Even Mother Nature tried to keep football fans from watching the Steelers offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not always the most enjoyable football team to watch. This trend continued on Sunday in a staggering 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, putting a hurdle in the middle of what should have been a clear path to the playoffs. 

It was a weird game that saw the Steelers make countless mistakes and get outplayed by a team that entered with only two wins. The Steelers even had their offense get shut down by an unlikely source.

Mother Nature.

The game was disrupted on two separate occasions by rare December thunderstorms, resulting in more than 70 minutes of weather delays due to lightning in the vicinity of Acrisure Stadium. 

The first delay pushed back the start of the second half as both teams had to remain in the locker rooms for more than a half hour. After the game resumed, the Steelers offense turned the ball over deep in its own territory, setting up the Cardinals for a short field and their second touchdown of the game to take a 17-3 lead. As that drive happened the game was again stopped for another 30-minute delay. 

Steelers fans were probably hoping for more delays.

Not only did the Steelers play one of the worst games of the season, full of pre-snap penalties, bad snaps, and unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, they also lost several key players to injury. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, left guard Isaac Seumalo and middle linebacker Elandon Roberts all left the game with injuries and did not return.

The Roberts injury is especially concerning because the Steelers are already playing without two starting middle linebackers after Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander suffered season-ending injuries. 

Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and wide receiver Diontae Johnson were also banged up in the loss.

The Steelers only have three days to recover as they will again be home on Thursday night against the New England Patriots.

It figures to be another ugly display of football, even if Mother Nature does not show up.