Steelers' Devastating Week 13 Loss Should Be Squarely Centered On Mason Cole's Poor Performance

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a history of great play at the center position. Mike Webster is the best center in NFL history. Dermonti Dawson is not that far behind him and Maurkice Pouncey will likely join both of them in the Hall of Fame at some point. The Steelers center is a special position in the NFL and is vital to the team’s success.

In 2022, the Steelers signed Mason Cole to replace Pouncey after the Kendrick Green experiment failed in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. Cole has produced mixed results during his time in the middle of the offensive line. He has played well at times, but his inability to deliver clean snaps has hurt a Steelers offense with little room for error.

Pittsburgh entered Sunday in Acrisure Stadium with seven wins and one game behind in the AFC North. The Steelers were set to face their Super Bowl XLIII opponents, the Arizona Cardinals, who had won just twice in 12 games. The game was a disaster, and Cole was smack dab in the middle of it.

It started early. Kenny Pickett led an efficient drive on the Steelers' first possession that pierced the red zone. On third down, Cole snapped the ball low to the Pittsburgh quarterback. He could not recover and was hit as he threw. The drive stalled, and the Steelers settled for three points. It might have been the first bad snap of the game, but it would not be the last.

Cole struggled to snap the ball in shotgun all game. When Pittsburgh found themselves with third and goal, another offline snap forced Pickett to tuck the ball and run when he could not field it cleanly. He came up short of the goal line, and the Steelers came up short of a first-string quarterback. Pickett left the game with an ankle injury and spent the second half in a walking boot on the sideline.

Long weather delays in the second half marked a disjointed game. After an extended halftime, the Steelers' defense forced the Cardinals to punt on their first possession. Mitch Trubisky started the ensuing drive with positive plays that looked like the beginning of a promising possession. That ended quickly as Cole made the key mistake of the game. He snapped the ball low again, and Trubisky could not field a snap that was reportedly over several worms' heads.

The Cardinals recovered the ball in the red zone. A few snaps later, the Steelers were down 17-3 and headed back to the locker room for the second weather-related delay of the game. Nate Herbig was pressed into action during the second half of the game in relief of Isaac Seumalo. It is worth wondering if Herbig might have seen action at center if Seumalo had not been injured based on Cole’s disastrous performance.

Steelers Center Mason Cole Struggles On Third Down

Pittsburgh could ill afford a 24-10 loss in Week 13 to a team that had not won a road game since Week 10 of the 2022 season. Even worse was that it was the third double-digit loss in Acrisure Stadium in 2023. The Steelers made crucial mistakes during the loss, but Cole’s inability to snap the ball even before the bad weather rolled in set the team up for failure. It is not the first time Cole has struggled to deliver the ball, and it probably will not be the last. 

Pittsburgh’s offense is a fragile ecosystem that looked to be rolling until they were forced to kick a field goal on the opening drive after the bad red zone snap. The passing offense cannot handle much adversity, and the Steelers center supplied more than enough with a terrible game. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have to prioritize the position in the offseason.

When it rains, it pours. Acrisure Stadium is a harsh outdoor environment, and the inability to snap the ball cleanly in December is potentially a real issue for the offense. The Steelers face the New England Patriots in just four days in another must-win game in a bizarre 2023 season.