The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business in Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, and are poised to make one final playoff push next weekend.
The most ‘Mike Tomlin’ thing in the world happened on New Year’s day. The Pittsburgh Steelers marched into Baltimore in a must-win game with the season on the line and delivered a victory. Of course, they got by with a little help from their friends.
Leading up to Sunday Night Football, Pittsburgh held their breath as they needed the Dolphins to lose to the Patriots and the Seahawks to beat the Jets. As luck would have it, the stars aligned in Week 17, and their win over the Ravens was the icing on the cake.
Tomlin’s team still can’t control their own destiny and they will rely on outside help once again in Week 18, but the signs are encouraging. Here’s the latest Steelers news you need to know.
Steelers news
Despite a thoroughly impressive running game that recorded 198 yards on the ground, per ESPN stats, things were looking grim on Sunday Night Football. Entering the fourth quarter, the Steelers trailed 13-6 and couldn’t seem to put the ball in the endzone. However, Pittsburgh mustered up a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter – including an 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive from Kenny Pickett.
A loss in this game would have officially eliminated the Steelers from playoff contention. Instead, this team has clawed back to 8-8 after a dismal 2-6 start to the season. This is about as well as anyone could have expected them to play since the bye week.
More Steelers news
The good news is that the Pittsburgh Steelers win in Week 17 might not have been meaningless. Many expected this team to be out of the running before the game even kicked off in Baltimore. However, the results in the AFC fell in their favor.
Prior to the first slate of games on New Year’s day, Pittsburgh had just a 3 percent chance of making the playoffs, via FiveThirtyEight. However, that number skyrocketed to a 15 percent chance following their comeback win on Sunday Night Football.
Now just three things must happen in Week 18 in order to make the playoffs: The Steelers must beat the Browns, the Bills must beat the Patriots, and the Jets must beat the Dolphins. If all goes as planned, we could be gearing up for a post-season game from a team catching fire at the right time.