The Pittsburgh Steelers have compiled a 10-5 season record, already exceeding many preseason forecasts. They have won ten games mainly by demonstrating the kind of grit and resilience that every championship contender needs. For the most part, however, the Black-and-gold continue to rely on a stout defense to lead the way by giving an inconsistent offense enough opportunities to secure victory. But in the wake of their second consecutive loss to one of the NFL’s stronger teams, it now appears that the seemingly reliable formula enabling the Steelers to rise to the top of the AFC North won’t be enough to deliver this team to the promised land.

The Steelers committed enough errors in this game to lose more than once. Uncharacteristically, their defense was unable to stop Derrick Henry, who rambled for 162 yards on the ground plus another 27 yards on two receptions. The defense didn’t have any better luck stopping Lamar Jackson’s favorite target, Zay Flowers, who had 100 yards receiving and a 20-yard average per catch. The Steelers notched only one sack of Jackson and not a single QB hit in the game.

But even though the defensive performance was below par, it was the Steelers offense that committed crucial errors at critical stages of the game. Russell Wilson’s fumble on the Ravens’ 4-yard line early in the second quarter likely cost his team seven points. But it was the room service pick-six that Wilson served up to Marlon Humphrey early in the fourth quarter which sealed the Steelers’ fate at a point when his team had an opportunity to stage a rally.

Obviously, the 14-point swing that these two plays represented would certainly have turned a game that ended looking like a rout into another Steelers/Ravens nail-biter. But the bottom line was that the Steelers scored only 17 points — usually not enough to win a game against one of the league’s stronger offenses.

Looking at the big picture, though, this defeat shouldn’t be any more harmful to the Steelers’ playoff chances than the previous week’s loss in Philadelphia. And considering that the Steelers have largely been successful this year in limiting their opponents’ offenses and creating turnovers, this loss doesn’t necessarily foreclose the possibility that the Steelers might move beyond their initial playoff game.

What’s particularly troubling, though, is that this game — like the one against the Eagles — revealed that stronger NFL offenses understand how to exploit weaknesses in the Steelers defense, and they’re able to do so with enough regularity to force the Steelers offense to respond in kind. But with the exception of the win in Cincinnati on December 1st, Wilson and company haven’t demonstrated the ability to consistently put points on the scoreboard.

The inescapable reality of the Steelers’ 2024 season is that this team continues to suffer offensive issues for which its defense simply cannot compensate. While Wilson’s capabilities certainly are different than those Kenny Pickett demonstrated last season, it remains unclear whether the difference at quarterback is significant enough to alter the team’s fortunes at playoff time. Despite the team’s big, offseason changes at QB and OC, essentially we’re still watching the same herky-jerky brand of offense that fans have criticized since Ben Roethlisberger’s latter seasons. And that’s the real cause for concern.

As the Steelers prepare on a terribly short week to face the defending SB champion Kansas City Chiefs in front of their home crowd, Christmas Day might prove to be a moment of truth for a team which has surprised nearly everyone with its tenacity and resilience throughout the season. In a matchup that isn’t a must-win situation for either team, we’ll soon find out whether the Steelers have the capacity to bounce back and play the inspired brand of football which earned their current, 10-5 standing.

On the other hand, if we witness yet another example of an error-prone group allowing a strong opponent to have it’s own way on the gridiron, this clearly would raise serious questions about the Steelers’ capacity to move ahead in the playoffs after years of misfiring. The expectation is that an NFL team ought to be rounding into top form by late December. And facing the team which has set the pace in the league on Christmas Day, we’ll get an even closer look into the question of whether the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers truly have got what it takes.