The Steelers aren’t going to have a perfect season in 2020, but they are still in good shape as the playoffs approach.
After a 23-17 loss to the Washington Football Team on Monday afternoon, the Steelers perfect record is no more. There are a lot of reasons this happened. Injuries continued to be a problem on defense, as Robert Spillane, filling in for an injured Devin Bush, was injured himself. Joe Haden temporarily went down as well – further depleting a secondary already missing Steven Nelson.
Missed coverages were an issue on defense, as was confusing play calling on offense. Throwing the ball down the sideline to Anthony McFarland (who is, as a reminder, a backup running back) on fourth-and-one made sense to me watching in real-time because I’m willing to accept anything when times are desperate. In retrospect, however, that call lost all of its sheen.
Steelers playoff picture still looks bright
Then there were the simple facts that the offense could not push the ball in from six inches out and the receiving corps had a chronic case of the drops. But all good things have to come to an end, and, besides, the Black and Gold are still atop the AFC playoff picture.
Not much has changed on the AFC side of things. The Chiefs are still number 2, followed by the Bills, Titans, Browns, Dolphins, and Colts in that order. The Las Vegas Raiders are the first team on the outside looking in, helped by the Hail Mary that got Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams fired. Maybe you’re thinking that’s a bit harsh. We all make mistakes, don’t we? As Bill Nye would say, consider the following:
The Jets made an unprecedented play call to end their game vs the Raiders
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 6, 2020
There were 252 pass plays meeting this criteria the last 15 seasons:
•Final 15 seconds
•Down 4-8 points
•40+ yards to the end zone
They were the 1st defense to send 6+ pass rushers in ^ situation pic.twitter.com/mrk61E46ET
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The Ravens improved to 7-5 off their 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and they are still in the hunt with the second spot. They’re not out of it yet, and Cleveland is still showing signs of life, meaning the Steelers have not yet clinched a playoff spot despite being 11-1. The only clinched spot to date belongs to Kansas City.
The main story in the NFC is the topsy-turvy West division, where the Seahawks’ loss to the Giants this past weekend vaulted the Los Angeles Rams into first place.
Hey, Sean McVay, how’s it feel? Oh, it means absolutely nothing? Cool, understandable, it’s a tight race, lots of work to do.
And a tight race it is. Los Angeles and Seattle are both 8-4 with the Rams having the tiebreaker on head-to-head. The 6-6 Cardinals and even the 5-7 49ers are not far behind.
The Steelers head to Buffalo this Sunday to take on the AFC East-leading Bills in a game with large playoff implications. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 on NBC. With a win in Week 14, Pittsburgh’s playoff picture will look even brighter.