Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 12 Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Seattle Seahawks 39-30 in Week 12. But it was an exciting game, one that featured seven lead changes, which made it seem like just about anything was possible in terms of the outcome.

In a game that contentious, there's a lot to process. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Steelers' loss to the Seahawks.

Pass Defense Still a Huge Problem

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For much of the season, Pittsburgh's struggles to defend the pass have been negligible despite being the elephant in the room. After all, what does it matter if Johnny Manziel passes for 372 yards if the Cleveland Browns only score nine points?

But those chickens came home to roost Sunday against the Seahawks in a big way. The Steelers defense gave up 436 yards of total offense, and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson totaled 345 passing yards and five touchdowns on just 21 completions. 

The usual suspects were to blame: cornerbacks Antwon Blake and Ross Cockrell, along with safety Will Allen. According to Pro Football Focus, Cockrell allowed nine catches on 10 targets for 125 yards and a score, Blake gave up five catches on seven targets for 115 yards and two scores and Allen allowed four catches on five targets for 77 yards and two more touchdowns.

It's time for the Steelers to realize that their bend-but-don't-break defense is breaking rapidly, and they have to find ways to fix it. Coverage like this isn't going to do the team any favors as the season winds down against some of the league's most pass-friendly offenses. 

Markus Wheaton's Big Day

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It was no surprise that Seattle's Legion of Boom secondary would focus on limiting the damage from Steelers receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. The Seahawks held Bryant to just 69 yards on five receptions (including a long of 40 yards), while Brown had six catches for 51 yards (and a long of 15 yards). But that didn't keep the Steelers from pushing the ball down the field through the air.

Markus Wheaton, who had only 273 receiving yards on the season heading into Sunday's game, ended up with nine catches on 13 targets for 201 yards and a score. While it's not likely this performance will repeat itself in the weeks that follow, Wheaton's big day proves that the Steelers have myriad weapons beyond the Big Two of Bryant and Brown. 

Two Bad Decisions

While there were numerous reasons for Pittsburgh's loss, two bad coaching decisions are certainly among them.

The first was the choice to run a fake field goal on a fourth-down play at the start of the second quarter. Backup quarterback Landry Jones tried to pass the ball to offensive tackle (and former tight end) Alejandro Villanueva, but the Seahawks' Jeremy Lane picked it off.

The second was the choice to kick a field goal on a fourth-quarter, fourth-down play with the Steelers trailing by five points and just three minutes left to play. Seattle then scored a touchdown on the following drive. Pittsburgh did eventually get the ball back, but with Ben Roethlisberger out with a self-reported concussion, Jones had to take over. He threw an interception, sealing the Steelers' loss. 

While these two plays alone did not lead to the loss, they were two bad choices that put the Steelers in worse positions than they should have been in. There are times and places to be cute with trick plays or be conservative within the red zone. These were not them. 

Killer Turnovers

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The Steelers turned the ball over four times in Sunday's loss. First, Landry Jones threw an interception on the failed field-goal play, and then Seattle picked off Ben Roethlisberger twice in the second half. Finally, Jones threw another interception on the Steelers' final drive, ending their night.

Of those four turnovers, three produced points for the Seahawks, making up 19 of their total 39 points. Not only did Pittsburgh's offense fail the team in these crucial moments, but the defense could not hold its own and gave up far too many scores on turnovers.

Four turnovers are a kiss of death for most teams. Seattle managed touchdowns off of three of them that directly led to their win. With Pittsburgh's defense playing so poorly, the offense must limit these kinds of mistakes. That it didn't on Sunday is a stark reminder of just how easily the wheels can come off for Pittsburgh when the offense cannot execute as planned.

Playoff Hopes Tempered

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Heading into Sunday's meeting with the Seahawks, the Steelers were firmly entrenched as the AFC's fifth seed in the playoff race. But with the loss, they now drop to No. 8 and have an uphill climb to get back into the postseason picture.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and New York Jets each won their Week 12 contests, which launches all three above the Steelers thanks to Pittsburgh's loss. What seemed like a clear path to the postseason for Pittsburgh has now become a battle—one that doesn't get any easier given the schedule ahead.

The Steelers were once in control of their own destiny, but Sunday's loss has put them at the mercy of the complicated AFC standings. While the Chiefs, Texans and Jets have the same 6-5 record as the Steelers, they also have the advantage in the tiebreakers thanks to conference win percentage.

All of Pittsburgh's remaining games are against AFC opponents, which means even one more loss could mathematically eliminate the team based on all of the factors that play into which teams earn wild-card berths. This was a costly loss for the Steelers as far as their postseason hopes are concerned.