Steelers Finally Overcome Inconsistency to Drop Falcons, Inch Closer to Playoffs

It seemed like a perfect setup for a Pittsburgh Steelers loss in Week 15: a road game against a five-win NFC South team, coming a week after a 42-21 domination of the Cincinnati Bengals. Playing down to their opponents has been an unfortunate hallmark of the Steelers this season, and it seemed possible it would happen again Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Instead, the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive as the AFC's fifth seed with a 27-20 win over the Falcons. Though not a flawless day of football for the Steelers, the much-needed win came at a good time. It's now possible, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly points out, that the Steelers could clinch a playoff berth in Week 16.

Both the offense and defense struggled, as they did in baffling losses to the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. But well-timed plays led the Steelers to points and to the win. 

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 27 of his 35 pass attempts for 360 yards. He had no touchdowns, but he also did not turn the football over and was sacked only once. 

Running back Le'Veon Bell was held to just 47 yards on his 22 carries. However, those rushes led to two touchdowns, the first Steelers back since Jerome Bettis in 2002 to have two back-to-back games with two rushing touchdowns.

Bell's contributions were not limited to just running the ball, either. He added five catches on seven targets for 72 yards, including a long of 44 yards. The performance resulted in Bell breaking the Steelers' single-season yards from scrimmage record, held previously by Barry Foster, who set it in 1992.

His good day was complemented by a stellar performance by Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who caught all 10 passes thrown his way for 123 yards. Yet again, there was no defender to stop him, especially for the Falcons, who ranked dead last in passing yards allowed per game.

Still, Pittsburgh's defense did keep the Falcons in the game. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan passed for 310 yards and two touchdowns. It gave up three plays of 40-plus yards—a 46-yard run by Falcons running back Steven Jackson, a 41-yard catch by receiver Harry Douglas and another 46-yard catch by Devin Hester. 

However, a William Gay pick-six of Ryan early in the second quarter helped the Steelers extend their lead at the time to 13 points. And a late Falcons three-and-out in the fourth quarter, combined with a Steelers drive that included a 25-yard completion to tight end Heath Miller, kept Atlanta from getting another chance to score.

Though not a convincing or pretty win, it was a win, which the Steelers needed. The Steelers now have nine wins, besting their 8-8 finishes from the previous two seasons. The playoffs, something the team looked like it'd have to claw its way to get to, now seem very much in Pittsburgh's grasp, with the AFC North and the AFC as a whole becoming less cramped.

And, almost as importantly, the Steelers were able to take care of an inferior opponent that, based on record alone, they should have beaten. This has been an ongoing issue for the Steelers, one that stretches beyond this season. It would have come as no surprise had they lost Sunday.

Seed	Team	Record
1.	New England Patriots*	11-3
2.	Denver Broncos	10-3
3.	Indianapolis Colts*	10-4
4.	Cincinnati Bengals	9-4-1
5.	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-5
6.	Baltimore Ravens	9-5

But instead, they took care of business as they should have. Things could be quite different for the Steelers if they had done the same against the Jets, Buccaneers and Saints. But for now, those losses are moot points, blips on a season that could be extended all the way to February.

Those losses haven't shrunk all the way to the point of insignificance, of course, but they sting a bit less with the postseason in Pittsburgh's grasp. 

No, it wasn't perfect football played by the Steelers on Sunday, but it doesn't have to be a perfect performance for it to be a winning one. The Steelers managed to make enough positive plays to make up for their poor ones. That's all it takes. 

The five-win Falcons were a hurdle the Steelers desperately needed to clear, and they did. Now, with two games to go, they have the AFC's fifth playoff seed in their grasp. Earlier losses matter much less with this victory Sunday.