Former NFL QB and current analyst Alex Smith is a big fan of how the Pittsburgh Steelers have looked over their past two games. On SiriusXM Blitz on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Smith said that he thinks the Steelers are talented enough to win a playoff game if they can make it to the postseason.
“I think if they get in, they’re a scary football team. They make me real scary. This is an elite defense with two game-wreckers on the defensive line, the way they’re running the football right now with these two backs and the offensive line, and again Mason Rudolph. They got two receivers who can win one-on-one on the outside. Listen, if he connects on a few deep balls and this defense plays decent, it’s not that hard to imagine them winning a playoff game,” Smith said.
Smith said he thinks the Steelers can hang with anybody and that Rudolph’s play has made the Steelers “a bona fide team.” Pittsburgh still needs help to make the playoffs this weekend, but after scoring 30 or more points in each of their last two games, there’s no doubt that the Steelers are playing their best football at the most important time in the season. Rudolph has taken the offense to another level, and the offensive line is coming off a really strong performance that helped Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combine for 202 yards on the ground in Week 17.
While Pittsburgh’s defense is banged up, guys like Myles Jack and Eric Rowe have stepped up and played well over the last two weeks. They should be getting healthier this week with the potential returns of Elandon Roberts and Minkah Fitzpatrick, and both additions are major boosts to Pittsburgh’s defense. As Smith said, this is a team that has game-wreckers on defense, with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward and Fitzpatrick all capable of changing the tide of a game with just one play.
A few weeks ago, it seemed unfathomable that the Steelers would be a potential threat if they somehow managed to make the playoffs. That’s changed over the last two weeks, and the possibility of Pittsburgh winning its first playoff game since 2016 feels as likely as it has since the beginning of the season.
The focus first is and should be on the Baltimore Ravens, who despite starting Tyler Huntley at quarterback and likely other backups are still a talented opponent. It’ll be a hard-fought battle, and hopefully the Steelers can end up on top and then get some help to make the postseason.
