Mike Tomlin keeps his streak alive, Steelers remain in playoff hunt with win over Seahawks
We'll have at least one more year of hearing about Mike Tomlin's streak.
For the 17th straight season, Tomlin will not have a losing record. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-23 on Sunday to move to 9-7, and more importantly than clinching another non-losing season for Tomlin, the victory kept Pittsburgh alive in the AFC wild-card race. The Steelers will need to win and get some help next week to earn a wild-card spot, but they'll be in the race going into the season finale. For the Seahawks, the loss dropped them back to .500 and marked a blow in their playoff hunt.
A two-game winning streak for the Steelers coincided with the team finally turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. The Steelers stuck with Rudolph despite Kenny Pickett being healthy enough to be listed as questionable on the injury report, which usually means a player will suit up. But Pickett was inactive, Rudolph started, and the Steelers kept their season alive with a big win.
The Steelers were in a lot of trouble when they had a three-game losing streak in December. But a Tomlin-coached team wasn't going to fade away that easily.
Steelers pound Seattle in run game
The Steelers — who looked like they were ready to call it a season a couple of weeks ago, with a listless loss to the Indianapolis Colts — looked like a much different team in the first half Sunday. They rushed for 145 yards in the half. The Fox broadcast said that was the most for Pittsburgh since a 2006 game against Kansas City. Their leading rushers that day were Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport.
Jaylen Warren got the scoring started on Sunday with an 18-yard touchdown run, and the Steelers led for most of the game after that. Najee Harris scored a couple of touchdowns, and the Steelers led 24-17 into the third quarter.
The game was still in the balance when the defense made a huge play. With seven minutes left and the Steelers leading 27-20, Geno Smith was strip-sacked by Nick Herbig. Pittsburgh recovered at the 16-yard line. The Steelers got only a field goal out of the ensuing drive, but a 10-point lead was significant at that point in the game.
Seahawks take a step back
For the Seahawks, a loss didn't eliminate them from the playoff race, but it didn't help their chances. They moved back to 8-8 with the result, which is fitting for what has been a mediocre season.
The defense let down in a big spot against an offense that has struggled most of the season. The offense wasn't bad, but there weren't a lot of game-changing explosive plays, either. The Steelers also crushed Seattle in time of possession.
The Seahawks tried to rally late. A drive deep into Steelers territory didn't result in a touchdown, and Seattle settled for a field goal just before the two-minute warning. The Seahawks tried an onside kick trailing 27-20, but Pittsburgh recovered. A reception to Pickens for a first down and a Harris run for another first down ended the game.
The Steelers still need a lot to go right to make the playoffs. But they're alive, and it looked like there was no chance of that happening a couple of weeks ago.
