After blowing a chance to sew up the division, optimism in Pittsburgh isn’t high right now. Rightfully so. Even offering a silver lining is a quick way to get yelled at in the comments below, as I’m sure you’re doing from the title alone. The Steelers have an uphill battle to knock off the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
But there’s reason for hope. Here are four reasons not to give up on the Steelers’ season.
1. The Run Defense Is Better
For the past three games, the run defense has calmed down. Pittsburgh’s success against Miami was partially due to the game script, while the Detroit Lions just didn’t seem committed enough. Still, results are results. Over that span, the Steelers are allowing barely more than 50 rushing yards per game. Derrick Harmon’s return has been a huge boost to the run defense, the tackling and gap discipline have improved, and T.J. Watt’s potential return would also be a significant addition up front. Alex Highsmith is also on a heater against the run.
That comes at an important time. Pittsburgh is facing a Ravens offense that remembered it has Derrick Henry again, riding him to a career-high 36 carries in Week 17. The Steelers will face a massive test they aren’t guaranteed to pass, but they feel better equipped to handle the Ravens’ run game. And while the Steelers allowed over 200 yards in the first meeting, they did a nice job containing Henry. He averaged less than 4 yards per carry.
2. Pittsburgh Is Protecting The Football
Anytime an offense protects the football, they’re going to hang around a game. Pittsburgh is doing so at a high level. Granted, the Steelers did their darndest to give the ball away against Cleveland, and they were fortunate to recover three fumbles. Still, the Steelers have turned the ball over just once in their last four games. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 10.
Since Week 14, only the Chicago Bears and Steelers are tied for the NFL’s lowest/best mark with one turnover. Baltimore has turned the ball over in four of its last five games, though it played clean in Week 17’s win over Green Bay.
If Pittsburgh can keep protecting the ball Sunday night, they’ll be in the game until the end.
3. Steelers Won’t Have To Dedicate As Much Chip Help
Fortunately, the Ravens don’t have an elite pass rush presence like the Cleveland Browns have with Myles Garrett. That will naturally open up the offense. Pittsburgh won’t need to build its game plan around a star EDGE player. No Ravens player has more than four sacks this season, and their defense is tied for 29th in sacks with just 28 this season.
There are still threats to account for, and the Ravens’ creative scheme can send blitzers from anywhere. The secondary has four sacks this season, but Pittsburgh can open up the offense without so much dedicated chip help. Chipping at a high rate limits route combinations and creates bad math for a passing game, pitting three receivers against seven in coverage.
4. Better Health
Even with Metcalf still suspended and Darnell Washington out, the Steelers are getting help in other ways. Mike Tomlin struck an optimistic tone during his Tuesday press conference, showing confidence or at least the belief that EDGE T.J. Watt, OG Isaac Seumalo, CB James Pierre, CB Brandin Echols, and WR Calvin Austin III could all play.
That doesn’t just boost the roster to a man, but the domino effect it has on the rest of the roster. Having Watt means Herbig plays fresher, something he could use after going quiet in recent weeks (not to mention battling a hamstring injury). It also means someone like Jeremiah Moon shouldn’t have to log any defensive snaps.
Echols’ return would allow Jalen Ramsey to resume playing full-time safety, instead of splitting time between slot corner and safety, a back-and-forth the team has admitted hasn’t been helpful. And Seumalo coming back would let Spencer Anderson focus full-time on being a tackle eligible instead of switching between there and left guard. Anderson is all the more valuable with Washington out, though Pittsburgh losing its “jumbo” package of the two next to each other is still massive.
It’s still unclear who among that group will play. Maybe expecting every player to return is unrealistic. But if half of that list can get cleared, especially if such a list includes Watt, the Steelers will feel a lot better about their chances.
