The Steelers’ postseason hopes are hanging by a thread. Matt Murray still can’t find his game. And the Pirates are signing players who hit .151.

Merry Christmas.

Don’t blame Mark Madden for being a Grinch. Me either. We aren’t putting the coal in your stocking. We are just telling you how it got there in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.

All the eggnog in the world couldn’t make the Steelers offense look good. That much was clear in the team’s 16-10 loss to the New York Jets Sunday. It’s a train wreck. From the line, back to the quarterbacks and the running backs, out to the wide receivers.

Even the defense is starting to crack a bit under the weight of having to save the game every week. And the special teams had some screw-ups along the way, too.

We get into JuJu Smith-Schuster’s bad game, the quarterback blackhole, the shoddy blocking, the absentee running game, and random play calling.

Plus — big picture — what does all of this mean for the feel-good story of the Steelers season if they can’t qualify for the postseason? On one hand, the team should be showered with praise for making the season interesting for as long as it did. On the other, this will be the second year in a row where a late collapse could take them out of playoff contention.

On the hockey front, we talk about the Penguins goaltending and taking bad penalties. Plus, we look at a boring start for the Pirates new front office.

Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Steelers’ playoff predicament, Penguins’ goaltending, and Pirates’ moves

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