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

Steelers vs Ravens: 5 big takeaways from the loss

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If you are looking for a single reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, I wish you luck. This loss was truly a team effort and there are plenty of fingers to point. Here are the big takeaways from this week’s loss.

This is the real Steelers team

(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Like it or not, this is as good as it gets with the Steelers. This unit is good enough to beat other bad teams and keep good teams honest but this week should be a wake-up call about how to approach the rest of the season.

That Kenny Pickett injury was a back breaker

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I’m not saying the Steelers beat the Ravens if Kenny Pickett didn’t go out with a concussion but with as bad as Mitch Trubisky played, you have to think Pittsburgh has a better shot if Pickett had been in the game.

Reserve receivers seeing the football too much

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

When your backup receivers are being targeted more than your starters you know there is a problem. This comes back to Mitch Trubisky but there are too many skill players on this team to need the fourth and fifth options in the passing game.

Robert Spillane is the best inside linebacker on the team

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I know Robert Spillane voiced some displeasure about not being thought of as a starter on the Steelers defense but make no mistake, he is playing much better football than Myles Jack or Devin Bush.

Defensive line was the weakest unit on the field

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

On a day when every unit underperformed, the defensive line was the worst. This group got pushed around and bullied by the Baltimore offensive line all game long. This unit looked undersized and must be addressed in the offseason.

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