The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a major issue ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, a problem that could easily dash their 2025 playoff aspirations.
Heading into Week 17, the Steelers were already down two of their top wideouts: DK Metcalf (suspension) and Calvin Austin III (hamstring). But Sunday’s collapse to the Cleveland Browns didn’t do them any favors, as arguably their most important weapon on offense — tight end Darnell Washington — broke his arm and is all but guaranteed to miss the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Ravens.
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Offensively, the Steelers just couldn’t get the ball moving through the air without Metcalf in Week 17, and he’ll also miss next week’s game against the Ravens.
Austin’s speed may prove useful, but his status is up in the air after he was a non-participant in all three practices leading up to Sunday’s matchup against Cleveland.
Washington’s blend of size and yards-after-the-catch ability, coupled with his exceptional skills as a blocker, brought a dimension to Pittsburgh’s offense that the rest of the league can’t replicate, but the Ravens likely won’t have to worry about that in Week 18.
Ultimately, injuries and Metcalf’s antics have left the Steelers grasping at straws on offense — far from a winning recipe ahead of a pivotal divisional matchup against Baltimore.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers’ offensive problems just got worse ahead of Week 18 vs Ravens