1) Steelers offense: The tailspin that consumed the final four games carried over to Saturday night. The Steelers had two — TWO — first downs and ran just 17 plays in the first half. It was clear Mike Tomlin had no confidence in his offense early. He punted on fourth-and-2 in the first quarter and fourth-and-1 in the second, that one coming after Russell Wilson threw short of the sticks on third-and-2. They went into halftime with just 59 total yards and they only moved the ball when Wilson finally started throwing it downfield, as they did on their first touchdown drive. The problem was that came midway through the third quarter. The Steelers ran just 45 plays, compared to 72 for the Ravens.
2) Steelers quarterback situation: The Steelers were good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to win the division or the wild card game, and they are never bad enough to be in position to draft a top quarterback. The spark Wilson provided when Tomlin made him the starter over Justin Fields early in the season disappeared in the final month, costing the Steelers the division and a home playoff game. Wilson wasn’t bad on Saturday, especially when the attack opened up in the second half, (20 of 29, 270 yards and 2 touchdowns), but midway through the fourth quarter, with the Steelers driving, Wilson took a seven-yard loss on a sack that backed the Steelers up to midfield. Wilson can still sling it downfield, but his mobility is not what it was, and it has limited his game. Wilson and Fields are due to become free agents this offseason and after the way the season ended, the Steelers have big decisions ahead about who to bring back and at what price.
3) Steelers defense: The strength of the team was embarrassed on Saturday, showing little resistance against the run and, sometimes, an alarming lack of top-level effort. The replay of Henry’s 44-yard run, wherein he raced untouched past a bevy of Steelers, will draw a harsh grade whenever it is watched. The Ravens had 242 yards rushing with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. It continued a trend that doomed the Steelers’ season. They finished on a five-game losing streak in which they were outscored by 66 points. Four of the five losses were by at least 14 points.
4) Fans of clean football: The Chargers-Texans game was a carnival of mistakes — bad decisions, dropped passes, turnovers and an absolutely awful blocked Chargers extra point attempt that turned into two points for the Texans. The damage especially accrued to the Chargers, who should have had a two touchdown lead just nine minutes into the game after taking their first possession inside the Texans’ 15-yard line and their second to Houston’s 21. The Texans survived the avalanche, but they won’t get much further unless they clean up their game.
5) Chargers wide receivers: A weakness all season, the receivers bedeviled the Chargers with drops and passes that skipped off fingertips and turned into interceptions. Herbert was not blameless — his passes sometimes sailed — but he got no help from anyone not named Ladd McConkey, who had a pass go over his head for an interception. But he had 197 receiving yards. Everybody else combined for 45 receiving yards. Priority No. 1 for the Chargers this offseason has to be getting Herbert better, more sure-handed receivers.
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