Despite a negative point differential, being outgained and having fewer plays run than their opponent in every single game this season, and only winning close, one-score contests, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-3 through nine games. They’re sandwiched into second place in a rough and tumble AFC North, the best division in football, and one that will certainly go down to the wire.
When the dust settles, former running back turned NFL analyst Maurice Jones-Drew is confident the Steelers will come out on top. He made the claim on NFL Gameday Sunday night.
“I’m here to tell the world and the people, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna win this division,” Jones-Drew said. “And this is why. In this division, you have to have a physical running game. You have to have a defense that gets turnovers.”
Right now, check both boxes for the Steelers. Their running game has emerged from a September and October slumber, rushing for 166 yards in a Week Nine win over the Tennessee Titans and 205 in Sunday’s victory against the Green Bay Packers. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are one of the league’s best 1-2 combos in the league and both have had success behind an offensive line finally opening up running lanes. Consistent must still be proven, especially against football’s stronger overall defenses, but it’s an encouraging sign that’s eerily similar to what the team did last year, finding its running game around November.
Defensively, there’s a lot wrong with this unit. But there’s no question they know how to take the football away. Their 18 takeaways is tied for the NFL’s best mark. Ditto with their +10 turnover, also tied for the league’s top figure, in part because their offense also takes good care of the football with their ultra-conservative streak.
Jones-Drew thinks Pittsburgh’s ability to win close and late gives them the edge over the other three teams jockeying for position.
“Pittsburgh wins these one-score games all the time. We talk about how they’re out gained and how all this all year. It doesn’t matter. They find a way to win in the fourth quarter. And those are the teams you don’t wanna play late in the year. Mike Tomlin and his staff have done a great job. They’re running the football really well. He’s showed great leadership.”
The Steelers only know how to win close games. All six of their victories this season have been by seven points or less, giving them a -26 point differential despite their wins doubling their losses. Of their last 15 victories, 13 of them have been by one possession. And throughout Mike Tomlin’s tenure, no team has a higher winning percentage in close games than the Pittsburgh Steelers, now 95-59-2, a .615 winning percentage. No other team over that span sits at even above 60 percent while only four other teams are at 55 percent or higher.
As things stand exiting Week Nine, the Baltimore Ravens still lead an ever-tightening division at 7-3, blowing a lead to the Cleveland Browns Sunday. The Browns are also right there at 6-3, though the Steelers hold tiebreaker thanks to their Week Two win. And the Cincinnati Bengals, while 5-4, still can’t be discounted thanks to their potent offense. They’ve also yet to play the Steelers this year, opening the door for them to get back into the mix.
“Hear me now, believe me later. The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to win the AFC North,” Jones-Drew reiterated.
Winning the North almost certainly means finishing the year at least 4-2 in the division. Right now, Pittsburgh is 2-0, requiring at least a split of their final four games. If they can do that and take care of business out of division, with favorable opponents like the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts on the docket, Jones-Drew’s prediction might come true. Perhaps it’ll be decided by Week 18, when the Steelers travel to Baltimore to finish out their season.
