The Steelers' woeful season can be encapsulated by one play. Faced with a 4th-and-5 and down 17 points with 10 minutes remaining against the Packers, Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass. The cooked QB stood in the pocket and surveyed the field, as three receivers ran past the first-down marker. But instead of throwing to them, he checked down.
JuJu Smith-Schuster caught the ball just past the line of scrimmage and was brought down immediately. The formerly dynamic wideout gained just two yards.
The Steelers are 0-for-5 on fourth down conversions this season, and there isn't a single strong effort among any of their missed opportunities. Earlier Sunday, Roethlisberger tossed the ball to Najee Harris behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th-and-4, and the rookie running back was tackled for a one-yard loss. Harris was also the target of two unsuccessful fourth down attempts during last week's brutal loss to the Bengals.
The sign of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Or it also could be the sign of a quarterback who needs to hang it up. All five of Roethlisberger's passes on fourth down this season have been short of the sticks, with two being thrown behind the line of scrimmage. Roethlisberger is the only quarterback in the last 20 years to lose yardage on multiple fourth-down completions in the same season.
Through four weeks, the Steelers have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, ranking 26th in yards per game. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada was supposed to install a lively and potent attack, but that hasn't happened. Time and time again, he runs out of plays.
Look no further than one of the Steelers' other missed fourth down chances Sunday. It was a 4th-and-4 from Green Bay's 47-yard line with 14:24 remaining, but Diontae Johnson was flagged for a false start — making it 4th-and-9. Rather than line up for another attempt, the Steelers just punted.
That's fitting, because that's exactly what this season is turning out to be: a complete punt. Any optimistic dreams of Roethlisberger leading one last playoff run are now ancient history. With every other team in the division boasting a 3-1 record, the Steelers are already cooked. Their postseason chances are about as good as another fourth down dump-off to Harris.
