Pittsburgh Steelers stop the bleeding at the perfect time
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 15 playing lackluster football and in danger of falling apart completely, but they pulled it together at this juncture.
Though the Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 15 still atop the AFC North, their position was becoming increasingly precarious. Not only had the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns been catching fire in recent weeks, but the Steelers appeared ice cold. Coming into a matchup against the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh had dropped three-straight to the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders.
That put their record at 7-5-1 entering Sunday’s late-afternoon clash and, with the Browns winning on Saturday and Ravens winning in an early game, the Steelers losing to their long-time nemesis in the Patriots would’ve taken the division lead from them and put Cleveland just one game behind them. Put simply, the situation was dire for the Steelers, and it looked worse with James Conner sidelined again.
At the exact time when they needed to, however, the Steelers turned it around, particularly on defense. While they still allowed the Patriots to average 5.1 yards per carry as a team and allowed Brady to throw for 279 yards on the day, they bended and never broke. After allowing a Brady touchdown pass to Chris Hogan in the first quarter, Pittsburgh kept New England out of the end zone for the rest of the game.
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That, of course, included the most critical play of the game when Joe Haden picked off Brady midway through the fourth quarter as the Patriots had the ball in the red zone. After that, the Steelers drove down for a field goal and seven-point lead before coming up with another massive defensive stand as the Pats turned the ball over on downs to effectively end the game.
In the absence of Conner, Steelers rookie running back/tight end Jaylen Samuels came up huge for his team, moving the chains constantly on the ground with 19 carries for 142 yards. And, while Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t perfect as he threw two interceptions on the day, his first-half touchdown throws to Vance McDonald and Antonio Brown were the difference on the scoreboard.
The Steelers are by no means out of the woods after beating New England in Week 15. They go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints in Week 16 before finishing off the regular season at Heinz Field against the Bengals. What’s more, the Ravens remain just a half-game back in the standings and could catch Pittsburgh and claim the AFC North for themselves.
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Even so, righting the ship and ending a three-game skid is critical for the position of the Steelers entering this final two-game stretch. They aren’t playing catch-up in the divisional race, but instead remain in control of their own destiny. While the losing streak against the AFC West still causes lingering concerns, they are in a much better position than they otherwise would have been.