Mark Madden: Justin Fields, the Steelers offense just isn't good enough

The Steelers aren't going anywhere.

Their offense is not good.

Their quarterback is not good.

Their defense is very good, but cannot always compensate for the deficiencies of the offense.

Sunday night's 17:20 home loss to Dallas proved all of that.

The Steelers won the turnover battle 3-0. (The fumble the Steelers lost while trying to line up the sidelines on the final play does not count.)

Two realizations from the Steelers came when Dallas was in the red zone.

The Steelers blocked a field goal.

Dallas committed 11 penalties for 87 yards.

The Cowboys' defense was missing injured star players Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

But with all of these advantages, the Steelers couldn't score enough points to win.

That's because their offense isn't good and their quarterback isn't good.

The Steelers' defense gave up late in Sunday's game and was manhandled in the fourth quarter. Dallas had the ball for 32 minutes and 29 seconds, but that's an insignificant advantage. The pressure of having to be near perfect to win is more likely to cause defenses to buckle.

The Steelers have scored eight touchdowns in five games, none by their No. 1 wideout or No. 1 running back.

The Steelers gained just 89 yards in the first half on Sunday, 226 for the game.

Dallas made some bad mistakes. But at least the Cowboys tried to make plays.

The Steelers immediately plunged into offense, handing off on their first possession to the practice running back on third-and-8 from the Dallas 28-yard line, setting up for a field goal and displaying their usual offensive cowardice.

That's not because of Arthur Smith, who is in his first year as offensive coordinator.

That's because of Mike Tomlin.

Smith's offense looks just as bad and scary as his predecessor Matt Canada's, just with tighter ends.

This is not a plan. This is living in your fears.

George Pickens' great potential was dashed by a lack of offensive ambition: just three catches for 26 yards against Dallas. He played only 34 snaps and expressed frustration at the end of the game when he wrestled a Dallas player to the ground by his face mask.

Pickens is a baby. But in this case, his irritation is understandable. Not least because Pickens is hoping for a contract extension after this season.

Justin Fields was terrible. His good plays and moments for the Steelers were overrated.

Fields was 15 of 27 for 131 yards. That's a Kenny Pickett statistic, albeit with two touchdown passes.

Fields' penchant for turnovers during his three years in Chicago has been tempered since joining the Steelers by bubble-wrapping the offense.

But Fields had three subpar seasons with the Bears. Now that Fields has lost most of the aggressiveness of his game, he has morphed into Pickett with better mobility. (Which is underutilized.)

The Steelers don't take the quarterback position seriously.

Since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, the Steelers have lined up Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Pickett and Fields at center. Not exactly killer stuff.

Russell Wilson, 35, is hampered by a calf injury. Will Wilson start when he's ready? That makes sense considering Fields has lost two straight and Wilson was hired as QB1.

But Wilson probably won't be good enough either. Or maybe he has the sense to maximize the Steelers' timid offense.

The Steelers should have tanked when Roethlisberger injured his elbow in the second game of the 2019 season. Go 5-12, maybe draft Justin Herbert.

Instead, they traded their 2020 first-round pick to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick and limped to 8-8. Fitzpatrick is excellent, but he's just a safety and not Troy Polamalu.

Rather, Fitzpatrick used to be excellent. As with the Steelers offense, it was drained of all courage. Fitzpatrick has not been involved in a turnover in the last 17 games. He plays in midfield instead of finding the ball. With a cap hit of $21.4 million, you have to do more.

Tomlin prefers safe, boring, low-scoring games that the Steelers can win in the fourth quarter.

To Tomlin's credit, the Steelers do that a lot. His career record in games decided by a score or less is 100-63-2, including 2-2 this year.

Is this model sustainable now?

If not, the Steelers will go their eighth straight season without a playoff win. This method seems to be their only choice.

That's because their offense isn't good and their quarterback isn't good.

Fields is not the answer. Not now and not in the long term.

Acquiring Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft set the Steelers back years.

Maybe that doesn't matter because Tomlin won't let the offense escape the Stone Age.

It's as if that 3-0 start never happened. (It was always fool's gold.)

Steelers games are unbearable to watch. Zero entertainment. It already feels like week 12.