The 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers will live in infamy. After starting the season 11-0 the team crumbled, losing four of their last five as they limped into the playoffs. When the playoffs arrived Pittsburgh couldn’t stop their slide, falling to their rival Cleveland Browns 48-37 after trailing 28-0 in the first quarter. Pittsburgh’s collapse was not only shocking to those watching but also to those on the team.
“We should’ve never lost a game that 11-0 year,” said TE Eric Ebron on the Run Your Race podcast. “We literally had the team to do whatever the fuck it is that we wanted to do. Should’ve never lost a game.”
Calling the collapse shocking is an understatement. The Steelers weren’t squeaking out wins the entire season. Pittsburgh won five games by double-digits on their road to 11-0, including a 35-7 beat down of the Browns, a 36-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and a 27-3 shellacking of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There were also tight victories sprinkled in like a 24-19 victory over the Garrett Gilbert led Dallas Cowboys and a heart attack inducing 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. But, it seemed like Pittsburgh was able to win no matter what. Whether it was a comeback, close game, or just by being a better team, Pittsburgh found ways to win.
To Ebron’s point, entering the Week 12 game against the Washington Football Team it felt like the Steelers could run the table and go undefeated. But that didn’t happen.
It’s hard to what pinpoint what exactly went wrong. Did the inability to run the ball finally catch up with them? Was the knee injury QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered against the Cowboys the reason his play significantly declined? Were the injuries and COVID infections on the defense too much to overcome?
It was likely a combination of all these things. Ebron mentions a meeting after the 11-0 that “changed everything” but did not expand on what happened or when exactly this meeting took place. But the combination of injuries, decline in play, and a horrid rushing attack saw the Steelers collapse.
When looking back on the season, Ebron describes it the way many Steelers fans probably do.
“I honestly think that was the best and worst football year of my motherfucking life.”
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