Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff hopes take hit after loss to Minnesota Vikings

Updated Dec. 10, 2021 8:37 p.m. ET

Annually, the expectation for the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is to compete for Super Bowls.

That goal seems to be far from attainable, especially after Thursday night.

Pittsburgh is sitting at 6-6-1 after a 36-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, a game in which they trailed 29-0 at one point.

The Steelers were abysmal in the first half against the Vikings. They recorded a mere 66 yards of offense while Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times. That was the most times he had been sacked in one half since 2014.

Pittsburgh's offense was 1-for-7 on third down and had four offensive penalties.

The defense wasn't much better, allowing 300 total yards of offense, 176 of which were rushing yards, the most they have allowed in a single half this season.

The Steelers' D also allowed four 20-plus yard plays (tied for most allowed in a half all season) and for the first time this year, had zero tackles for loss in the first half.

The loss didn't come without a bit of controversy either.

With Pittsburgh driving near the end of the game, wide receiver Chase Claypool celebrated a first down with less than a minute to go and Pittsburgh trailing by eight, a move that cost the timeout-less Steelers an extra play.

Claypool's celebration drew the ire of former Steeler and Super Bowl winner Ryan Clark on ESPN's "Get Up."

Clark said that this is the latest example of selfishness bringing down the Steelers this season.

"That's what is wrong with this team," Clark said. "No accountability, no thumbs pointing at me to say I am the reason."

While Claypool came under fire following the loss, Nick Wright said Friday morning that it wasn't the receiver's late-game celebration that contributed to Pittsburgh's loss. Instead, Wright blamed the Steelers' first-half performance on "First Things First."

"They're down 29-0 with three minutes left in the third quarter," Wright said. "That's the biggest reason they lost."

Nick Wright says it's time to write Steelers off after their loss against the Vikings I FIRST THINGS FIRST

Nick Wright is ready to write the Pittsburgh Steelers off after they fell to the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night.

The Steelers are currently 10th in the AFC standings and not only in jeopardy of missing the playoffs but on the verge of earning Mike Tomlin his first losing season as Pittsburgh's head coach.

Under Tomlin's leadership, the Steelers has never finished worse than 8-8, but with four games remaining against AFC playoff hopefuls — at home against the Titans, on the road against the Chiefs, at home against the Browns and on the road against the Ravens — it seems plausible that the Steelers could be heading for a below-.500 record, unless they go 2-2 or better in their final four.

But even after losing three of their last four games and with a daunting schedule ahead to close the season, the Steelers shouldn't be written off, Chris Broussard said.

"Good news for [Mike] Tomlin, I do think he will avoid that losing season," Broussard said. "I do think they beat the Titans next week, lose to the Chiefs, and then split with the Browns and the Ravens."

The Steelers currently have just a 13% chance to make the playoffs according to New York Times simulations, and they're in danger of missing the postseason for the third time in four seasons. Pittsburgh only missed the playoffs three times from 2007 through 2017, and the Steelers have not made the playoffs without winning at least 10 games since 1993.

As bleak as it currently looks for the Steelers, "win, and maybe you're in" is an adage that can still define their season if they win their two final division games and get some help elsewhere in the division.

Four weeks remain for Tomlin and crew to make a push for the postseason. Or, there might be a push to make a few changes in Pennsylvania.