U mad, bro?: Steelers finally lost, and fans are mad! Because ... we're too hard on them?

The Steelers’ unbeaten streak ended with a thud Monday against Washington.

Yes, that made me mad … bro. In fact, I was already on edge after two spotty offensive performances against the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars the two previous weeks.

As a result, I’ve been critical of the team. On TribLive. On WPXI. On ESPN Pittsburgh and WDVE. On Twitter.

I was even screaming bad language at the television during the game. The “Elf on the Shelf” got so sick of it he went back to the North Pole and gave a bad report to Santa. He hasn’t been back since.

Too bad. He’s my only friend who is actually my size.

Based on tweets and emails I received, most of you agreed with my harsh rebuke of the Steelers’ play lately. But a few of you think I’m a little too hot under the collar for my own good.

So here are some of those responses in this week’s edition of “U mad, bro?” I’ll try to be patient and see your side of the story.

This is what I mean. Start us off, Jacob.

After the Dallas game they beat the Bengals 36-10 and then beat the jaguars 27-3. Did you want them to beat them by 40 pts? The ravens game was moved 2 times and they played on a Wednesday for what was probably the time ever in any of their lives.

— Jacob Kerr (@PlymouthAtwater) December 8, 2020

Any of them ever play on a Monday? Because it certainly didn’t look that way against Washington, Jacob.

Dang it. Patience, Tim! I’m off to a bad start.

I mentioned on Twitter that I’m not subscribing to the happy-talk theory that the Washington loss is a “wake-up call.” Or a “slap in the face.”

About 1,000 times after the near loss to Baltimore in the “Covid Bowl,” I heard fans and media claim that close shave was the “wake-up call.”

Had they dozed off again after nearly losing in Dallas in Week 9? Because I heard the same spin following that game, too.

If it wasn’t true in those cases, it’s not true now.

Bruce disagrees.

The difference is that after a loss, players and coaches will have a different focus on fixing what’s wrong.

— Bruce (@Bruce58m) December 8, 2020

They shouldn’t. That “focus” should be there every game. Especially after that slop versus Baltimore and coach Mike Tomlin’s postgame rant about how poorly they played.

I think Tomlin’s “Elf on the Shelf” had him on the naughty list that day as well.

Someone named “Steelers Standard” thinks the loss to Washington will prove to benefit Tomlin’s team.

I’m telling you, that loss was the best thing ever.

— Steelers Standard (@SteelerStandard) December 8, 2020

No way. That’s fan rationalization. Nothing more.

You’re applying logic after the fact. If you honestly believed that, you would’ve been wearing a Chase Young jersey during the game and singing “Hail to the Redsk…”

Um, do they have a fight song anymore? Or did they just change the lyrics? Somebody look that up for me.

Anyway, you don’t really believe that. Especially not with four more games left. Because if they lose one more and Kansas City doesn’t, then they won’t get a playoff bye.

If you wanted to sell me on the notion that losing to Cleveland in the last game at 15-0 (if they had the AFC’s top seed locked up already) would’ve been good, then … maybe. The pressure of chasing an undefeated season and so forth.

I still wouldn’t have believed it. But I could see the point.

All this loss did was put them in peril of losing the No. 1 seed and maybe even the division.

But, hey, if you like losses so much, I get the feeling you are going to be thrilled by about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday!

I’ve got the Bills 27-17.

“Datsko” thinks that the Steelers’ condensed schedule should be factored into the analysis.

I don’t understand why nobody is factoring in the scheduling shenanigans...

vs BAL they played like a team whose game was rescheduled 3x at last minute.

vs WFT they played like it was a TNF game - tired, injured, vanilla. Meanwhile WFT had 10 days to rest and “study tendencies”

— Datsko (@Datsko) December 8, 2020

Why is “nobody factoring in the scheduling”? Because nobody is interested in making excuses for an 11-0 team losing at home to a 4-7 team. That’s why.

A 4-7 team that lost its star running back (Antonio Gibson) in the first quarter.

Not to mention its nickname. The Steelers lost to a team that doesn’t even have a nickname for cryin’ ‘aht lahd!

Plus, the Steelers blew a 14-point lead. If the schedule shuffle was such a big deal, then they would’ve gotten off to a sluggish start.

And if the scheduling issue has already fatigued them so much that you are willing to use that as an excuse for why they lost to Washington, don’t even bother watching the game in Buffalo.

They may be too darn tired to make the trip up I-79 after a mere six days of rest. Or fly the full 35 minutes or whatever it is they are going to do.

Exhausting!

Let’s wrap up with my pal, Sean.

Maybe they should pack it in Tim and just sit behind a microphone and keyboard and criticize for the remainder of the season.

— Sean McCarthy (@jem77pmc) December 8, 2020

I wouldn’t recommend that. Their union benefits are a bit better than what I’m offered through AFTRA.

But, hey, they have their jobs. I have mine. And I’ll take my page views off of that game versus their 4.9 offensive yards per play during it.

Yikes! That’s what the Philadelphia Eagles average for the year — which is 29th in the NFL.

I know this. I at least walked from the press box concourse entrance to my seat. That’s way longer than the 21 yards rushing the Steelers totaled against Washington.

Granted, no one tried to tackle me before I got to my chair.

OK. Maybe Joe Rutter did. But I can outrun him.

*Sigh* I bet the elf really isn’t coming back now, is he?