Steelers still have a path to the 2019 playoffs, but the window is very narrow — with little room for error



... and Mike Tomlin must demonstrate his worth


While many fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers may have given up on the 2019 season, they really have a little room for optimism.

However, the Steelers will need some big wins and some consistency, something that Mike Tomlin’s team has been missing over the past few years. They are good at racking up wins over weak teams, but not against the powers — the Patriots win last year being one exception.

And they have been generally woeful in the playoffs since their last Super Bowl appearance with essentially players from the Bill Cowher era.

Hope is still present

Nevertheless, I do believe that the Steelers have a path to the playoffs this year, with little room for error. Remember that the four losses that they have are to teams that have a collective record of 22-4 right now, and three of those games were winnable.

Here is that path.

First, they must win next week’s game against the winless Dolphins on Monday Night. [What a horrible Monday night schedule with the Dolphins on it vs. a 2-4 team.]

That will raise their record to 3-4 and I believe that they have to be at least 9-7 to earn a wild card berth. That would leave them with nine games, and they would have to win six of them — at least.

That is doable. After the Dolphins, they have games against the Colts and Rams at home, which is possible. The Rams are struggling right now at 4-3, but the Colts (4-2) are presently in the first place in the AFC South. Their QB has done well in relief of Andrew Luck, and their defense and OL are looking good.

I think that the Steelers need to win at least one of them to make them 4-5. Winning both and giving them four consecutive wins could give them a route to the AFC North title -- but I am not that optimistic.

That leaves two games against the Browns, one against the Bengals, and then the finale against the Ravens in the AFC North. They need one win over the Browns and one over the Bengals, neither of which will probably be easy.

They also have a home game against the Bills, one on the road with the Jets, and one on the road with the Cardinals. These all looked easier at the start of the season, but all are winnable.

Wins over those three and wins over the Browns and Bengals could give them nine wins, not including the Ravens, which is also a possibility.

Ravens have a tough schedule

While the Ravens win over the Seahawks yesterday was impressive, raising their record to 5-2 going into their bye week, the Steelers could be just two games behind them with a win over the Dolphins.

In addition, the Ravens must face two of those current undefeated teams, the Patriots and 49ers, along with the Bills and Rams, in coming weeks. The Rams are the enigmatic team here for both the Ravens and Steelers.

What I am saying is that the Steelers could enter the final game of the season at Baltimore with a chance to win the AFC North [I have re-posted my story from this summer in which I predicted that the Ravens would win the AFC North — when everyone was predicting the Browns.]

And, if certain things happen, the Steelers would have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

Keys to success
1. Stay healthy.

2. Mason Rudolph must demonstrate that he is the QB of the future for the Steelers.

3. The offensive line must prove that it can block for the run and that losing Mike Munchak was not the death knell for the offense.

4. Mike Tomlin must realize that despite winning 64 percent of the games in his tenure, he is despised by a group of owners who now have more votes than Art Rooney II and could possibly can him and Rooney.

5. The improving defense must become more consistent, and young players like Devin Bush have to continue to develop.






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