In a game that could have given them the AFC North title, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell short spectacularly. After the Cleveland Browns’ defense dominated the Steelers and defeated them 13-6, head coach Mike Tomlin knew exactly who to blame: Aaron Rodgers and the offense.

“I didn’t think we played poorly,” Mike Tomlin said in his post game presser, before dropping the hammer. “We just didn’t make enough plays. I thought they played well. I thought the game was kind of unfolding in the way that you would anticipate, but we never made that signature play that kind of got us over the hump. That generally is the deciding factor in games like this and we generally make them. We didn’t make them today.”

Aaron Rodgers was unable to throw a single touchdown for the second time this season. The only points came on the board from two field goals by Chris Boswell, and by the fourth quarter, Rodgers was looking visibly frustrated. The offense under Rodgers could only go 3-15 in third down efficiency and their fourth downs never converted. Even without turnovers, the Steelers just looked lost. And there seem to be several factors that led to this Week 17 heartbreak.

Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett was gunning for a single season sack record. Post game, he noted that the Steelers were “more worried about keeping me away from Aaron than getting the win.” Mike Tomlin also faced a similar question in his presser, but he denied it.

“The sack record’s irrelevant,” Tomlin said. “We got to minimize him if we want to engineer victory. We did the same thing last time we played him.” Tomlin referenced the Week 6 game against Cleveland where Garett was held to zero sacks, just like this Week 17 matchup. “I didn’t think he had any sacks in that game either. And so we didn’t take a different approach because of the gravity of the record. It’s just standard business when you plan these guys and him.”

Beyond this, the Steelers did try to close the gap all the way to the end. With just 29 seconds left in regulation, Aaron Rodgers tried to make three straight shots to the end zone to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but all three attempts fell incomplete. That “signature play” Tomlin talked about never materialized. The Cleveland defense held Pittsburgh to just 168 air yards and another 131 yards on the ground, and that was it.

This Week 17 defeat now drops the Steelers to 9-7 on the season. The AFC North crown is still in play. But as they head to Week 18 to host the Baltimore Ravens in an effort to clinch the division, that quest has been made much more difficult with a gutted roster. The latest casualty of that being tight end Darnell Washington.

Darnell Washington’s grim injury in Week 17

The Steelers entered Week 17 already without two prime targets for Aaron Rodgers. Wide receiver DK Metcalf is facing a two game suspension following his altercation with a Detroit Lions fan in Week 16. Fellow wideout Calvin Austin III, on the other hand, is nursing a hamstring injury from the Lions game. And now, Darnell Washington’s broken arm adds more worries to the Steelers’ playoff push.

“From an injury standpoint, Darnell Washington had a broken arm,” Mike Tomlin shared. “He wasn’t able to go back in.”

Washington’s injury came early in the second quarter. He made two catches for 15 yards during the Steelers’ first field goal drive. Washington appeared to be grimacing after his catches and had to leave for the locker room with a questionable tag and never returned. Did his absence affect the game? When Mike Tomlin was asked this, his response was measured and methodical.

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“We get challenged with the attrition component all the time,” Tomlin said. “We make no excuses regarding that. We got capable men. We adapt, adjust, and we keep moving.”

With Washington now potentially missing the high stakes Week 18 game against Baltimore, it will be up to Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth to pick up the increased workload. Both of them couldn’t make much of an impact against the Browns. Freiermuth led with 63 receiving yards while Smith only managed 18. Now, the offense needs to shore up their gaps, and figure out how to beat the Ravens. The stakes? The NFC North supremacy, and the grueling postseason beyond.