Steelers reach halfway point still in hunt in AFC

PITTSBURGH – Pat Freiermuth was talking about the entirety of the Steelers roster. The rookie tight end might as well have been talking about himself.

“We’re relentless,” Freiermuth said after a taut 29- 27 home win over the Bears on Monday night boosted Pittsburgh to 5- 3 as the season reaches its midway point. “We can play. We can feed off each other.”

Perhaps just as important, they can rely on each other.

Pittsburgh has ripped off four consecutive victories after a 1- 3 start and finds itself closer to the top of the topsy- turvy AFC than the bottom, heady territory considering how bleak things looked a month ago.

Yet rather than panic – which coach Mike Tomlin said repeatedly was never an option – the Steelers dug in. The offense stopped turning the ball over. The running game developed traction behind rookie Najee Harris. Freiermuth supplanted Eric Ebron as the starting tight end and immediately became one of Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.

The 6- foot- 5, 23- year- old hauled in two touchdowns against the Bears, the team’s first multiple- score game by a first- year tight end since Heath Miller did it in 2005.

Freiermuth’s production is emblematic of a rookie class tasked with keeping the Steelers competitive as the sunset draws near on Roethlisberger’s remarkable career.

It’s a lot of pressure, though Freiermuth and Harris hardly seemed bothered. They scored all three Pittsburgh touchdowns on Monday night and have become two of the most vital components of a unit that may be slowly but surely finding its way.

Whether the Steelers are legitimate contenders or simply the byproduct of a soft portion of their schedule – only one of the victories during their current run came against a team with a winning record – remains to be seen. Yet they are definitely in the mix. For now, they’ll take it.

“I don’t even know records of ( other) teams,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t have time to focus on anybody else but us. We talk about it every week, we dug ourselves a little hole. So we’re just trying to get out of it. So, obviously, that’s all I’m focused on is us.”

While Pittsburgh’s surge has helped take a bit of the pressure off the shoulders of its 39- year- old quarterback, plenty of work remains to be done. The line took a step back against the Bears, allowing three sacks and letting Roethlisberger get drilled a handful of other times. The defense looked a step behind Chicago rookie quarterback Justin Fields late. The special teams – outside of rock- solid kicker Chris Boswell – are a mixed bag at best.

“I often say that good coaching is eliminating problems before they happen,” Tomlin said. “Adequate coaching is eliminating problems quickly after they show themselves.”

At the moment, Tomlin’s staff and his team are both somewhere between “good” and “adequate.” Considering what the alternative looked like five weeks ago, they’ll take it.

“We’re finding ways to win the game,” Roethlisberger said. “Playing well enough. You know, not great.”

Then again, who is?