Maybe this Pittsburgh Steelers squad is a team of destiny. Or maybe they are just delaying the inevitable. But either way, Pittsburgh found a way to come back and beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road Sunday night and keep their playoff hopes alive. There is a ton to unpack from this one but here are the big takeaways.
Pretty sure Kenny Pickett is the guy
As someone who was cautiously optimistic about rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, let me just say I am fully on the bandwagon. For two weeks in a row Pickett took care of the football, didn’t make any mistakes and when the team needed him, delivered a game-winning drive. His touchdown throw to Najee Harris was masterful and if a guy like Patrick Mahomes makes that play it is all over the highlights.
Running the football wins championships
If you can pound the football on the ground the way the Steelers did Sunday night, you can beat anyone. Harris rushed for 111 yards and Jaylen Warren was just behind with 76 more. The tandem averaged 5.5 yards per carry and racked up 34 carries. The steady improvement of the offensive line along with the growth by Harris has made this team dangerous late in the season.
The Steelers skill players have a major flaw
If I have one quibble about the Steelers cast of skill players, it is this. When it comes to separation and yards after catch, there is still plenty of room for growth. Contested catches look great on the highlights but when every catch is a 50/50 ball, the margin for error on Pickett is huge and the opportunity to run after the catch is negligible. Diontae Johnson is the best of the group but his yards after catch are still much lower than they should be.
Robert Spillane needs to get paid
If there is a player on this entire team who has earned a raise it is inside linebacker Robert Spillane. Spillane has said he doesn’t feel like the team respects him as a starter but he played every snap on Sunday night and was the best defender on the field for the Steelers. Spillane led the team with nine tackles and was around the football all game long.
The penalty that almost cost the Steelers the game
When games are close, even the smallest play can have huge consequences on the outcome of the game. The unnecessary roughness penalty on defensive tackle Cam Heyward was exactly one of those plays. The flag should have never been thrown and ended up costing the Steelers four points. The likely reason for the quick trigger on the flag was to try and keep the tension low between two teams that don’t like each other but it could have had disastrous consequences.
