The Steelers know that they are ‘quite terrible’ right now

The Steelers played their best football in more than a month on Sunday, but couldn’t find a way to beat the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. The loss was the team’s fourth in a row, and the frustration is beginning to bleed through the Pittsburgh locker room.

The offense had a revival in Week 10 after scoring more than 16 points for the first time in four weeks. However, Pittsburgh’s defense couldn’t protect a pair of fourth-quarter leads, eventually crumbling on Ezekiel Elliott’s game-winning 32-yard touchdown run. After allowing only 18.6 points per game in a 4-1 start, Mike Tomlin’s team has allowed 28.3 in the four-game skid that handed control of the AFC North to archrival Baltimore.

Harrison wasn’t the only player to bluntly reflect on his team’s mistakes after the game. Ben Roethlisberger was even more introspective than his outspoken linebacker.

“We are undisciplined and not accountable,” Roethlisberger told reporters. “That’s why [the Cowboys] are one of the best in the business and we’re not right now.”

His sentiments were echoed by running back Le’Veon Bell.

“We obviously are making costly mistakes, and they hurt us,” Bell said. “We need some more detail, and we’re going to keep falling short until we get that.”

Roethlisberger and Bell probably share the least amount of blame for Sunday’s nail-biter of a loss. The pair combined for 465 yards from scrimmage and had a hand in all four of their team’s touchdowns.

While a 4-5 record pushes the Steelers to the periphery of the wild card race, they still have a strong chance to win the wide open AFC North. While the Ravens hold a one-game lead in the division, Pittsburgh can close that gap in Week 16 when they welcome Baltimore to Heinz Field. Five of the franchise’s final seven games come against teams with losing records, including a pair of games against the 0-10 Browns.

The Steelers have reached a crisis point after losing four straight games, but their season isn’t lost yet. Harrison and Roethlisberger can still rally their team to a playoff berth, but a win in Week 11 will be equally important. With a trip to Cleveland looming, it looks like Pittsburgh will be able to fix at least a few of its problems in the next six days.