Steelers most to blame for embarrassing loss to Browns

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Steelers most to blame for embarrassing loss to Browns

© Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Douglas Fritz, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Dec 30, 2025 ·

5 min read

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While the Pittsburgh Steelers melted away against the lowly Browns , aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers claimed confidence in what his team could do against the Ravens. However, here are the Steelers most to blame for the embarrassing loss to the Browns.

The Steelers continued to struggle against terrible teams, falling 13-6 to the Browns. The loss means the Steelers will have to beat the Ravens in Week 18 to reach the playoffs.

Rodgers passed for a humiliating total of 168 yards. He completed only 21 of 39 passes. And that's where the blame list starts.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers didn't get it done

To be fair, Rodgers made one of his best throws of the game to push the ball deep into Browns territory on the final drive. The Steelers eventually got a first-and-goal situation, but couldn't convert for the tying score.

However, Rodgers simply didn't get it done throughout the game. He had the excuse of D.K. Metcalf's suspension, but Rodgers only needed to find a way to get 14 points for a victory. Even without Metcalf, the Steelers should have had that many points on the board.

Of course, Rodgers couldn't help himself without finding someone else to blame, according to heavy.com.

"That was definitely interference," said Rodgers. "I'll have to look at the film on second and third down."

Boo hoo, Aaron. It seems like Rodgers was more concerned about stopping a record-setting sack by Myles Garrett than the task at hand. At least that's how Garrett saw it, according to ESPN.

"I mean, to an extent," Garrett said. "I feel like they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron [Rodgers] than getting the win. And I think that's what came back to bite him. So, they'll have to fight it out with Baltimore next week. But I'm just proud of the guys for fighting and getting this one. That's the main thing. And I'm always going to keep it that."

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin denied it.

"We didn't do anything against Myles that we don't normally do against Myles," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "The sack records are irrelevant. We got to minimize him if we want to engineer victory. We did the same thing last time we played him. I didn't think he had any sacks in that game either. And so, we didn't take a different approach because of the gravity of the record. It's just standard business when you're playing these guys and him."

Speaking of Tomlin …

Mike Tomlin's Steelers struggle to take care of weak-team business

Say what you will, but Tomlin's recent record of 0-4-1 against teams that entered with a mark of at least eight games below .500 speaks volumes of his inability to coach in those situations.

This was perhaps his worst hour , according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"It ranks among the worst losses in Mike Tomlin's 19 years, given the circumstances," Dulac wrote.

However, Tomlin apparently didn't see the same game most observers witnessed.

"I didn't think we played poorly," Tomlin said. "We just didn't make enough plays. We never made that signature play that kind of got us over the hump."

Tomlin oversaw a wretched six-point effort. How that does qualify as playing poorly will be a mystery for years to come.

Rodgers seems to think the Steelers will brush it off and bounce back next week.

"We've done it all season," Rodgers said. "We've handled adversity well, and when we've had to play our best ball, we did — other than today."

Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf deserves his share

He didn't play a down. And that's why Metcalf has to shoulder the blame. He couldn't control himself in the previous game, and that cost him a two-game suspension. Was the interaction with the Lions' fan worth missing the playoffs?

Some have criticized the Steelers for not stopping Metcalf from approaching the stands. Included in that mix is Mike Florio, according to 93.7 The Fan via steelernation.com.

"No one tries to intervene, and no one tries to stop [ DK Metcalf ]," Florio said. " Devin McCourty , who played for over a decade with the Patriots, he said on our PFT Live yesterday that they had people behind their bench. If someone had tried to walk over to the stands, they would be stopped. No one tries to stop DK Metcalf. There is a security guard standing there watching him do what he did… the whole thing is just bizarre."

Come on, Metcalf is a grown man. He's playing a grown-man game. Don't make the team responsible for his actions. This all belongs on Metcalf's plate.

If somehow the Steelers can knock off the Ravens again, Metcalf's poor decision-making will possibly drift away. That's especially true if he comes back and helps them win a playoff game.

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