Four Winners, Two Losers From Steelers Victory Over Raiders
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their season alive with an immaculate comeback on the 50th anniversary of the franchise's greatest reception. And on the night they honored the late Franco Harris, they carried heavy hearts toward a victory in an Acrisure Stadium tundra.
With near zero-degree temperatures, the Steelers used all of the game to mount their comeback and secure their win. With the victory came good and bad, and a number of winners and losers in the locker room.
Winners
Najee Harris
Those early-season critiques of Najee Harris are well behind us. The Steelers running back has entered his true form late in the season and has put this offense on his back once again in a victory.
Harris finished the night with 16 rushes for 53 yards and six catches for 42 yards but put more effort into those yards than anyone on the field. On the final drive of the game, he literally bullied his way through nearly the entire Raiders defense to help put the Steelers in scoring position.
On top of another highlight hurdle, Harris was the star of the show in Pittsburgh. A fitting narrative on the night they honored Franco.
Offensive Line
Even if the running game didn't have the success the team wanted, the Steelers offensive line held their own against a very strong Raiders defensive front.
The group allowed no sacks and kept Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones quiet the entire game. And even if Kenny Pickett made some mistakes in moving out of the pocket too soon, the big men up front made sure there was always time to throw the football.
There are worries about this unit with each game, but they continue to prove how far they've come since last season.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
How much longer do we have to debate on whether or not Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best safety in the NFL? The All-Pro came up with an interception that basically saved the game - for the second time - and then nearly had a sack that also saved the game.
The defense was clicking, but Fitzpatrick was one of two players on a whole other level. The other one was Cam Heyward.
Cam Heyward
Heyward always goes 110 miles per hour on the field but it doesn't always lead to results. In this one, the captain made every snap count and gave Raiders' rookie guard Dylan Parham a run for his money.
Heyward finished the night with seven tackles and two sacks, and his energy felt like the driving force of the defense. Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt found the quarterback and the secondary came up with three interceptions.
It was as beautiful of a defensive game as you could ask for, which is only fitting that Fitzpatrick and Heyward were the biggest stars of the performance.
"He played his [explicit] tonight," linebacker T.J. Watt said. "He does every week, and that's what's crazy. He was in the backfield every single play and I'm super happy for him because I know what he puts into this."
Losers
Kenny Pickett
There aren't really losers in a game like this one, but Kenny Pickett's performance was less than admirable before the final drive. Whether it was the cold or the week off because of a concussion, the rookie looked rattled for the majority of the game, and the offense struggled because of it.
His first interception since the bye week was ugly, but there were plenty of times when he only scanned one or two receivers and left the pocket well before he needed to.
Overall, it just felt like a rattled performance from the rookie. His game-winning drive eliminates all of that, but if you're judging overall performance, this one wasn't a good one for Pickett.
Chris Boswell
Kicking in sub-zero weather is not the easiest thing in the world, but you can't walk away as a winner when you go 2-4 on field goals.
Boswell and Mike Tomlin should be to blame for his performance. Boswell needs to hit field goals no matter the conditions and Tomlin needs to understand that it's extremely difficult to kick 52 yards accurately when the ball is a brick.
Big loss for the kicking game, and the coaching staff.
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