Cam Heyward and company took care of business on Saturday. But because they were unable to take care of business in other games earlier this season, their playoff hopes rest in the hands of the AFC South and AFC East. Still, Pittsburgh finished the year on a three-game winning streak and playing its best football of the season. For Heyward, he believes the Football Gods will smile down upon that success and give the Steelers a chance to play at least one more game. If so, they’ll be a tough out for whoever they face.
“Finding ways to win. Let us be dangerous,” Heyward said via Steelers.com of his playoff aspirations. “We have a formula that’s working right now. Hopefully we can get some guys back in the fold. We’re not gonna discount ourselves. We know we got work to do. And looking forward to it.”
The Steelers have found their groove, running the ball to great success against the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens in the last three weeks. In today’s 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Najee Harris rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown, notching consecutive 100-yard games and going over 1,000 yards for the season. Largely, they’ve taken care of the ball and their turnovers against the Ravens were impacted by slick and rainy conditions. Defensively, they’ve stopped the run, prevented splash plays, and taken the ball away at a high rate.
Pittsburgh could make the playoffs one of three ways: a Indianapolis Colts-Houston Texans tie, a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars, or a loss by the Buffalo Bills. Per the NFL’s official website, the Steelers have a 65 percent chance of playing next weekend. Considering where this team was three weeks ago, 7-7 with questions about team culture and Mike Tomlin’s future, it’s a massive turnaround.
“In my mind, we’re going to have another one,” Heyward said of potentially playing in the playoffs. “Keep stacking.”
He spoke while wearing a “We Do Not Care” shirt, one of Tomlin’s go-to lines and one he repeated this week when asked if he thought about the Ravens sitting their starters.
Though the Steelers could be the sixth seed if the Jaguars and Bills lose, their most likely outcome is finishing as the seventh seed, capturing the AFC’s final spot. That would set them up to play the No. 2 seed next weekend. That will be the winner of Sunday’s game between the Miami Dolphins and Bills, meaning Pittsburgh would either travel to Buffalo or Miami. The Bills are one of the NFL’s hottest teams while the Dolphins have one of the league’s fastest offenses.
But Heyward would relish the chance to give it his best shot. In his long career, he has just one playoff win in which he appeared in the game, the 2015 Wild-Card win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Beyond that, he’s lost his six other opportunities, on IR during the Steelers’ 2016 run to the AFC title game. Now 34 with perhaps only one more season left in the NFL, this could be one of his final shots to make a playoff run. By tomorrow night, he’ll know if he gets that opportunity.
