now, they are not a playoff-caliber team," McFadden said. "They have an offense that doesn't spark any fear to any opposing defensive unit. And their defense -- they fight, but you can tell they lack depth, and that's where fatigue sneaks in. Right now, especially in this division, especially with what Cleveland is doing what they're doing to make it a very competitive division, they're not a playoff-caliber team right now."

As harsh as that sounds, this is a true statement at this point. The quarterback and head coach can't be fighting with each other in the first quarter of a game in October. The defense can't be missing tackles and assignments left and right. There are so many things that are not getting through to the team as a whole, and it won't get magically fixed in just one week.

As McFadden said, the lack of depth was evident. Between the Joey Porter Jr. trade and the Jamel Dean injury, the outside cornerback room became very thin. With how far off the ball Daylen Everette was lined up most of the time, it felt like the team did not have a ton of faith in him. Meanwhile, safety Rayshawn Jenkins got benched after causing a big play in the second quarter with a miscommunication with Everette. 

The offense was a big mess too. There were many questionable decisions made by both McCarthy and Rodgers throughout the whole contest, all the way down to the final Hail Mary despite having a timeout and 10 seconds to get into field goal range. It didn't help that the offensive line had a rough game, as it relied a lot on Jaylen Warren creating something out of nothing to move the ball. 

Steelers' Biggest Issue May Be The Man They're Relying On The Most

The game tape shows one clear fact: Rodgers' mental game is not on point. Out of the five sacks he took, he allowed at least three of them while trying to hold onto the ball for too long. Meanwhile, there were other plays where he tried to throw the ball too quickly, which led to him throwing into coverage and missing some open reads. His decision-making was not up to par all night long. 

The problem is that these are not new issues. Rodgers's decision-making ability has been very questionable ever since his time with the New York Jets. He is clearly flustered in the pocket, which leads to his internal clock getting confused while missing wide-open reads and targets. The Steelers are relying on him to get them to the playoffs, and he may be holding them back instead.

What do you think about McFadden's take on the state of the Steelers? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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