STEELERS SEIZE MOMENT, BOLSTER PLAYOFF ODDS
Furious comeback sinks Broncos, leaves Pittsburgh in control of postseason fate
They were the 12 minutes that saved the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season.
At halftime against the Denver Broncos, facing a 14-point deficit, Pittsburgh looked like it was on the verge of stumbling on its path to a playoff berth.
Whatever happened inside the locker room walls changed the course of the Steelers’ season.
The Steelers (9-5) erased a 17point deficit to claw out a 34-27 victory against the Broncos (10-4) and strengthen their bid for one of two AFC wild-card berths. It took a furious comeback, a key turnover and a game-winning touchdown grab, but the Steelers can seal a playoff berth with two more wins.
So what exactly was said at halftime?
“They tried to get something out of me, too,” safety Will Allen told cornerback William Gay in the locker room after the game.
Allen was referencing reporters, who were among the many who wanted to know what magic had taken place that inspired the turnaround.
“We didn’t really do anything differently,” Gay said. “We just executed.”
Linebacker Ryan Shazier picked off Broncos quarterback
Brock Osweiler late in the fourth quarter, giving Pittsburgh excellent field position with the score tied. The Steelers needed only three plays before receiver Antonio Brown streaked down the field for a 23-yard touchdown catch that gave the Steelers the 34-27 lead they never relinquished.
It was a far cry from what had happened 30 minutes earlier.
In the first half, the Steelers made Osweiler look like a healthy Peyton Manning, the quarterback he is trying to supplant as a fulltime starter.
Osweiler became the third player in Broncos history to have at least three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in a game, joining Manning and John Elway. Osweiler needed only two quarters to do it. He finished the first half 14-for-18 for 214 yards and three touchdowns and added a score on a 7-yard scramble.
The Steelers went into their locker room. And when they emerged, things were different.
“I think we just settled down,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “In the first half, we were playing with our heads cut off. We got a turnover to start the game, and then they got rolling. But we bounced back. We started executing. We played with a lot of energy, and guys just kept battling.”
Pittsburgh’s cornerbacks gave Denver’s receivers a lot of cushion on the outside in the first two quarters. But the Steelers played tighter in the second half, and the Broncos offense didn’t know how to answer. The Broncos converted all eight of their third-down tries in the first half. In the second, they made one of nine.
Though the Steelers escaped with a needed victory, the downside is that teams might have a clear idea of how to challenge them.
Pittsburgh entered Sunday ranked 31st in the NFL with 279 passing yards per game allowed. Sunday re-established that the team’s pass defense is a weakness.
Yet the Steelers control their own destiny — they have moved into the sixth spot in the AFC ahead of the New York Jets on a tiebreaker.
Making matters better for Pittsburgh: To say that the re- maining schedule is favorable is being, well, kind.
The Steelers close the season on a two-game road trip against the Baltimore Ravens (4-10) and Cleveland Browns (3-11). These are games that, at least on paper, Pittsburgh should win.
And if the Steelers make the postseason, they’ll have those 12 minutes in the bowels of Heinz Field to thank for it.
“Oh, we understand, man,” linebacker Jarvis Jones said. “I mean, at no point in the game did we give up and say, ‘Well, they’re up. It is what it is.’ Fourteen points is not a lot of points in this league, especially when you’ve got a whole second half to play.
“We just need to continue to chop wood, man. We’ve got a great ballclub, and a lot of guys made plays. As we do it collectively, we’re going to go where we need to go.”
“We’ve got a great ballclub, and a lot of guys made plays. As we do it collectively, we’re going to go where we need to go.”
Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones