Now that the Steelers have been edged out by the Buffalo Bills, 38-3 Sunday, it looks like a postseason presence is as much a pipe dream for the Steelers this year as it has been for the Pirates – year after year after year.
It remains for the Penguins to give fans of Pittsburgh pro sports franchises hopes to watch the home team play beyond the regular season – admittedly in the watered-down NHL variation in which a full one-half of the teams (16 of 32) make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But beggars can’t be choosers and the pro sports scene in Pittsburgh these days is bleak, so being in the top 50 percent of anything is something.
Never mind that the network television announcers for the Steelers-Bills game seemed to be making a Hall of Fame case for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Let’s wait for the Steelers to win a game or so under his leadership before we call Canton.
What ails the 1-4 Steelers is obvious – a talent deficit. Without oft-injured T.J. Watt, the defense is eunuch-like.
When Buffalo muffed the opening kickoff and was pinned deep in Bills territory, playing into a stiff breeze, the overmatched defense yielded a 98-yard touchdown pass.
But, despite all the praise for Pickett, the 3-point scoring total was the lowest for the Steelers since the 2019 opener against serial tormenter New England.
The 35-point differential made this the worst loss in the career of Mike Tomlin as Steelers coach.
The Steelers offensive line is mediocre. Once upon a time the Steelers could run the football. Not anymore.
And pass protection becomes a chore when the offense is one-dimensional.
Dare we say the coaching is at times uninspiring, too?
Although injuries and uneven play have combined to make some of the upcoming opponents seem not as daunting as they appeared to be just a few weeks back, it’s safe to say the Steelers are good picks to lose four or five of their next six games.
At least the Penguins open their regular season Thursday to provide some diversion.
Meanwhile, fans can amuse themselves by watching all the ex-Pirates performing in the Major League Baseball postseason.
Sunday night, San Diego’s starting pitcher in the decisive NL wild-card game was Joe Musgrove, who once toed the pitching rubber in a Pirates uniform. Power-hitting Padres designated hitter Josh Bell is another former Pirate.
The New York Mets had chubby Daniel Vogelbach, who played 72 games for the Pirates this season, as their DH. Outfielder Starling Marte is yet another former Pirate wearing a Mets uniform. Pitcher Trevor Williams is on the Mets roster, but not the postseason list.
Gerrit Cole, who has been tabbed to start game one of the ALDS for the New York Yankees, pitched for the Pirates from 2013 through 2017.
Charlie Morton, yet another ex-Pirates pitcher, went 9-6 for Atlanta’s Braves this season.
One Pittsburgh media guy counted 18 former Pirates on the rosters of this year’s MLB postseason teams and that seems right.
It’s a veritable all-star team of former Pirates, indicating that if the cheapskate ownership was willing to pay some of these guys to stick around, those postseason absences would be less frequent and shorter in duration.
Then again, if your aunt had testicles, she’d be your uncle.
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