The performance in the last two weeks for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been rather abysmal as they were blown out in back to back games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, falling to 10-5 on the season and many questions about the team growing louder and louder.
With the loss to the Ravens, the Steelers fell into a tie with Baltimore in the AFC North, meaning Pittsburgh now needs to win out against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals to win the division and have a home playoff game. Lose one of those games, coupled with the Ravens winning out against the Texans and Browns, and Baltimore will win the AFC North and the Steelers will hit the road for the first round of the AFC playoffs.
Things don’t look all that great at the moment, but former NFL linebacker and ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi still believes in the Steelers. Not only does he see the Steelers still winning the AFC North, he believes the Steelers are the team to beat the Chiefs. So, too, does former Steelers’ head coach and CBS analyst Bill Cowher.
Appearing on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, Bruschi made the case for the Steelers on a day in which many are jumping off the Steelers’ bandwagon.
“I don’t want to get too down on ’em, alright Greeny [Mike Greenberg] because of what they did last night. I think they can win the division. The Chiefs game will be tough. I think this is the team to beat the Chiefs,” Bruschi said of the Steelers, according to video via ESPN on Twitter. “Russell [Wilson] can’t do what he did. This team has to play perfect. They gotta play close to the vest here. And you definitely can’t have…those are huge point swings in terms of fumbling inside the five, and a pick-six. Take away those, this is a different game and I know those are two big things to take away, but they can put together a good performance of complimentary football with that defense helping, and those special teams.
“You think the Chiefs game’s gonna be close? I think so. Do they have finishers on the defensive line as pass rushes for the Pittsburgh Steelers? Absolutely. That’s what’ll beat ’em.”
While Bruschi makes a great case that taking away the two killer Wilson turnovers and it’s a different game, you can’t just take those away. They happened, and they crushed the Steelers.
Of course, if you can clean that up, the Steelers weren’t entirely outplayed in that game. Yes, they struggled to stop the run, but a pick-6 and a fumble inside the 5-yard line kept points off the board for the Steelers and gave the Ravens points. Maybe that game is different.
And maybe, on a short week, they can beat the Chiefs. They have the pass rush to get after Patrick Mahomes, and if guys like George Pickens, DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson can return on Christmas Day, maybe that is the boost the Steelers need in the end.
Health, for Cowher, is the biggest thing for the Steelers, because they have the pieces and the play-style to win in the playoffs.
“If Pittsburgh gets George Pickens back healthy, and T.J. Watt can get healthy for the playoffs, they’re a team that can run the ball and play defense and those two things travel,” Cowher said of the Steelers, according to video via NFL on CBS.
Without Pickens, the Steelers’ offense has struggled. Though Calvin Austin III has done his best to provide that explosive-play element, there is no real replacing Pickens. Getting him back at full health will be pivotal, as will getting T.J. Watt up to full health, too, late in the season.
A fully healthy defense can be game-changing for the Steelers in the playoffs, and with the presence of Pickens on the outside offensively, it could help open things back up in the run game, too, which could help the Steelers win in the postseason when it gets colder and games get tighter.
Right now, things look bad, but two longtime NFL guys are still believers in the Black and Gold. That’s at least encouraging.
