Week 14 takeaways: Steelers don't look like a true contender

The Pittsburgh Steelers are proving their skeptics right: they look like a fraudulent Super Bowl contender.

After starting the season 11-0, there have been recurring issues in Pittsburgh’s two game losing skid, which has dropped them out of the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Frankly, they haven’t played well since the midway point of the season, as the Steelers’ last four victories came against the Baltimore Ravens’ backups, the Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third string quarterback (Jake Luton) and someone named Garrett Gilbert starting at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. They have not beaten a quality opponent since Week 8.

The most concerning issue for Mike Tomlin’s team is the dwindling efficiency of the passing game, the biggest strength of a one-dimensional offence. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger added to those concerns with his worst performance of the season in Week 14, completing just 56 percent of his passes for only 187 yards on 37 throws, and some of his receivers (most notably Diontae Johnson) are having recurring issues catching the football. This has not helped the veteran quarterback as Roethlisberger’s yards per pass has steadily declined over the last four weeks, and over that same stretch he has turned the ball over five times. This is not a formula for winning a Super Bowl.

From the eye test, Roethlisberger’s throws in Buffalo lacked zip. He looked like an older quarterback, similar to Drew Brees last season. That is a major concern heading into the playoffs. Without a strong running game — they averaged 2.7 yards per carry in Week 14 — to mask some of the issues, the Steelers don’t look like they’ll be able to keep up with the top teams in the AFC, as we saw against the Bills on Sunday. Their defence is still as good as any, but it’s thinner than usual due to two key injuries at linebacker.

Pittsburgh was dubbed by some who rely on analytics as the worst 11-0 team in NFL history, which seemed harsh at the time but all of a sudden looks pretty legitimate.

Chase Young emerging as a true superstar

I don’t know how many people watched the Washington-San Francisco game, but those who did saw an absolutely dominant game by defensive end Chase Young. Young was unblockable against the 49ers, racking up six tackles, two pressures, a sack, a forced fumble, a touchdown and a batted pass that led to an interception.

Young is fulfilling his potential after a slow start to his rookie campaign and is already playing at the top tier of edge pass rushers in just his first season. He looks as good as Joey or Nick Bosa, who both came from the same alma mater (Ohio State) as him, and was the best player on the field and the primary reason why Washington moved into first place in the NFC East with the victory. Young has rounded into form, and has become the obvious pick for defensive rookie of the year.

Colts find much-needed fire power

The Colts had their most complete game of the season in Sunday’s win over the Raiders, but more importantly, the emergence of rookie RB Jonathan Taylor has raised the team’s ceiling heading into the playoffs.

It was painfully obvious watching the Colts this season that despite a very well built roster, their skill position players lacked juice on offence. They were dinking and dunking in the passing game and slowly churning out yards in the running game. But over the last few weeks, No. 1 receiver T.Y. Hilton has rediscovered his usual level of play, the offensive line has been great and Taylor showed off his game-breaking speed by rushing for 150 yards on 20 touches (7.5 yards per carry!) and two touchdowns against the Raiders. He has added a whole new element to the offence.

The combination of Hilton, Taylor and rookie receiver Michael Pittman gives Indianapolis a chance to make more noise in the playoffs. While they are not quite at Kansas City’s level, they are getting better each week and are right up there alongside Tennessee and Buffalo as the best second-tier teams in the AFC.

Bengals need to make a coaching change

Adam Gase and the New York Jets get most of the headlines for their ineptitude — and rightfully so — but the Cincinnati Bengals quietly have one of the least impactful head coaches in the NFL. Zac Taylor has shown nothing in two seasons coaching the Bengals, as demonstrated by his 4-21-1 record, and it’s hard to see where any progress is being made, outside of what rookie QB Joe Burrow was able to mask before his injury.

There is no foundation of a winning program. The offensive and defensive lines are atrocious. They have no strengths outside of wide receiver and the team looked hopeless in their loss to the lowly Dallas Cowboys. Taylor was a questionable hire from the outset, having never called offensive plays before as offensive coordinator behind Sean McVay with the Rams, and many were curious whether he qualified for the position at all. His initial staff reflected someone with few connections around the league, and two years later he is not showing any qualities of a promising coach.

The Bengals, who are one of the cheaper organizations in the league, tend to let contracts play out but they would be better off to cut their losses now and admit defeat. Find a better coaching prospect to pair with Burrow, as the Cleveland Browns did by hiring Kevin Stefanski this year after many coaching whiffs. There is little reason to bring Taylor back for a third season.

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