5 Keys for a Pittsburgh Steelers Late-Season Playoff Push

I’m not sure if there has ever been a time when the AFC North has been so competitive this late in a season. The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a tie for second in the division with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens and five games left to play.

For as well as the Steelers have played in some aspects, there are certainly some players and positions that will need to tighten up for the upcoming stretch run. The margin of error for the Steelers is razor thin. Just doing what got them here is not going to secure a playoff spot for the Steelers.

Here are five keys for the Steelers as they enter the late-season push.

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.

Keep Le'Veon Bell Healthy

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It has become very clear that the Steelers have a budding star in running back Le’Veon Bell. The second-year man is currently second in the league in rushing yards and third in the league in total yards. Bell has been averaging right at 22.9 touches per game as of now.

However, in a win last week against the Tennessee Titans, Bell had 33 carries and pitched in two more touches on receptions. There’s no way I want Bell getting 30-plus touches per game down the stretch. As it stands now, Bell is going to approach 368 touches on the season.

What do they do? Well, it is now time to see if either of the rookie running backs on this roster is ready to step up. Kent State product Dri Archer has been used very little in the team’s first 11 games, so what he is capable of remains an unknown. Fellow rookie Josh Harris is even more of an unknown as he’s been sitting on the practice squad.

Whether it is from these young backs, or mixing in more short passing, the Steelers need to scheme the offense in such a way that it can be productive while keeping Bell’s touches fewer than 30 per game.

Fire Up the Pass Rush

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Over the past six games, the Steelers have been very up and down when it comes to the pass rush. Here’s the breakdown of their sacks over this stretch:

• Tennessee Titans: 0 sacks
• New York Jets: 4 sacks
• Baltimore Ravens: 4 sacks
• Indianapolis Colts: 2 sacks
• Houston Texans: 1 sack
• Cleveland Browns: 1 sack

Looking ahead at the final five games, you can bet that teams are going to come out and attack the Steelers secondary (more on that in a moment), so consistency from the pass rush is a must.

The hope is that linebackers Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones will be able to return from injury and energize a lackluster attack. Teresa Varley of the official Steelers site tweeted out Monday that both were back at practice.

The absence of these players has forced Pittsburgh to really scale back the creativity when it comes to pressures, and that is putting undue pressure on an already maligned secondary. As much as veterans James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Jason Worilds have tried to do, this team needs an injection of youth and athleticism in a hurry.

Clean Up the Secondary

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For all the problems with this team, the play of the defensive backs has to rank among the worst. In a nutshell, this was a pretty middling group going into the season, and injuries have only made it worse.

As with the linebackers, they have gotten rattled around pretty hard, but as Varley reported, things are looking up. In her tweet from the previous slide, safeties Shamarko Thomas and Troy Polamalu, along with cornerback Ike Taylor, are on the mend and eyeing a return against the New Orleans Saints.

If Taylor can return in a nickel type of role, and Polamalu can send safety Will Allen to the bench, this defense will be made better in a hurry. Polamalu will allow safety Mike Mitchell to slide back to the deep safety where he can do the least amount of damage, and Taylor has the size and veteran swagger to hang with some of the big wide receivers—and especially tight ends—this team is going to see.

The real mystery is about cornerback Cortez Allen. According to his game logs on NFL.com, Allen hasn’t seen the field in the past three games. Yet there’s been nothing to indicate that he has been injured and could not play.

So, is the cornerback who signed that five-year, $26 million extension at the start of the season really benched? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. You mix that in with the sloppy play of the cornerbacks on the field and it is a recipe for disaster.

If this team wants to make the playoffs, and go deep into them, can they do it with the trio of William Gay, Brice McCain and Antwon Blake? That’s not a group I can rally around. However, you sprinkle in a healthy Taylor and a motivated Allen, and things feel much more secure.

Release the Rookies

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No, I don’t mean to release them from the team. I mean to cut these young players loose and let them make some plays. On offense, that means Archer and Harris, along with wide receiver Martavis Bryant, need to be getting much longer looks. Bryant in particular has been a very pleasant surprise since being activated in Week 6.

Bryant may only have 16 catches in five games; it is the fact that he is averaging 20.1 yards per catch and has six receiving touchdowns that is impressive.

He and Archer could be a dynamic tandem for this team with Archer’s ability to operate in space and Bryant’s ability to get deep. However, for whatever reason, offensive coordinator Todd Haley hasn’t found the right fit for Archer in the offense.

On defense, the return of the rookie Shazier would be huge. However, don’t rule out the impact that defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Daniel McCullers could have. In going back and reviewing the film, Tuitt and McCullers have flashed tremendous skills and absolutely deserve more reps.

Play with Focus

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Of the Steelers' remaining five games, two of them will be against the 7-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals. These two games will be huge because the Bengals are getting better, and these division wins are worth their weight in gold. Pittsburgh also has a crucial showdown with the 7-4 Kansas City Chiefs.

The other two remaining games are against the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, who are each 4-7 right now. Now, logic would tell you the Steelers will have the hardest time against the Bengals and Chiefs and should beat the Falcons and Saints handily.

Unfortunately, what Pittsburgh has done this year with regularity is play down to bad opponents and get up for the tougher ones. This bodes well if Pittsburgh makes the playoffs, but in the regular season, it is infinitely frustrating to see the Steelers come out flat against teams they should be able to beat with ease.

Why is this happening? It is difficult to say for sure, but when a team beats the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, it shouldn’t lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets. The Steelers coaching staff needs to get this team in check and be sure that psychologically they are prepared to play hard every week.