In the wake of the Steelers’ 23-19 victory over the Green Bay Packers, there have seemingly been more questions about “sustainability” than at an environmental conservancy conference.
Yes, the Steelers have been outgained in every single one of their first nine games this year. Yes, they are one of just 23 NFL teams in the last 90 seasons to “accomplish” this “feat,” and the only one of those 23 to have a winning record despite that fact.
If we’re going to continue our environmental analogy, it’s like the giant, Texas-sized floating trash pile in the Pacific Ocean had an all-inclusive resort built atop it.
But if the resort has beachside drink service, who are we to say no?
The Steelers are 6-3 and just a half-game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North lead. If the season ended today, they’d be the 5th seed in the AFC Playoffs.
I find myself not far off from where I was around this time of year in 2020.
No, not masked up and buying stock in toilet paper and COVID tests, yinz smart asses.
I’m arguing with myself, my friends, my family, and other Steelers fans about just how good our favorite team is. And yes, how much longer they can keep this up – or how “sustainable” it is.
There’s no reason to whistle past the graveyard and ignore the Steelers’ flaws, of which there are many:
-Their second-year quarterback, who they spent a 1st round pick on, is regressing.
-Their dynamic, playmaking virtuoso of a wide receiver is becoming more and more disengaged with the game every week -to the point of forgetting to drag a foot and throwing an Insta-tantrum 10 days ago- and compiling just 6 catches on 14 targets combined in the last three weeks.
-Their defense has been tasked with coming up with at least one enormous play per game, and is now down to its 3rd and 4th inside linebackers with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander out for the year.
-That same defense, that’s been coming up with key turnovers week-after-week, is still 28th in Total Yards
Again, it’s eerily reminiscent of 2020 when the Steelers were rattling off win-after-win with an offense that rarely, if ever, threw the ball downfield behind Ben Roethlisberger’s balky wing. It took an outbreak in the Ravens facility, a thrice-delayed game, and a stolen bye week for it to come to a head, but it finally did as the Steelers stumbled down the stretch and melted down in an empty Heinz Field against the Browns.
However, reasons for optimism exist:
-Broderick Jones should earn an endorsement deal with PennDOT or City of Pittsburgh DPW, because he is an absolute road-grader. Behind Jones starting at right tackle, the Steelers went from barely averaging 80 rushing yards/game through the first seven games to 371 yards on the ground in two weeks. That’s a near-record rushing output for the Tomlin era.
-Joey Porter, Jr. continues to lock down one side of the field, and with some help from Patrick Peterson, is assisting his safeties in surviving the absence of Minkah Fitzpatrick.
-Turnovers and Sacks are not aberrations. They are born of the skill sets of the best tandem of edge rushers in the NFL right now. As long as T.J. Watt continues having a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season and Alex Highsmith continues to be the most unsung pass rusher in the league, you can expect quarterbacks to be pressured in to mistakes and/or to hit the ground with the ball in their hands.
Whether you like how they’ve gotten there or not, the Steelers are 6-3, and given their schedule in the last eight weeks, would have to go winless in their last four division games and/or blow home games to Arizona and New England to miss the playoffs.
With an effective run game and the most opportunistic defense in the league, the question isn’t whether it’s sustainable or not. The question whether is how deep in to the playoffs it will remain sustainable.