Steelers compromise their chance to play postseason

Steelers, coming off a key win against the Ravens, are back in a tight spot heading into the end of the season

MINNEAPOLIS – After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ emotional one-point win over the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger considered a question.

Could such a victory be the stepping stone that Steelers needed to get offensive and defensive momentum in the last five games of the season?

“We’ll see,” he said on Sunday. “I’d like to think it would be helpful to say, ‘Okay, listen, this is what we can do, this is what we have to do,’ but you never really know until you get going.”

Thursday night, the Steelers They didn’t get going until late in the third quarter. By then it was too late.

The team that beat the leader of its division came out flat and could not with a deficit of 29 points, losing 36-28 against the Minnesota Vikings.

The momentum of their previous victory died on the vine, and the team’s playoff opportunities, which were already on life support, are now seriously compromised. With the loss, the Steelers’ chances of reaching the postseason dropped to 10% from 19%, according to the ESPN’s FPI.

With 23-0 at halftime, the coach Mike tomlin evaluated the performance of his team as a youth. The Steelers trailed 29 in the third quarter before slashing the lead to nine, only to allow a quick three-play drive capped by a 62-yard touchdown from Kirk Cousins ​​and KJ Osborn.

The Steelers scored once more after Ahkello Witherspoon’s second interception to cut the lead to eight, but did not finish the final drive of the game. After marching 84 yards down the field, Roethlisberger’s touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth got out of hand and time expired, dashing the Steelers’ hopes of a comeback.

The Steelers scored 28 points in the second half, equaling the second-most with Roethlisberger, but no team in the history of the NFL has won a regular season game after trailing by more than 28 points, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

Good Chase, bad Chase: receiver Chase Claypool is the Steelers’ physical representation of the 2021 season. The sophomore catcher’s first quarter was tough. He was penalized after retaliating against Bashaud Breeland, putting a finger on the cornerback’s helmet after he was pushed at the end of a play. Then he nearly lost the ball by stretching for extra yards on the second down, saved only because on review, he was ruled out on contact before the ball went out. Then he missed a block that led to Najee Harris being tackled in the backfield at third and short. He played sparingly in the third quarter, but was late and made a crucial 14-yard catch at third-9 to put the Steelers in the red zone. A few plays later, Harris found the end zone. Later, with 2:05 to go, Claypool dropped a ball for 38 yards to keep the Steelers’ comeback hopes alive.

Cook crazed: The Steel Curtain was more like gauze. The group, losing TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith during the game to a groin injury and a knee injury, respectively, allowed Cook to have a good night on his return from injury. The running back finished with 205 yards rushing, and in the past 25 seasons, the only team to rush for more than 250 yards against the Steelers is the 2020 Ravens (265), according to Next Gen Stats, but the Vikings were close with 242.

Quarterback Breakdown: Roethlisberger was sacked five times Thursday night, including four in the first half, the most in a first half since he was dropped five times by the Buccaneers in Week 4 of 2014. Roethlisberger finished 28 of 40 for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.