Yesterday wasn’t the ideal start to the toughest three game stretch any NFL team will face this season. The Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965, and that streak lives on as the Eagles disassembled Pittsburgh, 27-13.

For the Steelers to win a game like this, they needed a defensive masterclass and to limit the unforced errors. They needed to pay attention to the details. They didn’t, and the Eagles made them pay for it.

I think that of this three-game stretch on the schedule for the Steelers, this was the one with the least importance. Yes, you’d love to win it, but if you had to drop one of the next four between the Eagles, Baltimore, and Kansas City, you’d take the NFC team out of that bunch.

It sets up a matchup for the division championship next Saturday with the Ravens, and then a still critical matchup against the Chiefs, where we all know some inevitable BS will happen that allows KC to win.

But I am getting way ahead of myself. For a lot of my Philly-adjacent friends and colleagues, congratulations to you.

1: George Pickens Is Earning More And More Money On The Sidelines

I know there’s some talk about the Steelers perhaps not re-signing wide receiver George Pickens, but on the prospect of him getting an extension here in Pittsburgh, that price just continues to go up.

With each week that Pickens is out with the hamstring injury, he proves just how important he is to this Steelers offense, and how there was never a plan to deal with any kind of absence for him.

A wide receiver room of Mike Williams, Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek is not a winning group. It worked against a team like Cleveland, whose defense is suspect. But against a top tier team like Philadelphia, you can’t really expect any better result than the one we saw today.

Without Pickens, the Steelers have no deep passing threat. They have no intimidating target They have nothing. Last week, I said it was no coincidence that Wilson’s 158 passing yards was his lowest in a Steelers uniform. This week, his 128 passing yards became the new lowest.

Pickens’ agent better be playing close attention to what’s going on right now.

2: Stop Doing The Pitch Play, Please

Maybe I’m a cynic. Maybe I’m too cautious. But every time I see the Steelers pitch it back to a running back, I get nervous that it will bite them.

It finally did yesterday. After the Steelers were able to get the Eagles to settle for a field goal on their opening possession in the second half, Pittsburgh was building on their second quarter momentum with a solid first drive to open the third. But, on a pitch play from Wilson to Najee Harris, the running back can’t corral it, and the Eagles pounce.

That fumble was the deciding factor in this game. Pittsburgh was poised to tie the game at 20-20, but the Eagles were able to capitalize off that turnover and add a touchdown themselves, making in essence a 14-point swing in this game. It was too much for the Steelers to overcome.

That play has been a staple of Arthur Smith’s offense and run game this season. I wonder if that remains the case after yesterday’s game.

3: Some Mike Williams Thoughts

It just doesn’t make any sense to me. The Mike Williams story arc here had such potential after that game-winning touchdown in Washington. In the three weeks after that, not a single target.

Now, with Pickens out longer-term, this was supposed to be Williams’ time to shine. Last week against Cleveland he had 3 catches on 4 targets for 36 yards, and with the Steelers needing to rely on the passing game for against Philly, this was a prime opportunity to use Williams.

Instead, he had just a single catch for 15 yards. That pass, by the way, came on a 3rd and 22, with the Steelers not aiming for a first down play.

I don’t think Williams is the best receiver on the roster. Even without Pickens, I think Calvin Austin (who had 5 catches for 65 yards today) might be better all around, but to not use Williams more in a game like this baffles me.

4: I Would Have Gone For It

It’s fitting that I mention the Williams catch, because that leads perfectly into my final thought. After that catch, the Steelers found themselves in a 4th and 7 on Philly’s 46-yard line with about 11 minutes to go, and down two scores. It’s a tough call, but Mike Tomlin opted to send out the punt unit.

His offense never got the ball back.

I understood the thought process at the time. Tomlin was banking on his defense (like he usually does) to get a quick stop against the Eagles, setting the Steelers up with good field position. As Tom Brady noted in the broadcast booth, there was still enough time to play defense, but the Steelers really needed a three-and-out if they had any fighting chance in this game.

Things were looking good when the Eagles had two flags to push them as far back as the 2-yard line, but on a 3rd and 6 Jalen Hurts found AJ Brown for a 21-yard gain, and 9:05 later, the win.

I would have gone for it. Yes, a 4th and 7 is not a comfortable chance to be taking, but even with the name value Pittsburgh’s defense has, I just didn’t feel like I could trust that the Steelers would have enough time to score twice. Who knows if the Steelers would have pulled it off, but I would have liked to give Wilson a chance with the game on the line and see what he could do.

I wouldn’t quite say it was Tomlin “living in his fears,” but it was definitely a bet that did not pay off.

5: Let’s Talk Officials

It certainly isn’t an excuse for why the Steelers lost. As outlined above, poor play, poor capitalization on chances, and some questionable coaching calls are the reason why the Steelers lost.

However, I am very curious as to how a few flags in this game were decided. Early in the first quarter, a massive scrum formed in the endzone as Pittsburgh’s Darnell Washington was blocking Philly’s Darius Slay well after the play. Players from both sides then joined in the mosh pit, and in most cases the officials give offsetting penalties.

To Mike Tomlin’s disgust, only two players got flags as a result, Washington and Austin, pushing the Steelers back 15 yards and stalling their drive. Usually in these articles, I don’t use any outside quotes, but since they are supposed to help describe the result of a play, I’ll allow it this time.

In postgame availability, head official Alan Eck was asked about the flags. His response: “No punches were observed on the field. Since we had flags down, it gave New York an opportunity to review the play as well. There was no video evidence of punches observed by the Philadelphia Eagles.”

There’s actually evidence to the contrary, and it’s a tad on the concerning side that even the folks in New York missed it.

And on that punt that I mentioned above, Philly’s Jalen Carter was flagged for smacking Connor Heyward in the face. Heyward successfully used his best efforts to sell that, but officials ruled that since the foul occurred after the play, it would affect Philly’s spot and not award the Steelers a first down.

There’s also easy evidence to the contrary, but I digress.

Regardless of those, the Steelers were given gifts by the Eagles that evened out. The great teams capitalize on the chances they do have. The Steelers had chances, they just didn’t grab hold of them.