If you participate in sports long enough then you know that a coach will have a discussion with your team about adversity. No matter how good, adversity will rear its ugly head and challenge you at some point. It can often make lesser people sick to their stomachs while others sometimes thrive on it and eat it like candy. The 2025 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers have reached this point but how they handle it is as of yet unknown.
Following last night’s loss in Los Angeles, the Steelers have now dropped three of their last four. They rely way too much on their defense to come up with turnovers and the offense now resembles something closer to the Matt Canada years. Sunday’s game at home against Cincinnati is truly the game that will likely decide this team’s fate. A loss, coupled with a Baltimore win at Cleveland, would leave the two teams both at 5-5. The only positive is that the two teams will face each other twice. Outside of that, the Steelers still face the Bills, Lions, Browns, Bears and Dolphins.
T.J. Watt hit that nail on the head last night in his post game comments when he said, “We can’t continue to live and die by the turnovers.” The reality is that this is exactly where this team is right now. Despite sacking Justin Herbert five times – the same amount they got to Daniel Jones Last week – they didn’t turn the Chargers over once. Couple that with an offense that couldn’t get out of its own way, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Can They Turn It Around?
Of course they can. This NFL season has already taught us that there is no ‘dominant’ team and that anyone can truly be beaten on any given Sunday. Ask Buffalo about their loss in Miami or Carolina about their loss to one-win New Orleans. The issue isn’t whether the Steelers can turn it around, it’s whether they can change their paradigm.
The adversity is growing and it will reach its highest point by Sunday evening with a loss. The defense is frustrated and Aaron Rodgers just played his worst game as a Steeler. Count me among those who has believed that at some point, the real Aaron Rodgers will show up. Everything to this point has been pretty positive from him even despite the losses. That tone seemed to start changing last night.
This isn’t to say that losing three of four all rests on the shoulders of Rodgers. The offensive line has taken a step back, receivers suddenly can’t catch the ball and they can’t find anyone to force defenses to stop bracketing or shadowing D.K. Metcalf. The defense has yet to prove it can win a game straight up without forcing turnovers.
Bring On the Adversity
So here it is; the adversity I mentioned in the opening is here. There are injuries and there are fingers being pointed. The head coach was as angry as he’s ever been following a loss. The players brought in to get this franchise a much needed postseason win are hurt, under-performing or aren’t being given enough chances. The division lead that was once three games is down to one and the toughest games haven’t even been played yet.
What will it be? Will the Steelers break through and prove many of us wrong or will the slide continue right into the NFL Draft in April? There’s a long way to go and the adversity will only grow.
Photo courtesy AP News
