The Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC North champions for the first time since 2017.
The Pittsburgh Steelers scored a whopping 21 unanswered points in the second half of their Week 16 matchup against the Colts. What started off looking like another horrible performance by the offense turned into one of the better comebacks of the season. For Pittsburgh, who is a predominantly defensively built team, to be down 24-7 against a legitimate playoff threat and come out on top at any point in the game is a good sign. The Steelers absolutely have the talent and the roster to take out any team that they face in the playoffs or the Super Bowl.
Yet, the Steelers have to be more consistent and sound throughout all 4 quarters of their games. They have the facilities in all 3 facets of the game to match up well with every team in the league. Their success will rely heavily on some people stepping up in the playoffs. I have come up with 3 members of the Steelers’ New Year’s resolutions to ensure success in the playoffs.
The first New Year’s resolution should be by Ben Roethlisberger.
His resolution should be to not hold anything back. He has found himself in a bit of a box in terms of playcalling and scheming throughout the latter parts of the season. Yet, Ben showed in the game against the Colts that he can still throw it deep. It is something he hadn’t done very successfully throughout the year, but this could be his best chance at retiring with a Super Bowl ring.
He has to come out guns blazing in the postseason. I want to see 2-3 deep balls a quarter from him as I expect defenses to be hesitant to cover deep until they are forced to. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but the time of possession battle will be key to keeping their elite defense fresh while thin on depth. This offense can still run the ball and throw the ball short. However, this will not happen until Ben stretches the defense and it only takes a big play or two before a lot of defenses will fall back. It only took a quarter against the Colts before they started playing off and keeping their other safety back. This team can be very explosive but it relies on Ben’s willingness to take more smart chances.
Another big part of not holding anything back is allowing Chase Claypool more opportunities downfield. He is faster than most defensive backs in the league, and he is bigger than virtually any cornerback he could face in the postseason. He should be running a deep post or some variation of a fade route on almost every play the Steelers are throwing down the field. Even if he drops a ball or two, it will lead to a lot of pass interference calls, and big plays. Just the threat of Mapletron downfield could be enough to open up the underneath for Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron, JuJu, and Conner respectively.