The Steelers got help from an old friend to get into the playoffs.
Now they want to see if the momentum they gained from a three-game winning streak to end the regular season can be carried into the postseason.
When the Tennessee Titans upset the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-20 on Sunday, it allowed the Steelers to gain one of the three wild card playoff spots in the AFC — the third time in the last four years the Steelers qualified for the postseason.
The Steelers ultimately earned the No. 7 and will face the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. Sunday at Buffalo. The Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night to clinch the AFC East and the No. 2 seed.
It was all made possible after the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 on Saturday to finish the regular season with a 10-7 record and set up two different scenarios for them to make the postseason.
The first came true when the Titans beat the Jaguars, which also allowed the Houston Texans to win the AFC South title. But it wasn’t the first time the Titans franchise came to the aid of the Steelers.
In 1977, back when the Titans were the Houston Oilers, the Steelers sneaked into the playoffs when the Oilers upset the Cincinnati Bengals 21-16 on the final weekend. The Steelers players were so appreciative they took up a collection and bought leather briefcases for every Oilers player and coach.
Maybe they will do something similar for the Titans.
The Steelers have never not made the playoffs in a season they finished with at least 10 victories. But they will be trying to end a dubious streak in which they have not won a playoff game in six years — the longest drought they’ve endured since they first made the playoffs in 1972.
“I wish that we could take back some games that we lost and could, you know, have a better record,” running back Najee Harris said. “But to hit 10 wins is good for the team.”
The Steelers are not only upbeat about getting into the postseason; they are buoyed about their chances after winning their final three games with a resurgent running game and the play of quarterback Mason Rudolph.
The Steelers have rushed for 357 yards the past two games, thanks largely to Harris, who has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing performance for the first time in his three-year career. Harris has rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns during the team’s three-game winning streak.
In three games since becoming the starter, Rudolph has completed 53 of 71 passes (74.6%) for 716 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 120.39. His three touchdowns were for 66, 71 and 86 yards. He has not thrown an interception.
Rudolph made the decisive play on a cold, miserable day in Baltimore, connecting with receiver Diontae Johnson for a 71-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to break a 7-7 tie.
“You know, every week he handles it,” defensive end and captain Cam Heyward said. “He handles his composure very well. If you look at that game, you were just looking for a spark on that 3rd-and-4 (play), he finds it right to Diontae for the touchdown. You need that from the quarterback position. We’ll rally around any quarterback, but Mason’s played really well as of late.”
The Steelers, though, will go into the postseason without outside linebacker and team MVP T.J. Watt, who sustained a Grade 2 sprain of the MCL against the Ravens, team sources told the Post-Gazette. He is expected to be out a couple weeks.
Before he was injured, Watt had two sacks against the Ravens to push his league-leading total to 19 and become only the second player in NFL history to have at least 19 sacks in two of his first seven seasons. His brother, J.J., was the other.
“I think we’ll be a scary team if we get in,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said after the victory in Baltimore.
They are, and the Titans made it all possible.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
First Published: January 7, 2024, 9:00 p.m.
Updated: January 8, 2024, 11:48 a.m.
