Playoffs the Reward for Pittsburgh Steelers’ Unanticipated Transformation
They’re no longer who they were, individually and collectively. But there’s still work to be done if they want to become the team they intended to be all along.
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the game’s postponement to Monday)
They’ve become a different team, as confirmed by what we’ve heard as well as what we’ve seen.
They’ve come so far, so fast it’s been challenging to keep track.
So the Steelers have that going for them heading into Monday’s playoff showdown in Buffalo.
The September Steelers likely wouldn’t have had a prayer.
The October or November Steelers probably wouldn’t have, either.
But since late December there’s been a transformation, and that makes what’s about to take place against the Bills more intriguing than just about anyone could have hoped not all that long ago.
Remember Nov. 19 in Cleveland?
That’s when the Steelers lost to a rookie quarterback who was so uninspiring the Browns eventually felt compelled to drag Joe Flacco out of retirement.
Running back Najee Harris was disconsolate even though the Steelers still had a 6-4 record following the 13-10 setback.
“You could look at our record and say, ‘OK, we’re still good right now,’’’ Harris fumed. “Or, you could look at the record and be like, ‘If we keep playing this type of football, how long is that (expletive) going to last?’ Winning like how we did, it’s not going to get us nowhere.
“Is it fixable? Yeah. Are we going to fix it? (Expletive).”
It remains uncertain whether Harris was referencing the offensive coordinator, the play at quarterback or some other aspect of the operation Harris clearly expected the Steelers to continue to tolerate that most needed to be fixed.
But two days later Matt Canada was fired.
And eventually, third-string QB Mason Rudolph replaced backup Mitch Trubisky, who had been filling in for injured starter Kenny Pickett.
And now Harris thinks the way the Steelers have been winning lately is absolutely, positively sustainable.
“We just gotta find a way to keep this going,” he insisted last Saturday, after the Steelers had closed the regular season with a third straight victory, this one a 17-10 triumph over the Ravens in Baltimore. “We gotta just keep carrying on this feeling and we can do damage.”
Remember Dec. 16 in Indianapolis?
That’s when wide receiver George Pickens refused to block for running back Jaylen Warren on a goal line run because, “I didn’t want to get an injury.
“When you stay on a block too long you can get ran up on very easily,” Pickens added.
Pickens has been the exact opposite of the selfish, petulant malcontent he was in Indy ever since, catching long touchdown passes, blocking and even accepting not getting a pass thrown his way in Baltimore because of the way he was being defended by the Ravens without a hint of discontent.
“I told him I was very proud of the way he handled that,” Rudolph reported. “I thought it was a very mature, team-first attitude. He was not whining or asking for the ball. He knew schematically they were trying to take him away. He blocked hard all day and he was excited for his teammates.
“That was awesome to see.”
That’s what Harris and Pickens have become, that’s the type of team the Steelers have become, heading to Buffalo.
But they still have something to answer for individually and collectively.
Remember OTAs in June?
That’s when outside linebacker T.J. Watt was asked about the Steelers not having won a playoff game since the 2016 postseason.
“Being here, what, six years now and not having a playoff win? I mean, it’s not acceptable in any way,” Watt acknowledged. “We’ve been in ‘the drought,’ if you want to call it that. I mean, we’re playing football in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We’re supposed to be winning football games late in the season, in January and in February, and that hasn’t been the case since I’ve been here.”
There isn’t anything Watt can do about that on Sunday in Buffalo because he’ll miss what would have been his fourth career playoff game with a knee injury.
But his teammates can.
“We’re all excited to get out there and win for T.J.,” backup outside linebacker Markus Golden maintained.
Do that, and these Steelers will truly have made it all the way back.
