Somehow, some way, the Pittsburgh Steelers are headed into their bye in Week Six sitting atop the AFC North standings after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 on Sunday. As with any AFC North matchup, nothing came easy. However, players like CB Joey Porter Jr. stepped up and made big plays when they needed to happen, like his fourth-quarter end-zone interception.
When co-hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms broke down Pittsburgh’s win on Monday’s episode of PFT Live, Florio said that he believes this was the best way for the Steelers to enter their bye week.
“They’ve got two weeks now to go into the lab,” Florio said. “This is the perfect way for them to go into their bye. They can try to refocus because it’s still ugly. The ‘Fire Canada’ chants were loud, the offense was not good. They still found a way to win. They made a play when they needed to make a play.”
Fans might insist that this isn’t the perfect way because the offense has struggled so much. As Florio said, “it’s still ugly.” However, there are good reasons why this is the ideal situation for the team when comparing how things were going into Sunday versus after the final whistle.
The first reason? The Steelers won and are now officially in control of their destiny, so to speak, for the rest of the season. After all the issues the team has faced through the previous four weeks, including blowout losses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans, the Steelers can simply go about trying to handle their own business each and every game without worrying about what anyone else is doing. They lead the division and are a perfect 2-0 in the AFC North.
Secondly, it’s perfect for the exact reason fans are so frustrated. There are plenty of coaching points to emphasize while also having the most amount of time to focus on them that you will find once the season kicks off. There’s no false hope with the Steelers. They didn’t blow a divisional rival out of the water with a miraculous 300-plus-yard passing day by QB Kenny Pickett. There’s also actual hope thanks to the team’s record.
The offense needs to make some serious adjustments, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada has the largest amount of time that he will have until the end of the season. He needs to figure out how to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers, namely WR George Pickens and RB Jaylen Warren. Warren had 79 total yards on 12 total touches against the Ravens while Pickens had one carry for 16 yards and six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. There are pieces on this offense that can make plays.
The defense has its own issues that need to be figured out. The Ravens had five dropped passes after the wide receivers entered Sunday with no credited drops through four weeks. Even two or three of those drops turning into catches could have flipped the entire game. So the defense needs to step it up and not leave it up to the opposing players to drop passes.
Beyond that, Baltimore had other miscues that helped keep the Steelers in the game despite only scoring three points on offense through three quarters. There was QB Lamar Jackson’s interception to Porter in the end zone when a touchdown could have iced the game for the visitors. There were two fumbles lost. There was the blocked punt for a safety early in the fourth quarter.
Yet when the Steelers needed plays to be made, players made them. Porter had to catch the interception, something Baltimore offensive players struggled with. Someone had to block the punt. Pickett had to call for a protection shift at the line of scrimmage and throw the deep ball for Pickens. Pickens had to beat CB Marlon Humphrey in one-on-one coverage and catch the ball before walking into the end zone.
So yes, there are plenty of issues that still need to be handled before Week Seven at the Los Angeles Rams on both sides of the ball. However, they’ve got the extra time to put in work in the film room, in the offices, and on the practice field to address the issues. Maybe there will be personnel changes like Porter being inserted into the starting lineup. He earned a 91.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus after logging the majority of his snaps in the second half.
The best part of all of this ugliness, frustration, and overall mess through five weeks? The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the AFC North. That means they aren’t looking to just scrape together another non-losing season. They can truly look at the rest of the season and look to win the division.
You can watch the entirety of Florio and Simms’ discussion on PFT Live below.
