The first season without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t gone well for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While the team spent their 2022 offseason trying to replace Roethlisberger, they haven’t gotten the results they were hoping for.
It now leads the Steelers to a 5-8 record and no chance at a playoff berth.
However, there are two things that went wrong for the Steelers, preventing them from making the playoffs.
1. Backups Couldn’t Step Up After Steelers Lost Key Players
When the best players in Pittsburgh went down to injuries, their backups couldn’t step up and fill those shoes.
An injury to T.J. Watt put a major hole in the defense of the Steelers.
Steelers are now 0-6 without T.J. Watt.
To compare, the Steelers still had a winning record (20-14) in games that Troy Polamalu missed.Of course, the Steelers had a competent offense when Troy played. They don’t have that luxury now. Watt’s absence is huge.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) September 23, 2022
However, injuries to other players on defense like Larry Ogunjobi have also hurt the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh.
With these players being elite defensive players, it was too difficult for backups to fill those shoes.
2. Steelers Made A Huge Mistake By Keeping Matt Canada
The biggest mistake the Steelers made in 2022 was keeping Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator.
While their offense picked up late in the season, it was mostly against teams who were struggling.
When going against teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, their offense was held back from scoring.
However, working with two different quarterbacks to start the season didn’t help the cause in Pittsburgh.
Had the Steelers started Kenny Pickett in Week 1, maybe the team catches fire sooner.
But even if they did, Canada made too many mistakes with his play calling throughout the season.
These mistakes make keeping him the biggest thing to go wrong for the Steelers’ 2022 season.
NEXT: Steelers Have A Low Chance To Make The Playoffs This Season