PITTSBURGH – Like the snow that fell in Cleveland on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense was slow to move forward in the loss to the Browns until a late spurt erased a 12-point deficit and nearly helped the Steelers bank Huntington Field to escape with a win.

Until two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on Thursday, the Russell Wilson-led offense, which ranks 30th in red zone touchdown percentage, had failed to score a touchdown for 20 consecutive possessions in two games. The drought raised questions about the viability of a boom-or-bust unit led by a big-armed, nearly 36-year-old who was the fourth-most sacked quarterback a year ago.

Coach Mike Tomlin brought a healthy Wilson back into the starting lineup six weeks ago, not only because it was the spot he won in the offseason, but also because his penchant for throwing the ball deep hampers the passing game could spark in a way that Justin Fields couldn’t and open up the running game even more.

That’s exactly what happened in two games. Since then, however, results with Wilson at quarterback have been consistently inconsistent. The Steelers enter Week 13 at 8-3, but a continued trend of big plays coupled with sacks and blocked red zone trips raise doubts about the team’s ability to make the playoffs, let alone to be a real contender for the Super Bowl.

In the first two weeks of Wilson’s tenure as starter, the Steelers increased their scoring average from 20.7 points per game with Fields to 31.5 points and 298.3 yards of offense to 417.5. Wilson wasn’t perfect, but he wowed the Steelers with three passing touchdowns, a rushing score, no turnovers and five sacks, including just one in his debut against the New York Jets.

Lately, however, the offense — and Wilson — has shown signs of regression. The Steelers have averaged 21.6 points in their last three games and haven’t broken 20 points in their last two. Wilson had four touchdowns and two interceptions during that time and was sacked 11 times. Steelers quarterbacks have been sacked on 9.3% of pass plays this season, although that rate has been as high as 10.48% over the past three games, tied for the fifth-highest and fourth-highest in the league, respectively. A year ago, Steelers quarterbacks were sacked on just 6.36% of pass plays.

“It took us too long to prepare,” Tomlin said of Cleveland’s three first-half sacks. “They brought it, immediately and early.”

Although the Steelers scored 28 points in the win over the Commanders, Wilson completed just 9 of 21 attempts for 108 yards with three sacks, one interception and two touchdowns in three quarters. During that span, two chunk plays accounted for more than half of Wilson’s 108 yards — a 34-yard completion to receiver George Pickens on 2nd-and-20 and a 26-yard catch-and-run by running back Jaylen Warren. But in the fourth quarter of that game, Wilson was nearly flawless as he completed 5 of 7 attempts for 87 yards, with no sacks, no interceptions and a game-winning touchdown.

“I don’t think it was our cleanest game as far as efficiency goes,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said of the Commanders’ game. “I thought we were running too hard. But I thought we started wearing them down in the fourth quarter. I thought we made plays at critical moments in the red zone and definitely on third down. “We have to be sober and really objective… In a game like (against the Ravens) we have to play more efficiently.”

The Steelers did the opposite in this case. Although they beat the Ravens, they did not score a touchdown on any of their four trips to the red zone, had one interception in the end zone, and managed just nine points on three Ravens turnovers and two missed field goals. This game also marked the start of a seven-quarter touchdown drought that lasted until the fourth quarter of the loss to the Browns. At that time, it was the longest active phase without a touchdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And while Wilson looked efficient, completing 21 of 28 attempts for 270 yards, he was once again a make-or-break playmaker, which was most evident when facing the Browns’ pass rush. Wilson was pressured on 15 of 33 dropbacks (45%), which is the most pressure he has faced this season. Although he completed 60% of his attempts on such throws for 97 yards, he was also sacked four times.

The Steelers have a quarterback problem that has no easy answer. Although Wilson has more big plays than Fields – 39 completions of at least 20 to 24 yards by Fields – the former Chicago Bears quarterback accounted for more touchdowns in the red zone with three passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. Wilson, meanwhile, has four passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one interception.

Fields also has a better QBR in the red zone (92.2) and a better completion rate (57.1%) than Wilson (8.9 QBR, 34.6% completion rate), but 90% of Wilson’s trips are in the red zone were converted into points, while 83.8% of Fields finished with points. Of those offenses, 40% of Wilson’s offenses resulted in touchdowns, while 50% of Field’s offenses resulted in touchdowns.

While Wilson was still more effective at moving the ball down the field, Fields was more efficient in the red zone. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Steelers should make a wholesale change at quarterback, but it could signal the need to change how and when the Steelers use Fields.

The long-awaited Fields package made its debut against the Ravens and appeared again against the Browns. Although Fields played eight snaps Thursday night, only one was in the red zone and resulted in a 3-yard touchdown by Warren. His snaps also included a 2-yard loss on fourth down, a pre-snap penalty, a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter and a deep incompletion on third down against Pickens that turned into a fake punt and a short Field converted for the Browns.

Even the 30-yard run was somewhat of a letdown for Fields, who said he was “sick” about not running for a touchdown and that he needed to do a better job of keeping warm on the sideline. Afterwards, Fields admitted that the inconsistent quarterback rotation affected his timing and rhythm.

“I think that’s true, but at the end of the day it’s my job so you can’t complain,” he said. “And like I said, whenever I get the chance and opportunity to get on the field and help my team, I’m happy to do that.”

The Steelers are still leading the division after the loss to the Browns, but with four more division games and a date with the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, their hopes of winning their first home playoff game since 2020 and the playoff that lasts until 2016 are fading -Ending the win drought It’s important to find an efficient solution at quarterback.

Information from ESPN Research was used in this article.