HOUSTON – They accomplished all but one of their preseason goals and now the Steelers find themselves back on the front porch of another Super Bowl with two doors to go through.
Whether they land there or not will not be determined for at least another month and another possible showdown in Foxborough, Mass., but they put themselves in the best position to do so.
By clinching a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs with their laughably easy 34-6 victory over the outmanned Houston Texans (4-11) on Christmas, the Steelers (12-3) bypassed having to play in the first round and go straight to the Jan. 13-14 second round. Win that and they will find themselves in the AFC championship game for the second straight season.
It’s a sight better than what they had to go through last season to reach it by playing Miami, then at Kansas City before they headed to the Super Bowl elimination game in New England.
“Each year we got closer and closer and we didn’t finish it off,’’ said tackle Marcus Gilbert, one of two veteran starters who returned to play against Houston after serving time off. “I think we have the guys to get us back to that point. Last year we didn’t. We had injuries across the board. That was unfortunate, but this year I think we have the guys to make that run.
“I’m excited what this team has to bring.”
It’s been seven years since the reached a Super Bowl, nine years since they won it. It’s been so long now that with the release of James Harrison Saturday, Ben Roethlisberger and William Gay are the only ones left with Super Bowl rings.
“It’s been awhile, it’d be nice to get back there,’’ Roethlisberger said. “There’s a lot of guys on this team who deserve to have an opportunity to play in that game. But it’s not going to be handed to us, it’s not going to be given. We have a long way to go.”
Some of them still had the bad taste of losing the way they did to New England eight days earlier, 27-24, on the controversial call that overturned their touchdown with 28 seconds left. They turned that anger into performance on Monday.
“It was tough to overcome the emotions of last week and get back to it,’’ guard David DeCastro said. “But this team is vry good at doing that, of just kind of putting it behind us and being professional.”
Home playoff games is what they preached since last spring and they did that. They could still get the No. 1 seed but that would take a loss by the Patriots at home to the New York Jets combined with a victory in Heinz over the Browns. Otherwise, as long as New England and the Steelers win their first playoff games at home, the rematch will take place in Foxborough.
“I don’t care, just another shot at them or whoever we play,’’ Gilbert said. “I don’t want to discredit anybody else. As long as we take care of business, with that one [playoff] win we’ll be in the AFC championship game and in good position.”
They found themselves in many good spots at NRG Stadium on Christmas and used the Texans like a punching bag.
Both Houston quarterbacks at one point or another headed into concussion protocol with T.J. Yates passing the tests to return.
The Steelers sacked him and backup Taylor Heinicke seven times. Cornerback Mike Hilton had three and Cam Heyward two. Heyward forced a fumble on one and cornerback Artie Burns intercepted a Yates pass in the end zone.
Yates complete just 7 of 16 passes for 83 yards and the Texans had just 51 net passing yards, although Alfred Blue did rush for 108 yards on just 16 carries against the Steelers.
Roethlisberger spread the ball to six different receivers with Antonio Brown out. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught six for 75 yards, one for an 18-yard touchdown. Justin Hunter caught just one, but it was a 5-yard touchdown.
Le’Veon Bell ran for a 10-yard touchdown and Roosevelt Nix his first NFL rushing TD, for one yard.
Up and down, it was a Christmas Day roast.
“A great Christmas present,’’ said Smith-Schuster, the 21-year-old rookie who spent his life and college career in sunny southern California. “The reason I say that for me, I have no family in Pittsburgh. There’s no better way than to spend Christmas with my teammates and coaches.”
It’s all winter weather for him and that group the rest of the way as long as they keep winning – they play at Heinz Field on New Year’s Eve, Heinz Field again in the playoffs, then Heinz Field or New England in the AFC championship.
And the Super Bowl is in Minneapolis.
First Published: December 26, 2017, 10:47 a.m.
