PITTSBURGH (AP) — Three times in 11 days, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced a team aiming for the Super Bowl, the kind of elite company the Steelers have spent most of the season trying to prove they belong in.
And three times in 11 days, Pittsburgh found itself doing all of the little things wrong — and some of the big things too — on its way to a lopsided loss, the latest a 29-10 defeat at the hands of Kansas City on Christmas Day that offered a stark contrast of two teams heading in opposite directions.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt listens to a reporter's question following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) celebrates his interception off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes in the pocket against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna (51) during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Chiefs — who have slogged as much as they have surged while pursuing a third straight championship — scored twice early, forced two momentum-shifting turnovers, had five sacks and closed it out the second they had the chance.
The Steelers (10-6) spent three hours “running on the beach” as coach Mike Tomlin put it. The defense could do little to slow down Patrick Mahomes. The offense had trouble protecting Russell Wilson or generating any kind of sustainable rhythm even with wide receiver George Pickens back in the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury.
The result became a familiar one. Pittsburgh trudged off the field searching for answers that may not come, not in time to make a serious playoff run anyway.
“We just need to continue to find ways to get better,” Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “As the season goes on, the margins are smaller.”
Too small at the moment, for Pittsburgh to be at anything less than its best. The Steelers have been far from it during a three-game slide that's seen their grip on the AFC North lessen with each passing week.
Against a Kansas City team that seems to be finding itself, Pittsburgh has gotten away from the identity it carved out during the first three months of the season. The NFL leader in takeaways failed to produce a single turnover. Wilson forced a pass into triple coverage in the end zone that ended a scoring threat. And Watt and the rest of the Pittsburgh defense didn't bring Mahomes' familiar No. 15 to the ground even once.
“You can't afford to spot them points and allow them to scramble around in the pocket and have time,” Watt said. “We didn't have any success.”
No, they didn't. And the Steelers are running out of time to regain their swagger ahead of a postseason berth they locked up weeks ago. Yet all the optimism that they were capable of making a playoff run for the first time since 2016 has dimmed amid a slide in which they've been outscored by an average of 16 points.
“The bottom line is the junior varsity is not good enough, we've got to own that,” Tomlin said.
Pittsburgh gets a bit of an extended break before it hosts Cincinnati in the regular-season finale. How the Steelers respond over the next 10ish days is vital.
“Our belief can't waver,” Wilson said. “If anything, we've got to turn it up even more on our belief.”
Maybe, but it would help if they could also avoid the kind of self-inflicted wounds that have hounded them during one of the more trying stretches of Tomlin's lengthy tenure.
A two-play sequence late in the first quarter symbolized how it's gone for Pittsburgh since a win over Cleveland on Dec. 8 pushed the Steelers to 10-3 and made them a fringe contender for the AFC's top seed.
Pittsburgh was driving down 13-0 when Wilson orchestrated a crisp drive that gobbled up 69 yards in three plays. Jaylen Warren appeared to finish it off with an 8-yard touchdown run. A holding penalty on tight end Darnell Washington nullified the score.
On the next snap, Wilson tried to thread a pass in between three defenders to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Kansas City's Justin Reid easily picked it off.
“It's on me,” Wilson said. “I was trying to give Pat a chance. He's done a good job for us down in the red zone and they made a good play.”
Though the Steelers managed to get within 13-7 at the break, the defense yielded almost immediately. Kansas City scored on each of its first three possessions after halftime, including a pair of touchdowns in just over two minutes at the start of the fourth quarter to put it away.
The Chiefs headed to a joyous locker room where they celebrated in Santa suits after clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Steelers trudged in the opposite direction, their chances of claiming the AFC North dimming and a season once brimming with promise trending toward a familiar result: a quick postseason exit.
“The bottom line is we're just not performing well enough,” Tomlins said. “I'm less concerned about the control of the division and more concerned about the quality of our performance at this juncture.”
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt listens to a reporter's question following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) celebrates his interception off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes in the pocket against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna (51) during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster that remained unknown.
Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea.
The plane went down about 3 kilometers (around 2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft lying upside in the grass.
On Thursday, national flags were lowered across Azerbaijan, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals were sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.
“The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” he said.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.
According to Kazakh officials, those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals. Russia's Emergencies Ministry on Thursday flew nine Russian survivors to Moscow for treatment.
As the official crash investigation started, theories abounded about a possible cause, with some commentators alleging that holes seen in the plane's tail section possibly indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.
Ukrainian drones had previously attacked Grozny, the provincial capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, and other regions in the country's North Caucasus. Some Russian media claimed that another drone attack on Chechnya happened on Wednesday, although it wasn't officially confirmed.
Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.” Osprey provides analysis for carriers still flying into Russia after Western airlines halted their flights during the war.
Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.
“This incident is a stark reminder of why we do what we do,” Nicholson wrote online. “It is painful to know that despite our efforts, lives were lost in a way that could have been avoided.”
Asked about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defense assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”
Kazakhstan’s parliamentary Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev also warned against rushing to conclusions based on pictures of the plane’s fragments, describing the allegations of air defense fire as unfounded and “unethical.”
Other officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.
Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Aida Sultanova in London, contributed to this report.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Flowers and portraits are placed at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
In this image taken from video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers transport wounded passengers from a medical plane after the Azerbaijani Airline crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, center, holds a meeting following an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane crash, in Baku, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Azamat Sarsenbayev)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
