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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Curt Popejoy

Steelers struggles magnified by play of AFC North foes

There’s no doubt the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is miserable. It was miserable before quarterback Kenny Pickett got hurt and it is just as miserable with Mitch Trubisky. But on Sunday, the Steelers and the fanbase got the perfect examples of just how bad things are and put the poor play of Pickett and Trubisky in perspective.

First, there’s Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning. Browning is filling for an injured Joe Burrow and I think we all wondered if the Bengals would stay relevant after the second Burrow injury. But against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Browning went off for 275 yards and two touchdowns as Cincinnati beat the Colts to improve to 7-6.

Then there’s the ageless wonder, Joe Flacco. Signed off the street by the Cleveland Browns, Flacco has played two games at the ripe old age of 38, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The same Jaguars who blew the Steelers out earlier in the season where Pickett threw for a woeful 73 yards.

These two games in contrast to how the Steelers quarterbacks have played are the perfect example of where the problems are in Pittsburgh. The talent at quarterback isn’t there and the coaching to maximize the talent isn’t either.

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