As we do every week to get you ready for the upcoming game, our X-factor of the week. Sometimes, it’s a player, unit, concept, or scheme. Here’s our X-factor for Thursday night’s game against the New England Patriots.
X-FACTOR: Mike Tomlin
One man to look at in this game. The one at the top. There’s plenty of other fine and clear choices to include here, starting with QB Mitch Trubisky, who will have to walk the line between making plays downfield while also protecting the football. It can be a tough one to walk.
But I’m going with Tomlin. Short week, coming off a bad loss, and this is must-win for the Steelers. And I mean that literally. They can’t lose this game. They can’t drop to 7-6, fall to back-to-back 2-10 clubs, and sit at home this weekend while the AFC likely bumps them out of a playoff spot. Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, they’re not going to sit around and let the Steelers stumble backwards into the playoffs. Not this year.
Pittsburgh still feels like a fragile team. The locker room doesn’t seem to be in great shape. Frustration is natural after a loss, but players have just felt one moment away from this whole thing falling apart. A loss at home to New England given what took place last week might be the final straw.
On a short week, there’s really not a lot of practicing that can be done. Pittsburgh held a walkthrough Tuesday with Wednesday being its only full and true practice. It comes down to which team has a good plan and has simple execution. Cleans up the mistakes, makes the splash play, wins the final two minutes of the half and final five of the game. To his credit, Tomlin hasn’t lost back-to-back games this year. His teams have rallied coming off defeat. It’s gotta happen again. He has to tap into this team to right itself and, for once, play a complete game. They haven’t all season.
Lose to the Patriots and it’s going to be a long and messy nine days. From there, they won’t play a team that currently has a losing record. The Colts are 7-5, the Bengals and Seahawks 6-6, and the Ravens are 9-3 and sitting in clear control of the AFC North. Sure, they might have the division locked up come Week 18 but could also be playing for the one seed. Coupled with a chance to bounce the Steelers, they could keep playing their starters.
If the Steelers can’t win this game, they don’t deserve the playoffs. They don’t deserve to keep playing football into January. And they’ll deserve every bit of criticism that comes their way. That creates pressure and the tendency for teams to press and panic. The Steelers can read the room, they know the position they’re in. Tomlin can’t let those cracks break the team. He has to steady this shaky ship and come out with a victory. Ideally, a convincing one but at this point, a win by any means will be enough.
