The Pittsburgh Steelers managed 400 passing yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, but it wasn’t enough for a win and the team fell to 4-5. Since then, the Steelers have rattled off six consecutive victories and locked up a third straight trip to the postseason by beating the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas.
Steelers got their groove back just like every year, but this time Le’Veon Bell’s ready to go
Le’Veon Bell has never played in the postseason and could be a difference maker in January.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
It’s an impressive recovery for a team that was only keeping its head above water at the mid-point of the season because the AFC North didn’t have a frontrunner.
But the Steelers have been the kings of the back half of the NFL schedule for a while now. In 2015, Pittsburgh was 6-5 before finishing 4-1 to grab a wild card berth. A year before that, the Steelers won five of the last six to finish 11-5.
In 2013, a 6-2 finish to the year was only enough to erase a 2-6 start, but not enough to get Pittsburgh into the playoffs. But 2016 might be the hottest the Steelers have ever managed to get after a mediocre start.
“I don’t think any team in the NFL wants to play us right now,” Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell told Peter King of Sports Illustrated after a Week 14 win over the Buffalo Bills. “Since Week 8 or 9, I’ve been saying this. Next week, we’ll play even better.”
Bell has led the way for Pittsburgh during the late season surge with 835 rushing yards, 256 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns in the last six weeks.
After serving a three-game suspension early in the year, Bell returned to average 16.67 rushing attempts in his first six games. But during the winning streak, the Steelers have leaned heavily on the running back, giving him 26.83 rushing attempts per game, in addition to his contributions as a receiver.
In a 27-20 win against Buffalo, Bell ran for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries, the most rushing attempts for any player since Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison had 39 carries in a 2009 game.
“Whenever we ran the ball, they couldn’t stop us,’’ Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “So when we came back out [for the second half] and we were up by one score, Coach Tomlin said ‘Hey, let’s get the ball in Le’Veon’s hands and carry us out of the stadium.’”
Bell became the first player in NFL history to finish a game with 230 rushing yards and 60 receiving yards.
With only the Cleveland Browns left on the schedule before the Steelers hit the postseason, there’s no secret how the Steelers plan to attack: Bell, Bell and more Bell.
And barring injury or a collapse in the final weeks, Pittsburgh will hit the postseason with Bell in the backfield for the first time. Thanks to ill-timed injuries in the past, Bell has never played a game in January before.
Ben Roethlisberger began his career with wins in 10 of his first 12 postseason appearances, including Super Bowls XL and XLIII, but has lost four of his last five. In the last two times the Steelers were bounced from the playoffs, the team had a complete absence of an effective running game.
“It’s a positive,” Roethlisberger said of the rushing attack getting on track in 2016. “Being able to perform when your quarterback is having a bad day at the office, other guys were able to step up and make things happen. That’s what the team is about. That’s why this is the ultimate team sport. Guys step up for each other. At this time of year, whether it’s elements, the weather, the conditions, injuries, whatever it might be, you’ve got to be able to have other facets of the offense step up and rise up.”
Bell has taken on that role for the Steelers and the team is rolling through the back half of its schedule. And the late momentum could mean even more in the playoffs now that the team’s best players are hitting their stride.
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