The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, and while a late stop could have gotten the Steelers a win to get to 4-1, the loss is likely to get pinned on the Pittsburgh offense which didn’t get out of first gear against Dallas — and that means more chatter surrounding Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns’ struggles have been pinned on the poor play of the $230 million-man Deshaun Watson, while the Cincinnati Bengals could be closing in on panic-mode after their stunning loss to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime.
Here are the latest top stories Yahoo Sports is following as Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season comes to a close:
This one was easy to see coming with the Steelers struggling on offense for most of the season, but that trouble was highlighted in the Sunday night football loss to the Cowboys. Pittsburgh won the turnover battle three to one and blocked a Dallas field goal, but got out gained 445-226 and went just 3-for12 on third down. Despite allowing over 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the game, the Pittsburgh defense made enough big plays to keep the Steelers in the game, but Fields and company could hardly gt out of first gear. Add that to Russell Wilson telling NBC Sports that he’d be fully ready to play in Week 6 at the Raiders, and all eyes will be on head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and how the practice reps are split this week.
It may seem like ages ago, because Joe Flacco is in Indianapolis and the Browns are 1-4, but Cleveland was a playoff team last season. That was due, in large part, to Flacco helping lead a late-season rally with Deahsun Watson out of the lineup with a shoulder injury after Week 10. Watson is 28th among qualified passers in QB rating, has completed jut under 61% of his passes and Cleveland is 27th in passing yardage. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has said he’s sticking with Watson, but Jameis Winston’s shadow will be looming large if Watson and the Cleveland offense continue to struggle.
