Inside linebacker Elandon Roberts of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17–10 on Saturday, was drenched in mud and standing in the visitors’ locker room at M&T Bank Stadium.
In order to prevent the aggravation of his pectoral injury, his left arm was secured to his chest. Despite being unable to raise his arm, he was in a good mood after the Steelers won three straight games to maintain their postseason aspirations. They had fulfilled their portion. They would have to wait for assistance now.
A reporter began, “What gives you confidence you guys can be a tough out if…”
“Man, please don’t say if,” Roberts snapped. “We don’t talk like that.”
“Alright, once you qualify for the playoffs,” the reporter corrected.
With a smile, Roberts remarked, “There you go.”
The faith Roberts demonstrated ultimately paid off. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28–20 on Sunday afternoon. By doing this, the Steelers were guaranteed a postseason berth while the Jaguars were eliminated. Following the Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins game on Sunday night, the Steelers will be certain of the exact location and time of their postseason debut.
The Steelers would be the No. 7 seed and would play at No. 2 Buffalo the following week if the Bills defeated the Dolphins. The Steelers would visit No. 3 Kansas City as the No. 6 seed if the Dolphins prevail. (If the Bills and Dolphins were to tie, No. 7 Pittsburgh would face No. 2 Miami.)
However, Roberts never responded to the query. Thoughts on the Steelers’ status as contenders? Let’s examine the causes of optimism and, on the other hand, the causes of scepticism.
Motives for hope
The run game is now fully functional.
The Steelers intended to rely primarily on the running game going into this season in order to relieve some of the strain on Kenny Pickett’s right arm. In the second part of the season, the running game is finally living up to its hype after a slow start.
With Jaylen Warren still having an effect every time he touches the ball and Najee Harris playing some of the finest football of his NFL career, the Steelers have a solid one-two punch. For the first time in his career, Harris is coming off consecutive 100-yard games, and he will undoubtedly be the workhorse into the playoffs.
With a three-game losing run under their belt, the Steelers appeared hopeless when head coach Mike Tomlin benched Mason Rudolph in Week 16’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Rudolph, who was once a third-string backup, has been the driving force behind a three-game winning run. Despite Pickett and Mitch Trubisky dominating the show, the Steelers hadn’t scored 30 points or more during the whole season. The Steelers continued to ride with Rudolph as they produced more than that total in each of his first two starts—34 against the Bengals and 30 against the Seattle Seahawks.
