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Flavell's Five Thoughts: Pickett, Harris and the Steelers Not So Slim Playoff Chances

There's something about the Pittsburgh Steelers finding their way out of the worst situations.

Cody Flavell

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are alive heading into Week 18 of the NFL season. Imagine the looks you’d get after uttering that sentence when the Steelers sat at 2-6 heading into their bye week.

Well, a quick flip of that record in the second half has given the Steelers a fighting chance at a playoff spot heading into the final week of play in the 2022 regular season.

After what could still end up being a crippling loss to the Ravens a few weeks ago, the Steelers walked into Baltimore and took over their trap. This 16-13 win was the classic Steelers-Ravens AFC North matchup: a slugfest with minimal points scored.

Pittsburgh’s road to the playoffs is down to three things. First and foremost, the Steelers have to win next weekend or else nothing else matters. If they do beat Cleveland in the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium, they need the Bills to beat the Patriots and the Dolphins to lose to the Jets.

Buffalo is still in play for the top seed in the AFC so they’ll likely play most of their guys. The Dolphins could possibly be playing with a third-string quarterback as Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater are both injured, and their status are unknown.

There’s a lot to discuss. Let’s talk about it.

Kenny Clutch Comes Up Big Yet Again

Kenny Pickett spent his final season at Pitt carrying them to an ACC Championship. He’s spending his first season helping the Steelers claw tooth and nail to the final whistle of the season.

For the second straight week, with their season hanging in the balance, Pickett has led two-straight game-winning fourth quarter drives. On those two drives, Pickett is 12/15 for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

The script felt exactly the same this week. He made some of his best throws of the season but the passing game as a whole wasn’t quite that sharp. His 168 yards won’t pop off the scoresheet but it was some of the throws he made that really showed he can be a guy in the league.

The late throw to Sims on the final drove down the middle of the field that fit into a small window. His dot to Harris for the touchdown and the evasion he showed to get out of the sack. You can’t forget some of the throws away from his body he made that were right on the dot when he was scrambling.

Pickett showed his poise tonight and may have had his “I’m here” moment if the Steelers do in fact make the playoffs on the Hail Mary that they’ve survived for the last two weeks.

Just three more right outcomes to go. Give credit to Pickett.

For All His Shortcomings, Tomlin Deserves Praise Too

Mike Tomlin has spent years making questionable coordinator hires and lacks much awareness when it comes to clock management. Not even Tomlin’s staunchest defenders can argue that.

But there is absolutely something to be said for the fight this team continues to show when they face an uphill battle.

Tomlin likes to mention smiling in the face of adversity as a team. They’ve surely done that the past few weeks.

Tomlin has coached 256 football games for the Steelers. Only one time have they played a game that saw them completely eliminated from playoff contention and that came all the way back in 2012.

Never having a losing season to this point will make that a reality but it’s astonishing to put an actual number to it and let the statistics sink in. They’re always relevant even if they don’t make it. There’s something to be said for that.

Tomlin will have a chance to continue the non-losing season streak, something that seemed a mere formality to be broken just a few weeks ago. He has mentioned on multiple occasions that it means nothing to him because his main focus is winning a Super Bowl.

Trust me, it’s in the back of his mind. He’s a winning coach with a winning mentality and it’s a pretty cool feather to have in your cap.

Harris Put Up The Best Game of His Young Career

I wrote earlier this week about how Najee Harris’ season has been much better in the second half and how he was going to be a big factor in the Steelers winning this game.

Low-and-behold, the Steelers used him often in this one and he delivered.

Alongside Jaylen Warren, the duo racked up a combined 198 yards on a Ravens defense that hadn’t allowed that much all season long.

Harris contributed 111 of those yards and added 12 receiving yards to go alongside his game-winning touchdown catch. He ran with a purpose all night and showed up when the Steelers needed it most.

He even helped Pickett find the right hole on a 3rd and one on the final drive of the game as he picked him up and directed him to the correct hole to pick up the first.

Harris has plenty of talent and is finally using it with a more solidified offensive line in front of him. He alongside Pickett, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth have formed a pretty good young offensive nucleus for the Steelers.

Defense Slowed Down Ravens’ Rushing Attack

The Steelers weren’t going to allow themselves to get gashed in the run game like they did in the previous meeting between these two teams.

Sunday night, they allowed 120 rushing yards which is a very neutral number for the Ravens. Robert Spillane had eight tackles and did a solid job at the line ensuring JK Dobbins and Tyler Huntley weren’t going to wreak havoc on them.

They both had their fair share of big runs as Dobbins broke off a 22-yarder while Huntley’s tops was 10. But, despite those long runs, the Steelers didn’t continue to give them up routinely like they did a few weeks ago when Baltimore dropped 215 rushing yards on the Steelers’ head.

Minkah Fitzpatrick came up with the clutch interception to seal the game at the end. T.J. Watt had his most notable game since returning from his triceps injury. Even rookies Mark Robinson and DeMarvin Leal played important roles in the defensive domination Sunday, something that would be unheard of this late in the season just ten years ago in this organization.

Good for that unit. They need to be dominant again next week if they want their slight chances to come true.

Playoff Hopes No Longer Far Fetched

Kenny Pickett playing in meaningful games here at the end of the season is more important than any draft pick that was being discussed if the Steelers tanked. If you want a quarterback to grow, he needs to play in big games and none have been bigger than these two so far for Pickett.

Now, they’re on the cusp of the playoffs if some very possible outcomes occur.

The Steelers have something to play for in Week 18. It’s incredible after the journey they’ve been on this season. They started 1-3 after watching Mitch Trubisky pointlessly start the first four games. From there, the Pickett train left the station and it’s possible it may not look back for the next ten years.

He’s got the moxie to be Joe Burrow. He’s got the adlib play style of Ben Roethlisberger. Pickett has the stones of a franchise quarterback.

Even if the Steelers find themselves in another first-round matchup against an offensive buzzsaw like Buffalo or Kansas City, the experience would be huge for Pickett so that he can lean on that when the Steelers get back to true contention among the league’s best.

Tomlin, Pickett, Watt, Heyward, Fitzpatrick, and Co. have themselves a real shot next week. What more can you ask for in year one of the post-Roethlisberger era?

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Kenny Pickett's Game-Winning Drive Keeps Steelers Season Alive

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Cody Flavell
CODY FLAVELL

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