The Steelers picked up a 20-19 victory against Baltimore on Sunday at Heinz Field. Here are some questions to ponder for them and the rest of the NFL as we look ahead to Week 14, when the Steelers will travel to face NFC North foe Minnesota.
Does this running game believe in itself after that final drive?
The final numbers are not pretty. Twenty-five rushes, 85 yards and an average of 3.4 per carry. If you were only looking at the box score, you’d say this was another humdrum effort by Najee Harris and his patchwork offensive line. If you watched that final touchdown drive live, though, you saw a group of guys imposing their will on their biggest rival as a unit, allowing Harris and Benny Snell to pound for gains of 8, 13, 5 and 8 yards in moving the Ravens down the field. Yes, the passing game contributed, too. But the whole playbook was available to Matt Canada because you felt like his unit could push the Ravens back pretty much whenever it wanted to when the game was on the line. That is a dimension fans have craved and that this offense has lacked for a long time.
Now, does that mean we should expect 40 rushes at an average of 5 yards per tote next week? Probably not. But as they say in basketball, these guys have now seen the proverbial ball go through the hoop in a big moment. At the very least, they know they can make things happen situationally. And that’s not nothing for an offense that needs to find edges wherever it can.
How much is Diontae Johnson going to get paid?
The third-year veteran from Toledo caught eight passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. And he could have had a third had he not bobbled a perfect deep pass from Roethlisberger in the first half. Despite that, he’s now gone off for at least 80 yards in five of his past six games and is on pace for 1,250 yards.
Fans still haven’t really forgiven him for all of his drops last season, which costly the Steelers dearly down the stretch. Perhaps that’s why it feels like there’s not a whole lot of buzz around him. The production, however, is starting to speak for itself all while Johnson has made sure the drops have become far more sporadic. It’s beginning to become hard to imagine this offense without him, regardless of who’s throwing the passes. That’s good news for his cause with free agency looming after 2022.
Is Baltimore in trouble?
The Ravens are still in control of the division after Cincinnati faltered Sunday. (More on that in a minute.) They just don’t look like a confident bunch, though. Lamar Jackson, in particular, has looked pretty rough for going on two months now, failing to post a passer rating above 88.0 while throwing 10 picks with just eight touchdowns in his past six games.
And the pressure on him? It’s just out of control. The Steelers’ seven sacks Sunday brought Jackson’s total taken for the season to 30, eclipsing his career-high total of 29 last season with still five games left on the schedule. Any quarterback will struggle against that kind of heat.
No, Jackson isn’t the league’s most polished passer, but we know he can be better than this with time to make decisions. He’s not getting that right now, and as a result, the Ravens are making their MVP-caliber playmaker look very ordinary. Not a good sign.
Can the Bengals find consistency?
A week after dismantling the Steelers, Cincinnati was itself vivisected by Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. The final was a lopsided 41-22. Perhaps that’s just the effect the young star quarterback has on opposing defenses at this point. The Steelers sure know all too well how good he is when he’s locked in. Still, the larger trend of letdown moments after big wins is a problem that seems increasingly likely to derail this team’s division title hopes come January.
The Bengals will doubtless rue this loss at home; their 34-31 near miss against the lowly New York Jets after beating Baltimore; and their 20-17 defeat against the feckless Chicago Bears after a season-opening victory against Minnesota. Joe Burrow, in particular, needs to put forth more even-keel performances. His two picks Sunday pushed his season total to 14, putting him among the league leaders. Not the kind of numbers that are sustainable if this team is going to make a push.
Who will take control of the AFC East?
Before we completely bid adieu to Week 13, Buffalo and New England will clash Monday night with control of their division at stake. The Patriots are 8-4 and happy to be here behind the breakout of rookie quarterback Mac Jones. The Bills are 7-4 and underperforming preseason expectations, though they’re coming off a bye week and a thumping of New Orleans on Thanksgiving Day.
So it’s a bona fide showdown for primetime with a lot of implications for the conference’s playoff bracket. The winner will have some degree of certainty about nabbing a berth via a division title. The loser will be in the muck with the dozen or so teams still in the mix for a wild-card shot.
Adding to the importance for Baltimore? They’ll face the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the national window next Sunday.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: December 6, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
Updated: December 6, 2021, 2:18 p.m.
