Steelers Pride Cost Them Chance to Beat Browns

Faced with the decision of doing everything they could to win when they had their chance in a playoff game, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted for pride and it allowed the Cleveland Browns to come away with the victory.

One of the elements that ultimately doomed the Steelers were a pair of fourth and short situations they opted to punt in the fourth quarter. 4th-and-1 early and then 4th-and-2, which led to the Browns scoring drive that allowed them to regain control of the game.

Mike Tomlin will be crushed for opting to punt in both of those situations, but those decisions were informed by a season full of failure and short yardage situations the Browns dominated early in the game.

Ben Roethlisberger was unwilling to sneak the entire season. He simply wouldn't do it. Time and time again in critical situations, the so-called leader of the Steelers wouldn't give everything he had for the sake of his team. Even with the season on the line, he still wouldn't simply lean forward and drive for a yard. The Steelers had nothing else that could simply gain a yard on the ground, limiting them to the passing game.

So as much as every data point would tell the Steelers to go for both of those situations, Tomlin couldn't because he didn't believe in his offense. An indictment of the Steelers all season, despite somehow having both center Maurkice Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro being named to the Pro Bowl, they were incapable of getting any push. They couldn't get a yard and Tomlin knew it.

Worse, they didn't look they even wanted it, taking the lead from their quarterback.

The failure of the Steelers was not putting in Mason Rudolph for those key plays. Whatever anyone wants to say about his ability as a quarterback, the 6'5" 236 yard backup would've gone in there and done everything he could to get them a yard, potentially clearing the way for Roethlisberger to complete the comeback.

Instead out of some misguided loyalty to a quarterback who no longer was willing to do everything to win, they allowed the ship to go down with the captain.

This was a problem all season and the Steelers refused to address it. They allowed it to be their undoing.

Roethlisberger's history with the Steelers gives him carte blanche within the organization. He led them to two Super Bowls and put his body on the line for them any number of times over the course of his career. This season, he was no longer willing to do everything to win. He lost that edge. The Steelers should've done what the Indianapolis Colts were doing in short yardage, bringing in Jacoby Brissett to replace Philip Rivers to pick up yardage and win at the goal line.

The Steelers unwillingness to buck convention and do what was best for the team ultimately allowed the Browns to put the game out of reach. They might still have their pride, but that's all they have.