Flavell's Five Thoughts: So You're Saying Steelers Have a Chance?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are closer than ever to the postseason.

Another win against a fairly mediocre team kept the Pittsburgh Steelers’ ever-so-slim playoff hopes alive. This time, Pittsburgh braved the cold to take the sails out of the Raiders’ season with a 13-10 victory at Acrisure Stadium.

It was an ugly game that seemed to be dominated by the cold weather that encompassed the entire country this past weekend.

With the Steelers hanging onto their playoff lives by a thread, there’s still important things to discuss. Let’s do that, shall we?

Pickett’s Final Drive Save Ugly Game

The Steelers’ offense as a whole has been a mess for ¾ of the NFL season. They’ve had some moments, but it seems that the running game truly dictates how much success the Steelers can have in the passing game.

This was one of the coldest games on record in Steelers’ history so that surely had an effect. But Pickett had his worst game since the bye week despite putting up his fourth-highest passing yards output of the year.

Many of Pickett’s throws were forced into coverage and really should not have been made. He got away with just one interception which was his first since the bye week. The carefulness he had been displaying in the last six weeks or so was thrown out the window in this one.

As a rookie quarterback, taking a step back to take steps forward is certainly going to be the case but this was an ugly game on Pickett’s part.

He did, however, carve up the Raiders' defense on the final drive and found George Pickens on that touchdown throw to win it for Pittsburgh. That was at least encouraging to see.

Forget the slim playoff chances, the Steelers will certainly want to see two solid games before the end of the regular season to truly feel good about Pickett heading into next season.

Heyward Leading Defensive Resurgence

The $120 million defense that the Steelers boast has been suspect at times this season. They were expected to be a top unit in the league and while that’s been the case for some games, it hasn’t shown up enough.

Saturday night, they stood up.

Cameron Heyward led that charge with two sacks and a handful of crucial quarterback pressures. Derek Carr has proven to be a panicky quarterback so getting to Carr played a huge part in getting the win.

Heyward ended up with four tackles which was second on the team only to Robert Spillane who racked up seven.

Even at 33, Heyward continues to be a force to be reckoned with as a pass rusher. With T.J. Watt likely playing at less than 100% and his performance slipping ever so slightly, Heyward has done a good job stepping up and being the guy to fill that production.

Derek Carr Made Life Easy for Secondary

There are plenty of people out there who still like to defend Derek Carr and, after watching that game Saturday, that blows my mind.

Carr went a very inefficient 16/30 for 174 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. That’s right, with their season on the line, Carr imploded for what feels like the umpteenth time.

Carr has the luxury of an elite running game with a solid offensive line and Josh Jacobs in his backfield. Carr has a top-five tight end in Darren Waller and a top-five wide receiver in Devante Adams. There is no excuse for Carr’s lack of ability to win games for the Raiders without classifying it as a ‘him’ problem.

His three interceptions were all rather ugly and fittingly were topped off with the pretty catch by Cam Sutton on the final Raiders drive of the game that sealed the victory.

It’s not many times that I include a thought about the other team in these but Carr was that bad. He’s also getting paid entirely too much money to be leading a Raiders team to a 6-9 record.

Kenny Pickett is having an up-and-down rookie season and I almost tend to trust him more than Derek Carr. Yikes.

Boswell’s Rare Off-Day Nearly Cost Steelers

On 95% of nights, Chris Boswell nails all field goals. Saturday night, however, he provided a small scare for Steelers fans.

Boswell converted on only two of his four field goals. It’s tough to kick at Acrisure Stadium without the wind and the cold, so, with both elements, it makes it even tougher.

Certainly, I’m not blaming Boswell. The elements had a sure effect on him. Just seeing him miss multiple kicks in a game is rare.

He did, however, make two of his kicks and three points ended up being the difference in the score.

It’s been a trying season for Boswell as he’s missed a lot of time this year with a groin injury. Having him back is good for peace of mind knowing most field goals will end up on the board, especially with an offense that stalls anytime they get in or around the red zone.

Chalk this one up as the outlier.

So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

Boy, oh boy. I keep playing that Baltimore game back in my head and getting sick at the thought of the Steelers getting gashed in the fourth quarter with Anthony Brown Jr. playing quarterback.

If the Steelers grab that win, they’re currently sitting at 8-7 and within legitimate reach of a playoff spot. Right now, they sit 7-8 with two games remaining and in need of wins over Baltimore and Cleveland in their final two games to even have a shot to cash their 4% probability.

Both games are winnable. There’s no denying that. Both games are AFC North games, something that the Steelers should have no problem getting up for.

They need some help from the Miami Dolphins’ opponents over the final two games to make it in. Week 18 could at least have meaning if the Steelers win on Sunday.

The game for Sunday has been flexed into Sunday Night Football. The league obviously sees it as a rather big game and, truthfully, there weren’t many other choices to flex into that slot.

Keeping their playoff hopes alive should be top priority for the Steelers at this point. Take care of what you can take care of and the rest will take care of itself.

I look forward to meeting here again next week.

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