5 things we learned: Are Steelers running on empty heading into final stretch of season?

Five things we learned from Bills 26, Steelers 15:

1. Out of gas?

The Steelers are starting to resemble that used car that runs like a champ when it is driven off the lot, holds up for a while under basic wear and tear but by the end of the year has so many knocks and pings that it isn’t guaranteed to pass inspection.

The mileage is piling up as the stretch drive approaches. Where the topic of discussion used to be whether this team would lose a game, the question now is whether the Steelers can win another before the playoffs start in January.

With back-to-back losses, the Steelers have lost the top spot in the AFC hierarchy to Kansas City and could find their lead in the division shaved to one game if Cleveland defeats Baltimore on Monday night. Buffalo, meanwhile, is fast approaching for that No. 2 seed in the conference.

Looking at the rest of the schedule, the trip next Monday to 2-10-1 Cincinnati represents the best chance for the Steelers to get a 12^th win before the playoffs begin. The final two games, at home against 9-4 Indianapolis and at 9-3 Cleveland, are check points the Steelers will face en route to the postseason.

The issues the Steelers must correct over the next three weeks are many, some of which are out of their control. The predictability of the offense can possibly be changed. The running game, though, remains a mess, and Ben Roethlisberger had a long completion of 20 yards, a microcosm of the lack of a deep passing game.

The missing bodies on defense — even when Vince Williams and Joe Haden return — present a problem that won’t magically disappear. Teams have figured how to handle the Steelers on both sides of the ball, and the level of competition remains lofty after that trip next week to Cincinnati.

2. Dropping by

Coach Mike Tomlin promised there would be repercussions for dropping the football. After second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson dropped a pass on each of the first two possessions, he spent the rest of the first half — a span of seven drives — on the bench.

Tight end Eric Ebron also dropped a pass in the first half.

Johnson entered the game leading the NFL with 10 drops, and Tomlin promised changes would be made after the Steelers had seven drops against Washington. With the Steelers trailing 16-7 by the time the offense took the field in the second half, Johnson was given a reprieve, and he finished with four catches for 40 yards.

Ebron had two catches for 30 yards, and he also was the recipient of a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Johnson played just 28 snaps, his fewest in a game this season in which he remained healthy. Ebron’s 38 snaps also were a season low.

3. Booting up

For much of the first half, the Steelers’ most effective weapon was the punt. Jordan Berry was called upon after the first five possessions resulted in five first downs and 24 plays. When the fourth and fifth drives gained some traction, Berry was able to pin the Bills inside their 20 each time.

Buffalo began a drive at its 9 when a fumble recovery by Cam Sutton set up the Steelers with a short field for the first time in the game. It took only three plays for the Steelers to get a touchdown on a 19-yard completion to James Washington for a 7-0 lead.

Berry ended up punting eight times, the most in a game for the Steelers this season.

4. Kicking around

After returning from a one-game absence because of a hip injury, kicker Chris Boswell didn’t get much of a chance to prove he is 100% healthy.

Boswell didn’t attempt a field goal, and he made his only extra-point try. But indications on Boswell’s kickoffs are that he’s having difficulty sending the ball deep.

Two of Boswell’s three kickoffs made it to the end zone, but were shallow enough for the Bills to attempt a return. After the Steelers took a 7-0 lead, the Bills took over at the 24 following a 27-yard return.

On the opening possession of the second half, the Bills had a 35-yard return after Boswell again placed the ball three yards deep in the end zone. After the Steelers cut the deficit to 23-15 early in the fourth quarter, Buffalo began its next drive at the 34 following a 31-yard return by Andre Roberts.

The coverage unit has to share in the blame for the Bills getting decent field position in the second half, but it also makes you wonder if Boswell’s sore hip still is a lingering problem.

5. Scratchy records

The Steelers established the NFL benchmark for consecutive games with at least one sack, but Roethlisberger’s five-plus game run without being brought down came to an end.

Tyson Alualu’s sack of Josh Allen in the second quarter extended the Steelers’ streak to 70 games in a row, breaking the tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFL record. The sack, though, was the only one the Steelers had in the game, and their pass rush was no factor against Allen after halftime as he began carving up the defense. Eight of the Bills’ 10 longest pass plays came after intermission.

On the other side of the ball, Roethlisberger was dropped on the Steelers’ opening possession of the second half, marking the first time since the third quarter on Nov. 1 at Baltimore that he was sacked. That was the first time in 275 pass attempts, which had placed Roethlisberger second on the all-time list earlier in the game.

Given all of the changes on the offensive line because of injuries, it’s a surprise Roethlisberger didn’t get taken down more often against the Bills.