Steelers lock in model to finish season strong
Nothing much went right for the Steelers in the first month of the season. Six turnovers sabotaged their effort in Cleveland. The next week, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shredded the defense with six touchdown passes. After a narrow threepoint victory in Tampa Bay, neither unit played well in a Week 4 home loss to the Ravens.
Needless to say, one victory in the first four games is no way to build a playoff resume.
Finishing strong is, and the Steelers have done that as well as any team in recent years.
The Steelers returned to practice Monday after their off week, which has become a turning point for them in previous seasons under coach Mike Tomlin. They are 69-33 after their off week under Tomlin, including a remarkable 22-6 record since the 2014 season.
“Coach Tomlin likes to fool guys and start off a little bit slower at the beginning of the season and then attack them at the end. He runs the team like that,” offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey deadpanned Monday after practice, the first workout after Tomlin gave them a four-day weekend.
The Steelers won the AFC North Division in three of the past four seasons, and they stormed back after slow starts in each. In 2014, the Steelers started 3-3 before winning eight of their final 10 to win the division, including four of their final five after the off week.
In 2016, the Steelers were 4-5 after nine games before winning seven of their final nine after the off week. Last season, they were 3-2 after five games before winning 10 of their final 11, including seven of eight after the off week.
The Steelers did not win the division in 2015, but they used another strong second half to secure a wild-card berth. They were 4-2 down the stretch after the off week and finished the season with 10 victories.
“I just feel like, for whatever reasons, we don’t warm up to it,” safety Sean Davis said. “But once we get back after the bye week, we come back ready to work. It’s like the second start of a season again. We’re looking forward to that hot jump again. There’s really no secret to it. We just put the work in, try to jump on opponents.”
Oddly, the Steelers are just 1-4 in their first game back after off weeks the past five seasons. And the one victory in that span came last season when Chris Boswell kicked a winning field goal in the final seconds against a bad Colts team on the road.
Perhaps with that in mind, Tomlin gathered his players after practice Monday and had a simple message for them as they begin preparations for an AFC North game against the Browns Sunday at Heinz Field.
“Coach Tomlin gave a great speech after practice,” Pouncey said. “He said you have to come in and be ready to go, work your butt off and lock all the way in. You can’t ease into things.”
The Steelers will be looking to exact some revenge on the Browns, who overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn a tie in the opener. After the Browns, the Steelers get the Baltimore Ravens, the final division game for the Steelers until Cincinnati visits Heinz Field for the regular-season finale in late December.
In between, the Steelers have some of their most difficult games. They’ll play the Carolina Panthers (4-2), Los Angeles Chargers (5-2), New England Patriots (5-2) and New Orleans Saints (5-1). The Patriots and Saints lead their respective divisions, and the Panthers and Chargers are just one game out in their division. They also face tough road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who beat the Steelers twice last season; the Broncos, who have won four of five against the Steelers in Denver; and the Oakland Raiders, who have beaten the Steelers in three consecutive on their home field.
That’s a daunting schedule and makes another second-half surge more difficult. The Steelers know it, too.
“We’re all fighting for one thing — that Lombardi [Trophy],” Davis said. “All 32 teams are fighting for it. We know we can’t just say that. We have to build. We have to stack the wins. That’s how we get there. We really can’t look too far forward. We know we have to get the job done week in and week out. That’s how we’re going to get there.”