Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott is pointing the finger at the NFL's scheduling for part of the team's recent losing streak.
The sky is falling in Western Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost three games in a row to a trio of AFC playoff teams. And while a playoff spot is already secured, an AFC North title is not, and the privilege of hosting a playoff game is slipping away.
With issues permeating both sides of the ball, Pittsburgh is running out of time to course correct before the first round of the playoffs.
However, the main sentiment coming from the Steelers hasn’t (publicly) been one of accountability. Instead, frustrated veterans like defensive tackle Cam Heyward and safety DeShon Elliott spoke about all 11 players needing to do their job and communication not being at the heart of their miscues.
Elliott spoke again ahead of Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals, taking a moment to walk back his prior comments.
“I probably shouldn’t have said anything, maybe should have kept things in-house just out of respect to the guys in the locker room and the coaches,” Elliott said, via Ray Fittipaldo. “If anyone knows me I’m a very truthful person, I don’t sugarcoat anything. In the moment, I meant what I said, but I should have phrased it different or not said anything at all. If I felt that way I should have said it behind closed doors.”
Pittsburgh will play host to Cincinnati on Saturday, reaping the benefits of the mine-bye inherent with Wednesday football. Having played on Christmas, the Steelers played Weeks 15-17 in 11 days.
Needless to say, that only exacerbated the issues at hand.
“With the NFL doing us over with the three games in 11 days we kind of need that,” Elliott said, via Fittipaldo. “That was something we deserved. We deserve an extra bye. We should get an extra bye with as many games as they want us to play.”
From a labor perspective, Elliott’s comments are more than fair. But as a form of adversity, the scheduling falls short. Difficult? Sure. Yet, several teams played three games in 11 days for the holidays. The Baltimore Ravens used the opportunity to go 3-0. So did the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Steelers went 0-3.
Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to end its streak against a red-hot Bengals team, but the damage is done – especially with Baltimore as a three-possession favorite against the Cleveland Browns.
If the Steelers don’t look better on Saturday, fixing those issues come playoff time feels far less believable.
