The Pittsburgh Steelers have entered football purgatory, hamstrung by a slew of injuries and mediocre play from their offensive line and veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Their championship window is shut, their playoff window rapidly closing.
And since the franchise is mired in the muck, without long-term solutions to glaring long-term problems, Pittsburgh radio host Colin Dunlap believes that ownership should've placed legitimate pressure on head coach Mike Tomlin.
"I think going into this year, Mike Tomlin should've been given an ultimatum, 'You need to win an X amount of games, or you need to reach a certain level in the playoffs, or you're on the hot seat," Dunlap told The Zach Gelb Show on Tuesday. "What's Tomlin done in the last decade in the playoffs? Nothing, nothing at all. These are the Steelers... They don't win playoff games. It's an embarrassment, what's happened in the past decade in the playoffs...
"You have the worst quarterback situation in the AFC North -- maybe by far, right now. And you've got no idea what you're going to do with the most important position in all of sports. You have no succession plan. And you've got an ancient guy out there who can't run the current offense, but wields all the power and they don't have the heart to tell him he's done, he's finished."
The Steelers' dysfunction was on full display in their 24-10 home loss to the rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Late in the fourth quarter, trailing by 14, Roethlisberger threw a check-down pass to running back Najee Harris on a 4th-and-10 play inside the red zone. Harris caught the ball six yards behind the line of scrimmage, and the play went for no gain. A confounding decision.
Although Roethlisberger isn't solely to blame for their woes, the 39-year-old has, in fact, looked cooked, due to immobility and a lack of arm strength. According to Next Gen Stats, of his 130 total pass attempts, only 13 have traveled 20-plus yards, and in the Steelers' loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2, Roethlisberger didn't even throw a single pass in the middle of the field beyond 10 yards. He managed to throw just three against the Bengals.
To make matters even worse, Pittsburgh's ground attack has also floundered. They rank dead last in the NFL in average rushing yards (53.0), and their unit is averaging a measly 16.7 points (27th in league) and 308.3 yards (25th).
Pittsburgh (1-2) will visit the Green Bay Packers (2-1) in a daunting Week 4 matchup on Sunday, Oct. 3. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Steelers have just a 13-percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 5-percent chance to win the AFC North.
The entire Steelers conversation between Dunlap and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.