The late great NFL Films narrator John Facenda said of the 1979 Steelers, “Great teams aren’t always great, they are just great when they need to be.”
It was in the script for NFL Films’ Super Bowl XIV highlights video, and it was in reference to the fact that the aging Steelers dynasty hadn’t played a great game against the upstart Rams but won the game anyway. They won the game because when it came down to money time in the fourth quarter, the Steelers reached down and found enough magic to win the game and clinch their fourth Super Bowl.
There is obviously a lot of time between now and the Steelers winning the Super Bowl, but I couldn’t help but think of that episode Sunday when I watched the Steelers beat the Cowboys, 24-19.
It was about as ugly of a game as one could imagine. The Steelers stunk on defense for much of the game. They were terrible on offense for a lot of the game, as well. They did make up for it, though, by stinking on special teams, too.
And yet, they won the game. Yes, the Cowboys — especially the version the Steelers faced — are an atrocious team and were destined to find a way to lose. Yes, they were playing with their — oh, I don’t know — fifth-string quarterback? That certainly helped.
There are many fans and pundits complaining about the Steelers’ performance. They did get to 8-0, but had they played a team with any kind of competence, they surely would have lost. I get it. It was ugly and it was a much closer game than it should have been, and Steelers fans have high expectations.
I didn’t see it that way, though. In fact, I saw it the exact opposite way. This win was more impressive than last week when they beat the Ravens or the week before when they beat the Titans. The Steelers played really well for parts of those games and were clearly up and motivated to play.
What this game proved to me is that the Steelers are indeed a great team. They weren’t great for most of the game. They made mistake after mistake and at times looked awful. They didn’t play well by just about any measure, and that is especially true considering the competition.
But they won. And they won because, well, to paraphrase that Facenda quote, they were great when they needed to be great in the fourth quarter.
Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt were great when they teamed up on a sack when they absolutely needed to get a stop. Chris Boswell was great at the end of the first half when they absolutely needed a spark and he kicked a 59-yard field goal. Ben Roethlisberger was great when he directed two late touchdown drives to give the Steelers the win.
Yes, it was a terrible performance in a lot of ways, but to quote former Jets coach Herm Edwards, “You play to the win the game.” That’s all that matters. Have one more point than the other team at the end. That is all that counts. The Steelers are 8-0 now and in a few weeks nobody will say, “But they didn’t play well against the Cowboys.”
It is easy for teams to rise up and win games against the best teams on their schedule. It is easy for teams to get ready to play and be focused when the stakes are really high.
This Steelers season is shaping up to be something special, though, and not just because they beat the Ravens and Titans and are halfway to an undefeated season.
They have plugged in players at key spots and still won. They have played really awful for a half, or even three quarters, and have won. They have won games with their ability to pass the ball. They have won games with their ability to run the ball. They have won games with their defense.
And yes, on Sunday they won a game even though they played really poorly for most of it. The word elite is often thrown around way too much and it should be reserved for teams that accomplish something — like winning a Super Bowl — but the fact is the Steelers are proving they are a great team.
The next two weeks will provide the Steelers with a little more of a test. They face the Bengals and then Jacksonville, two bad teams who are a combined 3-12. They are more competent than the Cowboys, though, and are more than capable of beating the Steelers.
They will clearly have to play better to win those games. But the Steelers once again proved that they are capable of winning games when they don’t have their best day. That is the mark of a great team, and so far this season, they are proving that’s exactly what they are.
First Published: November 9, 2020, 1:00 p.m.
