Now losers of three straight games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have reached a faux-crisis point at the midway point of their 2016 campaign.
No. 1 on the docket of issues? Find a way to feed star wide receiver Antonio Brown, who had seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in a 21-14 loss to Baltimore on Sunday.
"They need to find a way to step in, step up and make plays," Brown told reporters after the game. "It's been about eight weeks so far, and that's what we've been seeing -- double coverage. Today, it was triple coverage with the linebacker coming over, and we just have to find ways to win. Other guys have to step up."
Brown added: "It just shows that people got respect for me, but we have to find a way to win no matter what they do. It's about what we do."
While Brown has a point, Pittsburgh did produce a 100-yard receiver Sunday -- Eli Rogers -- and manage to get Le'veon Bell six more balls in the passing game. Obviously, the Sammie Coates home run vertical threat was missing and has a profound impact on how the offense works. He was targeted five times against the Ravens on Sunday but did not produce a single catch.
At the moment, this seems like some typical losing streak frustration. Brown had more than 100 receiving yards the week before in a loss to the Patriots and nearly crossed the century mark again Sunday. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is recovering from a knee surgery he had just a few weeks ago and will need another Sunday at least to return to form.
If these issues are still prevalent in December, then Brown might consider them real issues. Until then, he'll just need to be patient. There are plenty of star wide receivers getting shut out completely around the league.
