Week 13 was a failure for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They got crushed by the Buffalo Bills, not putting up much of a fight in the second half. It was an embarrassment, especially because the Steelers could’ve retaken first place in their division. Instead, they’re continuing to watch their season slip away. Pittsburgh’s disappointing performance in a 26-7 loss left former Steelers corner Bryant McFadden exasperated.
“You had an opportunity to grab ahold of the AFC North,” McFadden said Sunday on CBS Sports HQ. “And you’re playing against a team that was missing guys. And you go out and you get bullied, you get pushed around. That’s not the Pittsburgh Steeler way. That’s not the way, especially when you’re talking about playing backups on the offensive line.”
McFadden was part of some of the best Steelers teams of this century. He won two Super Bowls with them, during a time in which they routinely had one of the best defenses in the league. Therefore, he knows that the franchise’s standard is.
It’s clear that that 2025 Steelers aren’t living up to that. The Bills game isn’t the only example, either. The Steelers’ defense has been getting pushed around for most of this season. While it’s had a few decent performances, it also hasn’t shown enough consistency.
This week’s game brutally exposed a lot of the Steelers’ biggest flaws. They couldn’t stop the run, allowing the Bills to rush for 249 yards. Also, the Bills went 8-of-15 on 3rd down and 2-of-2 on 4th down, showing the Steelers’ inability to get off the field.
McFadden is correct to point out that the Bills were missing both their starting offensive tackles, too. And yet, the Steelers didn’t record a single sack. Josh Allen is one of the toughest quarterbacks to bring down, but that’s no excuse for the Steelers’ struggles to pressure him.
Their issues aren’t just on defense, either. The Steelers’ offense was just as bad, if not worse. The Steelers’ defense at least forced two turnovers. The offense scored one touchdown as a result of one of those takeaways, but besides that, it didn’t do much of anything. The Steelers ended with 166 total yards, which isn’t good enough.
That’s especially true because the Bills entered the game with the 30th overall run defense in the league. The Steelers didn’t take advantage of that, only running the ball 18 times for 58 yards.
The Steelers are dealing with numerous problems. However, they’re not at rock bottom yet. Despite their poor performances recently, they could still make the playoffs. That’s looking unlikelier as the weeks go on, though. The Steelers don’t look like a playoff team right now.