Four Winners and Three Losers From Steelers Victory in Baltimore
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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Ravens took major contributions from familiar faces and unlikely heroes.
The youth movement has pushed the Pittsburgh Steelers into serious playoff contention.
A game-winning drive engineered by the rookie quarterback has extended the Steelers’ season another week and while Kenny Pickett and another young star will take home much of the glory their clutch plays were set up by some unsung heroes proving they are better than the reputation which proceeds them.
Winners
Kenny Pickett
The moment was not too big for the rookie quarterback. On Sunday Night Football, facing the franchise’s most hated rival and with not just a game but a season on the line, Pickett played his best football after muddling through a so-so first 57 minutes of football. Seven times this season have the Steelers trailed by double-digits and seven times they had lost, but not this time.
For the second straight week, Pickett was the catalyst behind clutch moments that kept his team in a playoff race and when shouldered with the weight of a storied franchise, his moxie has become his greatest strength. Pickett completed seven of 12 passes for 100 yards, a touchdown and a 113.2 passer rating in the fourth quarter – including a 6-7 mark for 64 yards and a scoring pass on the final drive, which put the Steelers ahead with 1:02 left in the game and completed the team’s first double-digit comeback of the season.
Najee Harris
While Pickett stole the show in the fourth quarter, Harris kept the offense afloat for the entire game and was just as essential to the execution of that final drive. He rushed 22 times for a season-high 111 yards and averaged five yards per carry for the third time this season. When not much else was going right for the Steeler offense, Harris was a steadying force.
Beyond what he did on the ground, Harris was a solid pass protector and caught the game-winning touchdown pass, which came during a scramble drill that was evidence of the chemistry the young offense is building with one another. Harris also played a big part in setting up that decisive score when he came from behind to direct Pickett to the open hole during a sneak play third and one. That heady play won’t show up in the box score but the exciting ending doesn’t happen without it.
James Daniels
It wouldn’t be fair to talk about Harris’ great day without acknowledging the work of the offensive line in front of him. He enjoyed running behind the middle of his line – mainly center Mason Cole and Daniels on the right side. Over the second half of the season, they’ve been essential to the resurgence of a vintage Steelers rushing attack.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said the biggest compliment the offensive line could receive is that members of the media have stopped asking about them during press conferences. Their work goes under-reported when Harris is credited with all the yards and touchdowns
Robert Spillane
Spillane has been getting better and better as the season rolled on. With some better play has come more snaps and responsibility and he has made the most of those opportunities.
He finished the evening as Pittsburgh’s leading tackler but Spillane’s brightest moment came in the second quarter. Before Cam Heyward committed the costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave the Ravens new life right before halftime and ultimately resulted in a touchdown, Spillane had made two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
The Steelers got some rarely-seen splash from the typical reserve player Spillane and that will open up more snaps for him for however long the season lasts. These are important games for Spillane, upon whom a major part of the team’s offseason roster management decisions hinge.
Losers
Devin Bush
To borrow a Tomlinism – “One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity,” and Bush’s misfortune became Spillane’s opportunity.
Bush has been progressively losing snaps to former reserves in the second half of the year and in the biggest game of the season to date, he spent a lot of time on the sideline while Robert Spillane and Mark Robinson took up the bulk of the time on the field.
Given his contract situation and already precarious standing with the Steelers entering this season, Bush’s long-term future with the organization seems almost non-existent because he’s running out of chances to prove he’s worth bringing back next season and there’s little on his resume to lean on.
Chukwuma Okorafor
For as good as the offensive line was as a whole against the Ravens, Okorafor struggled to block on both pass and run plays. At times, Baltimore’s rushers – who are admittedly some of the best in all of football – looked entirely too fast for Okorafor, who could barely get hands on them before his quarterback was already under duress.
The rough nature of AFC North football makes Okorafor’s job much more important and with the season coming down to one final intradivisional game against Cleveland’s Jadaveon Clowney and Myles Garrett, the Steelers will need a better afternoon out of Okorafor.
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