Steelers Nation is rightfully outraged about the state of their team following Sunday's brutal 41-10 loss to the Bengals. It was a humiliating defeat that represented the changing of the guard in the AFC North and the fall of an NFL powerhouse. Let's face it: the Steelers just aren't that good anymore.
On ESPN's "Get Up" Monday, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark voiced many of the issues with the team, beginning with their atrocious defensive effort.
"They're not my beloved Steelers anymore. Nobody is scared to play this team," he said. "There's absolutely no physicality. There's no energy defensively. There's no tone setters. You have one of the best playmaking free safeties in football in Minkah Fitzpatrick, and you know what he is? He's a fifth linebacker, because you can't tackle anybody in the run."
Joe Mixon ran all over the Steelers Sunday, carrying the ball 28 times for 165 yards and two scores. Overall, the Bengals gained 370 yards, and the tally probably would've been greater if the game wasn't out of reach in the second half.
Joe Burrow completed 20-of-24 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. He found Tee Higgins for a beautiful 32-yard strike and score.
Clark, who played with the Steelers from 2006-13, said Pittsburgh allowed the Bengals to dominate them — shaming the organization in the process.
"It's not about upholding what Joe Green did, what Lambert did, what Harrion did, Casey Hampton, James Farrier, Troy Polamalu. Those days are gone," he said. "We want to make videos, we want to do TikToks, we want to dance in the locker room. We want to be the team everybody wants to be around. We want to make jokes, we want to smile, we want to have fun. Pittsburgh football ain't about having fun. Pittsburgh football is about dominating people on the field with your physicality. But that's not what ya'll want. Ya'll want to show up, and live on the back of legends."
The Steelers have been unimpressive over the last year, going 6-10-1 over their last 17 games. In that span, they've allowed 940 more rushing yards than they've gained. Ben Roethlisberger is clearly washed up, but this team's problems ran deeper than the quarterback. They're everywhere.
"When Pittsburgh shows up to the stadiums, people like Joe Burrow, people like Joe Mixon, people like Tee Higgins, you know what they do? They call their girlfriends, they call their wives, and they say 'baby, you've got to show up for this game? Do you know why? Because we're going to win fantasy football for somebody,'" Clark said. "They ain't stopping a nosebleed. You better change something, you better do something, or this will be Mike Tomlin's first losing season."
The Steelers will continue their march towards mediocrity with a matchup against the Ravens Sunday.
