After last week’s loss to the Bills, the Steelers may have undercut what once felt like a clear path to an AFC North title. It was the kind of game where frustration hung over just about everyone, and afterward, Mike Tomlin offered a pretty honest assessment of where things stand.

Tomlin said he’s had to take a hard look at what his team needs from him right now.

“You know, I’m not going to take it for granted just because it’s Baltimore. I think that’s a component of leadership.
When things get a little bit unsteady, that you provide clarity and direction in terms of what needs to transpire, people’s roles in it, and things of that nature,” the head coach said.

He added that this week’s messaging has been as direct as it’s been all season. Whether that actually shows up on the field in their biggest game to date is another question.

Sunday’s Ravens–Steelers matchup at M&T Bank Stadium checks every box of what’s made this rivalry one of the league’s best. Both teams have played below their expectations, both are 6-6, and both are staring at a season that can still be saved.

In a lot of ways, the outcome might end up defining the year for either side. Neither team looks like a contender right now, but someone is going to win the AFC North. Sunday, and the rematch in Pittsburgh a few weeks from now, will go a long way toward determining who that is.

Tomlin talked about clarity and direction, and that seems to be exactly what the Steelers have lacked. Patrick Queen recently pointed to “schematic issues” in coverage, saying it’s tough for two underneath defenders to cover routes stretching off both hashes. If defining roles means fixing that, then maybe there’s a chance to steady the ship.

Tomlin, for his part, made sure to deliver one more message to the locker room.

Mike Tomlin’s message to the locker room

The defense was rough last week, but the offense somehow managed to be even more exasperating. The Pittsburgh Steelers bottomed out on Sunday with a seven-point showing in a blowout loss to the Bills, coughing up three turnovers and failing to score after halftime. Mike Tomlin didn’t sugarcoat any of it.

“Certainly, we could’ve been up 14-3 as opposed to 7-3, but it’s always the same things that are critical. The terminus of the outcome of football games, your ability to take the ball away, ability to preserve and protect the football. In the second half, we turned it over twice. And it being the first two possessions of the second half, kinda put that smell in the air,” he said.

And the issues went well beyond ball security. For three quarters, Pittsburgh mustered just 90 yards and seven first downs. They finished the night with 166 total yards and 10 first downs against a Bills defense that was allowing roughly 21–23 points per game over the last month.

Aaron Rodgers wrapped up the game 10-of-21 for 117 yards with a lost fumble, and the entire operation looked stuck in the mud. If this is what the offense brings into Baltimore next week, it could get out of hand quickly.

The only thing keeping that thought in check is Lamar Jackson’s health. He’s been dealing with a string of injuries and clearly isn’t himself. Still, with the way things are trending in Pittsburgh, even a limited Jackson might be enough to outpace this version of the Steelers offense.