After a second straight loss to open the home slate of their 2021 schedule, 105.9 The X radio host and TribLIVE columnist Mark Madden isn’t messing around when it comes to forecasting what this means for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Their season is over,” Madden said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. “The death rattle is going to last a while longer. But they are not going to regroup. They just lost two games at home to teams they should’ve beaten, in games in which they were favored.”
By no means does Madden excuse the defense. But the biggest problems he identifies are on offense.
“Ben Roethlisberger is done,” Madden said. “His ball has no zip. It has no accuracy. For every good throw he makes, he makes two or three that are bad. … The offensive line is the worst in football and that kills Ben. It doesn’t even give him a chance. But even beyond that offensive line, the Steelers just have a lot of bad players.”
It’s beginning to look like 2021 is nothing more than the losing skid the Steelers endured to end 2020. That’s when Pittsburgh football fans saw the team go from 11-0 to 12-4 and a first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.
“This is worse because you don’t have a (David) DeCastro. You don’t have a (Maurkice) Pouncey. You don’t have veterans who can patchwork themselves and at least get an average performance at their spots,” Madden continued. “You have offensive linemen who don’t know what they are doing.”
Madden says Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was a microcosm of how bad the Steelers have gotten. And, in his opinion, that reality is underscored by comparing this Steelers loss to the Bengals to that of last year when Roethlisberger and company were upset at Paul Brown Stadium in December.
“The Steelers were worthy losers (Sunday),” Madden said. “Last year when they got beat by Cincinnati, that was an upset. That was a fluky defeat. It was breaks and bounces; it was just a bad night for the Steelers and the Bengals (took) advantage. This game at Heinz Field, the Bengals dominated. I don’t think the Bengals were ever in danger of losing the game.”
At least after that touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase at the end of the second quarter, absolutely not.
9 to 1 is TOO FUN ????
WATCH on CBS pic.twitter.com/C5yRsHlR1G
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 26, 2021
Also during the podcast, Madden and I talk about Steelers play calling, Najee Harris, Pitt’s blowout of New Hampshire and the Guns N’ Roses concert in Columbus.
Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the state of the Steelers after losing to the Bengals
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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